Commentary: It’s time to think about where kids can freely play football in Singapore
The temporary closure of a Bedok street soccer court raises the question of how Singapore can cultivate football talent if children have fewer public spaces to play, says former football journalist Edwin Yeo.

A notice to inform people of the temporary closure of a street soccer court at Block 422, Bedok North Road, taken on Dec 26, 2023. (Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY)
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SINGAPORE: The recent news about East Coast Town Council temporarily closing a street football court in Bedok North has led to some public debate.
The town council said it was reacting to residents’ complaints of noise and other nuisances from players using the court, and social media went to war.
Supporters of this move would argue that there should be areas where kids can play football without disturbing the peace. Opponents would point to this to explain why Singapore football is in the doldrums.
Both sides have a point, but let’s look at the root of the problem.
Conflicts naturally arise when many people live together in one area, whether they are about noisy neighbours or kids playing football in common areas.
Many football fans in Singapore lament that we have not seen new talent on the same level as national legends Fandi Ahmad or V Sundramoorthy. I would argue that this is the result of a declining number of public spaces where kids can play football.
SPACE CRUNCH
Assuming Fandi and Sundram started playing football as kids, around the late 60s, Singapore’s population stood at around 2 million. Our population has tripled since, to nearly 6 million as of mid-2023.
To manage the fast-growing population, urban planners had to do away with the open fields where children once played football, and consolidate spaces for sports and leisure.
So facilities like sports halls and multi-purpose courts were built. Basketball courts, once a mainstay of every Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate, started moving into community clubs. Town centres today will almost always have an official space where one can participate in sports and exercise.
That all sounds logical to mitigate the space crunch. What was unforeseen was the loss of free play for football. Yet football does not need dedicated infrastructure like other sports, it only needs a ball, makeshift goalposts (either in the form of slippers or schoolbags) and a relatively larger space to play.
This is a pity because football is far and away the most popular sport in Singapore, and one where bonds of friendships last a lifetime.
Is pinning the lack of space as the problem with Singapore football oversimplifying things? Of course. However, while there are many other things we can try to do to improve the local football scene, without kids playing freely, it’s just plastering over the cracks.
FOOTBALL GETS KIDS MOVING
By temporarily closing the Bedok North street football court, the town council was doing its job by resolving conflict. After all, it’s someone else’s job to worry about producing another Fandi and Sundram, or beating Malaysia, or winning the elusive SEA Games gold medal.
But dwindling spaces for football leads to another problem. If we want to get kids off their devices and move more to combat the obesity issue, then football is the most viable solution. We can’t put in an exercise park or a cycling route and say, job done, now it’s up to the kids to come out and play.
With all due respect to the running and cycling community, that doesn’t capture the imagination like football does, nor does it bond kids at a young age. And mostly, they’re not as fun as football.
Kids will drop their phones for an hour or two if there is something else that is fun to do. They will run tirelessly to chase the next goal and celebrate like their football idols on TV when they score one.
While removing a space to play football satisfies the needs of residents, such as being able to work from home without being interrupted by the screams of kids, it also removes a big motivation for kids to live a less sedentary lifestyle.
There’s also a case to be made for cultural integration, just with the simple act of letting kids play football. Kids playing together do not care about differences in gender, race or class. Having fun together in an activity they all enjoy creates a social glue, and a wider network of friends is good for their mental health as well.
Heart of the Matter: What will it take to lift Singapore football?

ENCOURAGING FREE PLAY OF FOOTBALL
One could argue that if parents were serious about getting their kids involved in sports, they could enrol them in a football academy or encourage them to take it up as a co-curricular activity at school.
But these structured programmes do not fully replicate the benefits of free play. Parents also need to be involved, and once you draw adults into it, time becomes a premium.
Without parents, proximity is important - kids need spaces at home or school for spontaneous football matches.
Football doesn’t need to be played on fields, so solutions could be as simple as schools carving out a section of the multi-purpose hall for playing football. All you need are lines to demarcate an area for it and a sign that says “Football encouraged”.
Imagine that. Instead of “No football”, we should encourage children to play in their free time.
The days of void-deck football are gone. Truth be told, football was never allowed at void decks, but we didn’t care as kids. We have to accept that HDB estates are simply no longer viable for free football playing because more people are living there.
There is no point in asking people to be more tolerant. Such preaching only gets people more riled up, especially those inconvenienced by the noise.
Creating space in schools only takes the combined will of a small group of people - principals and perhaps the Football Association of Singapore to support the schools with some basic equipment for kids to play after school hours.
As a nation, we have been innovative in solving problems. When HDB blocks started having lifts and people urinated in them, we didn’t shut down the lifts - we installed cameras and urine detectors in them instead. That’s because civil servants realised that lifts are important.
If we dream of seeing a Singaporean star light up Anfield or Old Trafford, if we yearn for that elusive World Cup berth, if we simply want healthier, happier kids, then let's recognise football's importance as well. It's more than just a game; it's a nation-building tool waiting to be unleashed.
Edwin Yeo, a former football commentator, leads the Singapore office of SPRG, a regional integrated communications agency.