| National Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kallang, Singapore |
| Broke ground | 1966 |
| Opened | July 1973 |
| Closed | 30 June 2007 |
| Demolished | 2010-2011 |
| Owner | Singapore Sports Council |
| Operator | Singapore Sports Council |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 55,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Singapore Sports Council Southeast Asian Games (1973, 1983, 1993) |
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The Singapore National Stadium (Malay: Stadium Nasional Singapura) was located in Kallang. Opened in July 1973, the National Stadium was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and has demolished to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub and New Singapore National Stadium which is expected to open in 2014.
The stadium has played host to many sporting, cultural, entertainment and national events, such as the Southeast Asian Games when it was hosted in Singapore, the Singapore Armed Forces Day, the Singapore Youth Festival Opening Ceremony, and the finals of the 2004 Tiger Cup. The National Stadium has also been the venue for the National Day Parade 18 times (in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 to 1999, 2001 to 2004, and 2006).
Ever since the stadium opened in 1973, the Singapore national football team has played its home matches here. It has also hosted the final of the Singapore Cup since 1996. Additionally, the stadium was the home of the representative team that participated in domestic football in Malaysia.
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The National Stadium had an 8-lane running track and football field in addition to other miscellaneous facilities such as table tennis tables, a weights room and an auditorium, housed underneath the spectator stands.
While the facilities were often used for high-profile sporting events, they could also be used by members of the public and other local organizations for a nominal fee. For example, when not otherwise used, the running track could be used by joggers for S$0.50 per entry[1].
The headquarters of the Singapore Sports Council used to be located at 15 Stadium Road.
Soon after the end of the Second World War, as Singapore moved towards self-government and independence, the clamour began for a national stadium.
Preliminary studies of possible sites began in the 1950s. Kallang Park was selected because of existing sport facilities in the immediate vicinity. In August 1965, preliminary work on the design of the Stadium began. By the end of 1965, considerable progress having been made to shelter people, educate the young and to find jobs for the swelling population, Minister Othman Wok announced the Government's intention to proceed with the construction of a National Stadium of Olympic standard at Kallang, as the first phase of the National Sports Complex. The Minister told Parliament that the National Stadium would give a tremendous boost to the promotion of sports in Singapore and would help improve the Republic's image in international sports.
A state-owned lottery company, Singapore Pools, was set up in 1968 to raise funds for the stadium. Proceeds from the Singapore Sweep and TOTO were used to pay a substantial part of the construction bill. Between 1968–1976, the company contributed S$14.5 million towards the project. Singapore Pools also helped the Stadium repay a government loan of $7.8 million meant as start-up money for a stadium management corporation [2]. Today, Singapore Pools is still a major sponsor for the National Stadium, as well as the National Day Parade.
On 7 December 1966 in the year that Singapore celebrated its first National Day, Minister Othman drove the first pile into the ground. For the next three and a half years, piling was done to lay the foundations. Work had to be delayed due to bad weather for about a month. By the end of 1970, the stadium was three-quarters completed and was starting to take its definitive shape. Thirty-six steps, each 76 metres wide, formed an impressive entrance and a cauldron was built within the stadium to carry a flame that would burn on special events and on the opening of the National Stadium of Singapore. By the end of June 1973, 300,000 bags of cement, 3,000,000 bricks and 4,500 tons of steel and timber had been used and the stadium was completed. On 19 July 1973 the new stadium was opened to the public for the first time.
Plans have been made to demolish the stadium and build the multi-purpose, 35.6 hectare Singapore Sports Hub in its place.[3] Demolition works are expected to begin in the second half of 2007, and the new Sports Hub planned for completion in 2012.[4] Three finalist consortia have submitted their plans, which are currently being evaluated.[5]
The 2007 ASEAN Football Championship was the last major event held at the National Stadium before its redevelopment.
On 30 June 2007, a closing ceremony titled Field of Dreams – A Tribute to the National Stadium was held at the National Stadium.[6] 45,000 people attended the event, together with President S R Nathan, members of the Cabinet and Singapore athletes, past and present.[7] Before the ceremony, a football match featuring ex-internationals from Singapore and Malaysia like Quah Kim Song, T. Pathmanathan, Samat Allapitchay, V. Sundramoorthy, David Lee, Dollah Kassim, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Chow Siew Wai and K. Gunalan was played.[8]
The match was followed by the highlight of the evening, an international friendly between ASEAN champions Singapore and the Asian Cup bound Australian team, the Socceroos. The Australians won 3-0 with goals scored by English Premier League players Mark Viduka (50, 86 mins) and Harry Kewell (75 min).[9] This will not have been the last football match to be played in the stadium as it will still be used for 11 football matches. The very last goal scored at the stadium was scored by Gholamreza Rezaei of Iran in a 1-3 loss for the hosts against the Iranian national team in an Asian Cup qualifying match on 6 January 2010.
The stadium's 44-year history is as follows:[10]
| Preceded by Sabah Al-Salem Stadium Kuwait City |
AFC Asian Cup Final Venue 1984 |
Succeeded by Al-Ahly Stadium Doha |
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