Major upgrades underway at Bishan Stadium ahead of AFC Champions League Two final
The Lion City Sailors, which will be the first Singaporean football club to play in a major Asian final, are set to face the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah FC.
A wide view of Bishan Stadium.
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SINGAPORE: The stage is being set for a historic night for Singapore football at Bishan Stadium, where the Lion City Sailors will take on United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah FC in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two final on Sunday (May 18).
It marks the first time a Singaporean football club has reached a major continental final. Tickets sold out just a day after going on sale.
The Sailors have the chance to seal an unprecedented double, after they were crowned Singapore Premier League champions on Saturday.
But before eager fans make their way to the stadium this weekend, it is undergoing urgent upgrades to meet the standards required to host the match.
These improvements include building three new stands to increase its capacity by more than three times to accommodate about 10,000 spectators. Â
More than 100 people have been working to get the venue ready since it was given the provisional green light on Apr 25 to host the final.
Possible options were for the match to be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium or the National Stadium.
The latter was rejected by the AFC after Sharjah FC raised objection to the artificial turf while the 55,000-seater National Stadium was ruled out as the match clashed with Lady Gaga's Mayhem concert - which had been booked well in advance.
SPRUCING UP PITCH, BRINGING OVER SEATS
Other upgrades to Bishan Stadium include bringing over seats for the dugout from the National Stadium, enhancing floodlights for broadcast requirements, and turfing up parts of the track.
New lockers have also been fitted in the air-conditioned away dressing room.
The Sailors’ head of operations Carolyn Chia called it a “combined effort from all of Singapore … to make sure we give a good show for the final”.
“Organising the finals in Singapore is definitely a boost for the players and for the fans as well. It is very accessible, and everyone is very familiar with Bishan being our home ground already during our local league games days,” Ms Chia said.
She added that since upgrading works began, the club has been sharing regular updates with the AFC.
“(It is also) to give them the assurance that we are ready to put out the match,” she said.
On top of this, the stadium’s pitch is being spruced up.
Pitch architect Jonathan Teo from Kallang Alive Sport Management, which manages the Singapore Sports Hub, said the pitch condition was at 70 to 80 per cent before preparations began for the final.Â
Covers had been added to protect the pitch when it was used for rallies during the recent General Election.
Mr Teo pointed out to CNA that the maintenance regime at the open-air stadium is roughly the same at the National Stadium, which is the world’s largest free-spanning dome with a microclimate.
“My objective is to get it to a competition level, and that is to get it conformed to the FIFA standards or requirements,” he added.
For the fans, they can look forward to an enhanced match day experience, with two new giant screens being set up at both ends of Bishan Stadium.
There will also be mobile food trucks and carnival games outside the stadium.
Previously known as the AFC Cup, the AFC Champions League Two is the second-tier Asian club football tournament, with its format having been revamped this season.
