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Kallang Alive: sports precinct to have football and tennis hubs, velodrome and more

The proposed Kallang Alive precinct (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)
The proposed Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)

SINGAPORE — A tennis centre, a football hub, a speed climbing wall, and the first cycling velodrome to be built in Singapore.

Those are some of the new sports facilities that Singaporeans can look forward to in the next six to seven years at the Kallang Alive precinct, the area around the current Singapore Sports Hub.

The development of this precinct is among 15 recommendations announced on Tuesday (6 August) by Sport Singapore (SportSG), the country’s sports governing body, as it charts its next steps in its Vision 2030 sports blueprint for the nation.

As part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s plans to rejuvenate the Kallang River over the next 20 years, the Kallang Alive precinct is envisioned to be a destination where Singapore residents can participate in community sports activities, as well as enjoy world-class entertainment and sporting action.

Works begin on football hub, tennis centre

Work has begun on the new Kallang Football Hub and Kallang Tennis Centre.

The Kallang Football Hub, to be built on the former Kallang baseball/softball field, will comprise a full-sized natural turf pitch, complemented by artificial turf pitches, a half-size pitch for five- or seven-a-side matches, and four sheltered futsal pitches.

The new Kallang Football Hub in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)
The new Kallang Football Hub in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)

It will also house the sport’s National Training Centre, as well as the ActiveSG Football Academy. Its facilities will be open to the public for community programmes and bookings.

Meanwhile, the Kallang Tennis Centre, which will replace one of the outdoor carparks near the Leisure Park Kallang, features both sheltered and open courts. Like the football hub, it will house the National Training Centre as well as the ActiveSG Academy for the sport.

The new Kallang Tennis Centre in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)
The new Kallang Tennis Centre in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)

Cycling enthusiasts can finally look forward to seeing the first velodrome in Singapore, as SportSG is conducting a feasibility study on building this facility.

It is also collaborating with the National Youth Council for a possible Youth Hub, which may features new and extreme sports facilities for speed climbing and parkour.

The proposed velodrome in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)
The proposed velodrome in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)

Redeveloping Kallang Theatre

Plans for the Kallang Alive precinct include a redevelopment of the aging Kallang Theatre, which was built in 1970 and hosted major theatre productions as well as National Day Rallies.

SportSG has initiated a Request For Information process for ideas on the redevelopment of the theatre. So far, seven parties have sounded their interest in the project, and the development could include a multi-purpose indoor arena capable of hosting esports events, a themed hotel and an international sports medicine centre, as well as office spaces.

An artist impression of the proposed redevelopment of Kallang Theatre in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)
An artist impression of the proposed redevelopment of Kallang Theatre in the Kallang Alive precinct. (INFOGRAPHIC: Sport Singapore)

Finally, the waterfront space along Jalan Benaan Kapal is envisaged to become a community space called Benaan Kapal Green with greenery, running trails and park connectors. SportSG is also exploring the possibility of connecting all the sports facilities via a walking and cycling loop.

Focus on children and youth sports frameworks

These new developments comprise just one of the new recommendations for the Vision 2030 roadmap, which was launched in 2012 to set out the directives to enrich people’s lives through sports.

The recommendations came out of a 2018 review of the roadmap, derived from the feedback of more than 3,000 people who took part in focus group discussions, surveys and research studies.

SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin said a key focus in the new recommendations is on creating partnerships with citizens and organisations to achieve breakthroughs in areas such as sports participation, sports excellence and sports industry.

“Over the last seven years, we have put in place platforms for citizens to gain access to sport – such as ActiveSG and SportCares,” he said.

“In the next leg of Vision 2030, we hope to strengthen our partnership with citizens and organisations to redouble our efforts to enable all to live better through sports.”

One demographic that the review focused on is on children and youth. SportSG is building a framework of initiatives to increase opportunities to play sport through school-going years.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Grace Fu, commented on the Vision 2030 review at the Singapore Disability Sports Awards on Tuesday night.

She said, “The Vision 2030 review was an important occasion for us to take stock. We've seen how sports participation, particularly in the community level, has increased over the years. Significantly, we realise the power of sports in building social capital by bridging different communities.

“So I think this review will lead us from here onwards, to look at what more we can do to bring diverse communities together through sports, particularly with the young, the elderly, and those with special needs.”

Other recommendations for Vision 2030

Other recommendations that came out of the Vision 2030 review include:

  • Associate Partner scheme: collaborating with private sports academies and clubs for more opportunities to learn and play

  • Support for parents and teaches: equip parents and teachers with tools to nurture children through sport

  • Optimise high-performance sport: unlock potential of elite athletes through professionalism and prioritisation

  • Better governance and integrity of sport: develop shared values and principles for the sports eco-system

  • Communities of care: to enable the vulnerable and people with disabilities to experience and reap benefits of sport

  • Playbook for corporate: for corporate organisations to use sport as a strategy for success and to strengthen their workforce

  • Formal partnership for senior stakeholders: strengthening the active ageing eco-system to create opportunities for seniors to build greater social connectedness

  • Eco-system that enables sports business development: driving innovation and business for sport in Singapore through cross-sector collaboration

  • Marketplace for ideas and innovation: leverage SportSG’s infrastructure and assets to nurture innovation and incubate ideas

  • Network of play spaces: unlock more spaces to play sports anywhere, anytime

  • Smart sport centres: more meaningful and engaging experiences at sports centres

  • Harness data intelligence: enable data to create better value

  • Network coordination and business data partnership: develop partnerships to unlock potential of data networks

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