‘We built a legacy here’: Sports set to lose their Kallang homes hope SportSG reconsiders plans

SINGAPORE: Two national sports associations are making renewed attempts to be part of the upcoming Kallang Alive precinct.

Netball Singapore and the Singapore Squash Rackets Association are set to lose their decades-old homes in Kallang, as authorities prepare to build new facilities in place of their courts.

Netball and squash are not included in the upcoming developments, which are part of the government's plans to rejuvenate the Kallang River over the next 20 years.

A section dedicated to youths, which will come with a velodrome for cycling and a speed climbing wall, is set to be built in the vicinities where netball and squash currently occupy.

NETBALL SET TO MOVE TO TOA PAYOH

If the plans go ahead, the Kallang Netball Centre at Stadium Boulevard will soon be a thing of the past.

The centre houses six outdoor courts and has been the main venue for many recreational netball events and league matches throughout the years. 

Netball Singapore said it is making a last-ditch effort in its fight to remain in Kallang, the heart of Singapore’s sport scene.

“We would have loved to be part of the overall plans, just like soccer and all the other sports,” said Ms Jessica Tan, the president of Netball Singapore.

“We have memories here. We have built a legacy here.”  

Ms Tan said Netball Singapore is working with government agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) in its bid to stay, but plans have already been drawn out for a new location.

“To be fair to SportSG, they have heard us. We hope that they will reconsider their plans. But at the same time, they have included us in terms of what the plans are with regards to the new location,” she said.

Netball Singapore could relocate to Toa Payoh next year. Six courts, including indoor ones, could be built there.

NO NEW HOME FOR SQUASH

The Kallang Squash Centre has been at its current location in the Singapore Sports Hub for the past 50 years.

It was scheduled to be demolished by the end of this year to make way for the new plans. However, that deadline has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Squash Singapore said it has not found a new space to relocate to, and is continuing its efforts to be part of Kallang Alive.

“We are appealing to the government to consider what we have been doing the last two years and whether it justifies giving us an alternate location - a replacement centre of the Kallang Squash Centre,” said Mr Patrick Thio, president of Singapore Squash.

“We are hoping that with all our activities over the last two years, the government will realise that we are making a lot of effort, fulfilling a lot of the KPIs (key performance indicators) that I believe is their standard for us.”

After its seven courts in Kallang are torn down, there will be less than 20 public squash courts in Singapore.

Mr Thio has submitted blueprints for a S$20 million revamp of the current centre to SportSG, which will boost the centre's capacity to a world-class facility within a small space of 45 by 45 sq m spanning across three floors.

He said this will rejuvenate and benefit both the local and international squash scene.

“The international community is aware of Kallang. They have come before to train or to play and they remember Kallang Squash Centre fondly. So it's not just the local community that will benefit,” he said.

However, Mr Thio said he has yet to receive a response from SportSG or the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

SPORTSG CITES OPTIMAL LAND USE

Apart from netball and squash, the fate of the neighbouring Kallang Lawn Bowl is also unknown, although its rinks have recently been re-turfed. 

Currently, there are 19 sports associations in the Kallang area, including cycling, ice skating and archery.

The Kallang Alive project, first announced in 2019, will see sporting developments in the area around the Sports Hub. They will be developed, owned and operated by SportSG.

They include the Kallang Football Hub and the Kallang Tennis Centre, which will house both sports’ national training facilities.

In response to CNA, SportSG said it works closely with National Sports Associations, including netball and squash, to ensure Team Singapore athletes have suitable facilities around the country.

It said it will continually assess and review plans to ensure that land uses, including the Kallang Alive precinct, are best optimised.

SportSG said the planned developments of the precinct are on track, and will be completed in stages over the next few years.