Singapore National Stadium
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The Singapore National Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
in
Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Opened on 30 June 2014, it was constructed on the site of the former National Stadium, which was closed in 2007 and demolished in 2010. The 55,000-seat facility serves as the home stadium of the
Singapore national football team The Singapore national football team (, zh, 新加坡國家足球隊, ta, சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய கால்பந்து அணி ) represents the Republic of Singapore in the senior men's international footb ...
, and is the centrepiece of the
Singapore Sports Hub The Singapore Sports Hub (Chinese: 新加坡体育城; Malay: Hab Sukan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் விளையாட்டு மையம்) is a sports and recreation district in Kallang, Singapore. The Sports H ...
project—a sports and recreation district that also incorporates nearby
Singapore Indoor Stadium The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore Spor ...
and other sporting venues. One of the largest domed structures in the world, it features a naturally-ventilated design with a
retractable roof A retractable roof is a roof system designed to roll back the roof of a structure so that the interior of the facility is open to the outdoors. Retractable roofs are sometimes referred to as operable roofs or retractable skylights. The term op ...
, and has configurations for football, rugby, athletics and cricket. The stadium served as the main venue of the
2015 Southeast Asian Games The 2015 Southeast Asian Games ( ms, Sukan Asia Tenggara 2015; ; ta, 2015 தென்கிழக்கு ஆசிய விளையாட்டுப் போட்டிகள்), officially known as the 28th Southeast Asian Games, or ...
, and has hosted matches of the
AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football ...
in
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,
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,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
and
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.


History

In 2007, the Singapore government accepted bids for a project to build a new National Stadium and an accompanying sports and recreation district around the stadium (including an aquatics centre). Alpine Mayreder proposed a design inspired by Munich's
Allianz Arena Allianz Arena (; known as Fußball Arena München for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior ...
, Singapore Gold proposed a design known as "Premier Park" (which would have featured a retractable roof usable as a
projection screen A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the ...
), while the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium (SSHC) proposed a design known as the "Cool Dome", a ventilated,
horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...
-inspired stadium with a retractable roof. On 19 January 2008, the government named SSHC as its preferred bidder for the Sports Hub project and stadium, with construction slated to be completed by 2011. Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Vivian Balakrishnan Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...
stated that the SSHC proposal was the "strongest in offering a comprehensive sporting calendar", and "displayed significant strengths in programming, team culture and partnership, functionality and layout". Construction of the stadium began in 2010 due to the delays caused by the 2008 financial crisis and soaring construction costs. By September 2011, the pilling and the foundation of the stadium was completed and construction on the steelworks of the stadium fixed roof started. In July 2013, the installation of the stadium final primary steel 'runway truss' for the roof was completed marking the completion of the steelworks on the National Stadium's fixed roof in preparation for installation of the retractable roof. The stadium was set to be completed in April 2014. In February 2014, Sports Hub CEO Philippe Collin Delavaud announced that it would miss the deadline, and not open until June 2014. The stadium's first sporting event was the inaugural
World Club 10s World Club 10s is a rugby union tournament played under rugby tens rules, and contested by professional clubs from around the world. Top-level teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, have played in the tournament since the first edition in 2 ...
rugby tens Rugby tens, also known as ten-a-side and Xs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of ten players, typically five Rugby union positions#Forwards, forwards and five Rugby union positions#Backs, backs. Matches are much shorter, us ...
tournament in June 2014.


Design

The stadium features a , -tall steel dome with a retractable roof, which was stated to be the largest dome structure in the world. Due to Singapore's tropical climate, the stadium's roof is designed to reflect sunlight in order to insulate its interior, while natural airflow is used to cool spectator areas with less energy usage than a venue of comparable size. The stadium has configurations for football, rugby, athletics, and cricket. In its football and rugby configuration, the lowest tier of seating can be moved forward (covering the running track) to provide a more intimate experience. It takes approximately 48 hours to reconfigure seating arrangements to suit an upcoming event.


Playing surface

The stadium initially used
Desso GrassMaster GrassMaster is a hybrid grass sports playing field surface composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres. The method was developed and patented by Desso Sports from the Netherlands in 1993. This hybrid grass system is now marketed an ...
—which consists of natural grass interwoven with synthetic fibres—as its playing surface. After experiencing issues with the pitch's quality (which culminated in the New Zealand All Blacks cancelling a rugby match at the stadium during a November 2014 tour due to safety concerns), in May 2015 the GrassMaster surface was replaced by Eclipse Stabilised Turf—a similar hybrid surface produced by Australian company HG Turf. Singapore Sports Hub CEO Oon Jin Teik stated that the stadium's unique
microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...
had posed additional challenges in maintaining the GrassMaster pitch.


Transport


Mass Rapid Transit

The stadium is located above the underground
Stadium MRT station Stadium MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle Line (CCL). Located in the area of Kallang, Central Region, Singapore, the station serves the Singapore Sports Hub and its facilities including the Nationa ...
on the Circle Line. Trains arrive every five to six minutes during off-peak hours, and two to three minutes during peak hours and event days. Other MRT stations nearby are
Kallang MRT station Kallang MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line in Kallang, Singapore. It is located next to the Kallang River and along Sims Avenue at the junction of Lorong 1 Geylang. Kallang station served as t ...
which can be accessed using a sheltered walkway, and
Mountbatten MRT station Mountbatten MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle line, located on the boundary of Kallang and Geylang, Singapore. Serving the Mountbatten subzone, the area and the station is named after British Admir ...
. The upcoming Tanjong Rhu MRT station will complement the existing stations once completed in 2024.


Buses and taxis

Bus stops are located around the Sports Hub complex along Stadium Walk, Stadium Boulevard and
Nicoll Highway Nicoll Highway (; ms, Lebuhraya Nicoll; ta, நிகோல் நெடுஞ்சாலை) is a major arterial road in Singapore which links the junctions of Guillemard Road, Sims Way and Mountbatten Road in Kallang to the junctions of Espl ...
, with buses serving nearby districts and the city. Taxi stands are also conveniently available near the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium and
Leisure Park Kallang Leisure Park Kallang (or Kallang Leisure Park) is an entertainment centre and shopping mall in Kallang, Singapore. It is served by Stadium MRT station and is within the vicinity of the affluent community of Tanjong Rhu. It is sited next to the ...
.


Notable events


Sports


SEA Games

The stadium was one of the venues of the
2015 Southeast Asian Games The 2015 Southeast Asian Games ( ms, Sukan Asia Tenggara 2015; ; ta, 2015 தென்கிழக்கு ஆசிய விளையாட்டுப் போட்டிகள்), officially known as the 28th Southeast Asian Games, or ...
, hosting the
opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...
and closing ceremonies, athletics, and football.


Football

The first football match held at the stadium is a friendly match between
Singapore Selection XI The Singapore Selection XI is a football team made up of Singapore internationals and selected players from the S.League. The team mainly plays in exhibition matches and non-FIFA 'A' international matches. In 2013, the Singapore Selection XI, co ...
and
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
in August 2014. The friendly match between
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in October 2014 was the first sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the stadium. It also hosted the
2014 AFF Suzuki Cup The 2014 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 10th edition of the AFF Championship, an international association football competition consisting of national teams of member nations of th ...
in November 2014. It is the venue of all the matches of the 2015 Barclays Asia Trophy that is held in Singapore. In 2018, as a participant in the 2018 AFF Championship, Singapore played two matches at the stadium for the group stages as the home team. On 15 July 2022, the stadium served as the venue for the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy 2022 pre-season friendly between
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
clubs
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
with 50,217 fans in attendance.


Rugby

The stadium's inaugural event was the inaugural
World Club 10s World Club 10s is a rugby union tournament played under rugby tens rules, and contested by professional clubs from around the world. Top-level teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, have played in the tournament since the first edition in 2 ...
tournament in June 2014.


Concerts


National Day Parade

On 9 August 2016, the new National Stadium hosted Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP). The event had been frequently held at the old National Stadium in the past, and had been temporarily held at
The Float at Marina Bay The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the Downtown Core area of Marina Bay, Singapore. The venue consists of a steel platform in the Ma ...
–a temporary venue on Marina Bay built to host outdoor sports and cultural events while the new National Stadium was being constructed. The design of the stadium resulted in limitations and modifications to the event, including the traditional military flypast and fireworks being obstructed by the stadium's dome, armoured military vehicles being unable to drive on the stadium's tracks, and the Red Lions being unable to parachute into the dome due to safety concerns. The parade thus incorporated different features, such as light shows (including a segment featuring models of Singaporean landmarks illuminated with
projection mapping Projection mapping, similar to video mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technique used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into display surfaces for video projection. The objects may be complex industrial landscapes, s ...
effects), large "puppets", and other artistic presentations. The event faced mixed reception for its increased costs over the event held at The Float. Under the contract between the Sports Hub and Singapore Government, NDP organisers were allowed 45 days of free annual usage of the venue. However, technicians and performers reported that the time frame needed to be extended to 80 days, to which the Sports Hub requested an additional $26 million but was reportedly reduced to $10 million. In October 2017, it was announced that The Float would be redeveloped as a permanent venue known as NS Square, and serve as the primary venue for the NDP when not held at
The Padang The Padang ( Malay for 'field') is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It includes the Padang Cricket Ground. The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Sai ...
every five years. The decision raised questions over whether the costs of renting the stadium would diminish the legacy that the former National Stadium had as a site for community events. Contrarily, it was argued that not hosting the NDP at the new National Stadium would free up its schedule for major international sporting events, especially during the summer months. Bids to host the
Asia Masters Athletics Championships The Asia Masters Athletics Championships are the biannual championship of Asia Masters Athletics (AMA), one of six continental based regional affiliates of World Masters Athletics (WMA), known as the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) fr ...
and the
Merlion Cup The Merlion Cup was an invitational football tournament that was held in Singapore annually from 1982–1986, in 1992, 2009 and 2019. Participants included full national sides, Olympic sides, Invitational XI's and club teams. After the 1986 tou ...
at the stadium had also previously been stalled by costs demanded by the facility. With the construction of NS Square expected to begin in 2023 and last through 2026, organisers stated that the 2024 NDP could return to the new National Stadium.


Religious gatherings

In May 2019, the National Stadium hosted the Celebration of Hope, a three-day evangelistic event led by
Rennis Ponniah Rennis Ponniah (); is a Singaporean Anglican retired Bishop. He was the 9th Bishop of Singapore. He succeeded Bishop John Chew on his retirement on 4 October 2012. He was also the president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore from 201 ...
.


See also

*
List of Southeast Asia stadiums by capacity The following is an incomplete list of sports stadiums in Southeast Asia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators the stadium can normally accommodate, therefore excluding temporary extra accommodations. Capa ...
*
List of stadiums in Singapore The following is a list of stadiums in Singapore. Public stadiums These stadiums are run by the Sport Singapore. Demolished stadiums Future Stadiums These stadiums are managed by government or government-aided schools. Some may be used ...
*
Sport in Singapore Singaporeans participate in a wide variety of sports for recreation as well as for competition. Popular sports include football, swimming, track and field, basketball, rugby union, badminton, table tennis, and cycling. Many public residentia ...


References


External links


Singapore Sports Council official websiteSingapore Sports Hub official website
{{Use dmy dates, date=January 2019 Kallang Cricket grounds in Singapore Football venues in Singapore Retractable-roof stadiums Rugby union stadiums in Singapore 2014 establishments in Singapore Sports venues completed in 2014 Sunwolves World Rugby Sevens Series venues Southeast Asian Games stadiums Southeast Asian Games athletics venues Southeast Asian Games football venues