Former National Stadium, Singapore


The former Singapore National Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Kallang, which opened in July 1973 and closed on 30 June 2007. The stadium was demolished from 2010 to 2011 for the development of the Singapore Sports Hub, which houses its successor. During its closure from 2007 to 2014, NDP and sports events were held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform and Jalan Besar Stadium.
The stadium was the home of Singapore FA, that played in Malaysian domestic football, and the Singapore national team. It also hosted the Singapore Cup finals annually, the first in 1996, and the second leg of the 2004 AFF Championship finals.
In addition to association football matches, the stadium hosted the 1973, 1983 and 1993 Southeast Asian Games, the Singapore Armed Forces Day parade and the opening ceremony of the biennial Singapore Youth Festival, as well as numerous music and cultural events. It was the primary venue for the National Day Parade.

Facilities

The National Stadium had an eight-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.
The headquarters of the Singapore Sports Council used to be located at 15 Stadium Road.

History

Conceptualisation

Soon after the end of the Second World War, as Singapore moved towards self-government and independence, the clamour began for a national stadium.

Funding

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 and 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. Following the completion of the National Stadium, Singapore Pools remained a major sponsor of stadium, as well as the National Day Parade.

Construction

On 7 December 1966, in the year that Singapore celebrated its first National Day, 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 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 stadium. By the end of June 1973 when the stadium was completed, 300,000 bags of cement, 3,000,000 bricks and 4,500 tons of steel and timber had been used. The new stadium was opened to the public for the first time on 19 July 1973.

Redevelopment

Plans were made to demolish the stadium and build a multipurpose, Singapore Sports Hub in its place. Demolition works began in the second half of 2007, and the new Sports Hub was eventually completed in 2014. Three finalist consortia submitted redevelopment plans.
The 2007 ASEAN Football Championship was the last major event held at the National Stadium before its redevelopment.

Closure

On 30 June 2007, a closing ceremony titled Field of Dreams – A Tribute to the National Stadium was held at the stadium. 45,000 people attended the event, together with President S R Nathan, members of the Cabinet and Singapore athletes, past and present. Before the ceremony, a football match featuring ex-internationals from Singapore and Malaysia like Quah Kim Song, Terry Pathmanathan, Samat Allapitchay, V. Sundramoorthy, David Lee, Dollah Kassim, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Chow Siew Wai and K. Gunalan was played.
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 and Harry Kewell.
This was not the last football match to be played in the stadium as it was subsequently 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.

Demolition

On 29 September 2010: The former National Stadium started its demolition to make way for the construction of the Sports Hub. Its demolition had since completed by February 2011.

Aftermath

Post closure

In February 2013, uniquely designed benches made from the wooden planks from the former National Stadium were presented to the public, as a meaningful way to commemorate this historic landmark. These designs were part of the organized by local creative practice FARM, and jointly presented by Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Furniture Industries Council. Five of the designs were winning entries of the design competition which invited the public to submit designs for benches using the seating planks from the former National Stadium. The rest of the designs were specially created by commissioned local designers from various design fields.
The benches can now be found in such as Singapore River, Marina Bay, Gillman Barracks, Esplanade, Gardens by the Bay and the URA Centre.

New National Stadium

The new National Stadium was officially opened on 30 June 2014 on the site of the Former National Stadium.

Timeline

The stadium's 44-year history is as follows: