The Singapore Grounds, or better known as Singapore Polo Club is a varied sports centre in

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, bor ...

. It is one of the oldest grounds in Singapore.

History

Polo was introduced to Singapore by officers of the

King's Own Royal Regiment The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

who were stationed on the island. The Singapore Polo Club was founded in 1886, making it the oldest polo team in what was once British Malaya and one of the oldest sporting and social clubs in Singapore. From its formation until 1914, it played at the

Race Course A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also ...

, a major sports venue up until the 1930s, in present-day

Farrer Park Farrer Park is a subzone of the Rochor planning area in the Central Region of Singapore, bounded by Serangoon Road, Rangoon Road, Race Course Road, Northumberland Road, Tekka Lane and Bukit Timah Road. This article is about the Farrer Park ...

Grounds

The Singapore Polo Club was located at Balestier Road since 1914, but moved to Mount Pleasant for needs of better facilities. After numerous fundraising attempts, the grounds were finally founded by Singapore Turf Club, on the condition that they use it as a practice and recreational grounds and had status of it. The

Japanese Imperial Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

sent volunteers to collaborate in the attempts of a national identity, and the ground was complete and open for play by 1941. However, during The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the ground was used as a gun emplacement area by the Japanese Defence Force and was rented as a

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

camp by the Salvation Army and Japanese Defence Forces. After the war, Lord Mountbatten became the patron of the ground and re-established the Polo Club. He used his

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Royal influence to renovate the Grounds and establish it as an improved playing area, with a newly renovated pitch. The grounds are also the headquarters of the Asian Gaelic Athletics Association, or the

Asian GAA The Asian County Board (ACB) of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), also sometimes known as Asian GAA, is one of the county boards of the GAA outside Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games across Asia and Oceania Oceania (, , ) is ...

Pitch

A new type of grass called

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 ...

was installed in 2000 to improve to surface's quality. The grass, which is natural grass with enhanced artificial roots, is suitable for polo, Gaelic football and hurling, as well as the other sports played there.

Facilities

The ground also has a number of suites and other activities. There is a bar and restaurant, riding area, gym, spa, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, as well as two tennis courts and the pitch.

References

External links