Jalan Besar Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jalan Besar Stadium is a multi-use stadium located at Jalan Besar, in the Kallang area of Singapore. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and is the home stadium of Young Lions S.League soccer team. The stadium holds 6,000 people.
The stadium was built in 1932 and is considered to be the birthplace of Singapore football. Malaya Cup matches were played at the staudium from 1932-1966, and Malaysia Cup matches from 1967 to 1973. The stadium has also hosted countless international soccer and hockey matches.
During the Japanese Occupation, the stadium was one of the Sook Ching mass screening sites. During the war, the stadium remained opened and was also used as a language centre to teach the Japanese language.
The stadium was also host to many major events in Singapore's history, such as being the venue for the first Singapore Youth Festival in 1955, the first Singapore Armed Forces Day in 1969, and the 1984 National Day Parade.
The original stadium was closed in December 1999 for rebuilding. The new stadium was openend in June 2003 with a seating capacity of 6,000. Interestingly, the position of the pitch has been retained in the exact position as the previous stadium.
