Talk of expanding capacity at existing stadiums gains momentum

Source

SINGAPORE - With the National Stadium no longer standing and the Sports Hub still some way from its targeted completion in early 2014, the football fraternity here is clamouring for a mid-sized stadium that can seat up to 15,000 people.

The need for a new stadium was brought sharply into focus when tickets for the second round FIFA World Cup qualifier between Singapore and Malaysia were sold out within a matter of hours last month with some spending up to S$1,500 on the open market for the right to enter the 6,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium on matchday.

The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) are still in talks to determine which facility will get a capacity upgrade.

Sources have revealed that ,in addition to the Tampines and Toa Payoh stadiums, Jalan Besar is also being considered, despite being hemmed in by the Jalan Besar Swimming Complex and the adjacent People's Association (PA) Headquarters

This leaves the gallery on Horne Road and the car park near the stadium's south entrance as possible expansion locations.

But Kenneth Hui, chief of the sports facilities group at the SSC, declined to reveal any further details when he was asked by Today.

He said: "SSC has been working closely with FAS to study the demand for and feasibility of a mid-sized stadium that can host Malaysia Cup matches and other events and we hope to reach a decision soon."

A Singapore team will play in the M-League and Malaysia Cup, while the Young Tigers, the Malaysian under-23 team, will compete in the S-League and Singapore Cup starting next year.

Said FAS chief Zainudin Nordin: "Our most immediate concern is to have a decent sized stadium to cope for the next few years till the Sports Hub is ready."

Toa Payoh has been earmarked for its prime location and accessibility, while Tampines Stadium is sitting on land designated for the Tampines Town Hub, that is managed by the PA.