New era dawns for Singapore Sports Hub

Singapore Sports Hub is entering an exciting new era after adding state-of-the-art tennis and football centres to its impressive range of venues, with a new indoor arena also on the boards.

The Singapore Sports Hub is one of the world’s first fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle destinations.

Spanning a mammoth 35 hectares of land in the heart of the city, the Singapore Sports Hub houses a unique cluster of world-class facilities comprising the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium, OCBC Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre, Water Sports Centre, Kallang Wave Mall, Singapore Sports Museum, and Shimano Cycling World.

Recent additions to the complex include the Kallang Tennis Hub and the Kallang Football Hub, while a new Indoor Arena is also in planning.

Officially declared open by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in July 2015, the Singapore Sports Hub incorporates cutting-edge, environmentally conscious design and construction. The campus comprises different multi-purpose venues with the capacity and professional expertise to host a variety of events ranging from sports and entertainment to lifestyle and community events.

National agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) officially took over the facility in late 2022, ending its partnership with Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL), the private consortium that had been running the $1.33-billion complex since it opened in 2014.

Mitch Seeto, Head of Venue Operations at the Singapore Sports Hub, told Sports Venue Business (SVB)’s John Sheehan:

We’re a unique site here at the Singapore Sports Hub. We’ve got a number of world class venues all under the same operating team.

(In addition to) the National Stadium (and) Singapore Indoor Stadium, we’ve got other world class facilities here as well, including an Aquatic Centre and a Water Sports Centre. Earlier this year, we opened the brand-new Kallang Tennis Hub and Kallang Football Hub.

The Singapore Sports Hub has got three pillars, so events obviously is one pillar but elite athlete training is another. (Singapore’s) National athletes train at a lot of our venues across the different sports.

The third pillar is community and community use, so you could be swimming in the same swimming pool a national athlete has just got out of.

It’s the same for basketball. You could be training and playing with your mates right alongside where the national basketball players trained or have just finished their session as well. So that’s quite cool.

World Cup Qualifier Singapore vs Korea at the National Stadium

National Pride

The 55,000 capacity National Stadium is the centrepiece of the Sports Hub and provides visitors with spectacular views of the waterfront and Singapore city skyline.

The stadium is an epitome of engineering and sustainability, collaboratively designed by Arup, Arup associates, DP Architects, and AECOM.

It features the world’s largest free-spanning dome, a retractable roof and comfort cooling technology for spectators – design elements that complement Singapore’s humid climate. The retractable roof also features an innovative lighting system that is embedded with 20,000 LEDs and can serve as a giant screen with the projection visible from both inside and outside the stadium.

Seeto said:

It’s almost a big TV screen for us, so during a football game, if someone scores a goal, then the word ‘goal’, will appear on there.

 For some of our national events, we put different displays up there on the roof. Even if the stadium is not active, we’ll be doing celebrations for National Day or different national festivals displaying the Singapore national flag or festival visuals.

The venue has a capacity of 55,000 for football and rugby, 52,000 for cricket and 50,000 for athletics.

Hospitality includes 62 Executive Suites, 456 Premium Plus Seats, 544 Premium Seats and two Members’ Lounges.

Singapore National Stadium lit up at night

Mega events

Seeto said the National Stadium is the jewel in the crown of the Sports Hub and is used to host world class concerts by mega stars, as well as a variety of other high-quality events. He said:

In terms of the events, it’s been a crazy start to the year. We’ve welcomed over a million people to the Sports Hub in the first three months of this year.

It’s a perfect representation of what Singapore and Singapore Sports Hub is. Where we’re located geographically, we’re at that hub of the Western world and the Asian world and we can get the best of all the acts coming through.

Seeto explained how the hectic schedule had kept the Singapore Sports Hub team busy so far this year.

It all kicked off in January with two sold out concerts by Mayday, a Taiwanese rock group. Then we had Coldplay doing six shows at the National Stadium, Taylor Swift doing six shows of her own and in between all of that we had Ed Sheeran coming in to play to the largest crowd we’ve ever had in the National Stadium – until Taylor Swift broke that record a few weeks later. And then once we’d taken a deep breath, Bruno Mars came in and performed three shows as well.

It was an awesome start to the year for us, and that’s just purely at the National Stadium, with all other venues of the Sports Hub delivering their events and daily operations as well.

As well as some of the biggest Western and Asian music acts in the world performing at the National Stadium, there have been marquee sports events such as the WTA Finals tennis, Rugby Sevens, basketball with FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup and the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Pope Francis also held a closed-door event at Singapore National Stadium on September 12.

New additions

Seeto added:   

There are two brand new venues that have just opened this year to supplement everything we’ve already got on site.

The newest additions to the fold include the Kallang Tennis Hub, which is Singapore’s first international tournament-ready indoor tennis facility.

The 24,514m² centre consists of seven indoor courts, 12 full sized outdoor courts, two junior sized outdoor courts and a 1,297-capacity seating gallery. During tournaments, facilities such as a VIP Room, Players’ Lounge, Doping Control Room, Electronic Line Control capabilities, a Commentator Box and LED scoreboard can be seamlessly activated.

This new tennis complex will enable Singapore to host more international tennis tournaments, such as the ATP 250 Tournament that was held in the country in 2021 and previous editions of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals.

Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), the corporate entity managing the Singapore Sports Hub, has recently secured the rights to host the WTA 250 tournament in Singapore for the next three years, from 2025 to 2027. The 2025 edition will be held at the Kallang Tennis Hub during the week of 27 January.

The other recent addition to the facility is the Kallang Football Hub, which consists of one full natural pitch, three artificial turf pitches and three futsal courts. Of these, four are sheltered which allows for all-weather play and training.

The Kallang Football Hub also functions as the National Training Centre for football and the National Development Centre for the Unleash the Roar! Programme.

Other amenities include a high-performance indoor gym that incorporates youth-specific equipment and sports science capabilities and an outdoor 100m running track which is made from recycled shoe granules.

Kallang Football Hub

Community focus

The Singapore Sports Hub mega-project was conceived as part of the Singapore Government’s vision to enhance the nation’s sporting landscape and built with the community in mind.

The in-house community programme – Experience Sports – enables everyone to participate in sports and fitness while the community facilities, which are free to use and open daily, encourage them to exercise at their convenience.

These facilities include the 100PLUS Promenade, beach volleyball courts, outdoor hard courts, skate park, giant chess and lawn bowls. Seeto said:

It’s been great after the start we’ve had earlier this year with all the concerts to continue to embrace the community. We’ve worked very closely with Sport Singapore who have a number of activities around all our venues which are more community focused.

We’re getting people down here to play on our National Stadium pitch, kids playing football and doing activities down on the hallowed turf. I think that’s really good that we’ve been able to do that as well. What we’re looking to do is build up the community side of it so the Sports Hub becomes an icon of the nation which people are really, really proud of.

Seeto said the 2024 National School Games have taken place at the Sports Hub over 40 different event days, with schoolchildren competing in various sports at our facilities. He added:

A real good example is the Rugby Sevens which takes place over a weekend from Friday to Sunday with the best rugby players in the world.

When the event is over, we don’t just tear everything down. What we’ve done in the last couple of years (as a host venue for the National School Games) is actually invite the schools to come and play their school rugby finals in the National Stadium on the exact same pitch which the rugby sevens teams were playing on 24 hours before.

National School Games

Future events

Looking to the future and events the Sports Hub is keen to attract, Seeto said that because the Sports Hub doesn’t have a tenant team, there is a unique opportunity to explore hosting different events at different times of year. He added:

There’s a variety and diversity about what we can do in our stadium. We recently hosted the fitness event Hyrox with a lot of people participating in that. (Fitness events are) growing.

We’ve got multiple venues that can be all integrated to deliver these events as well. So that’s a really unique proposition for us and all the venues across the precinct as well. The government has really reaffirmed its position; that we want (Singapore) to be a hub for world class sporting events.

The government has set up a Major Sports Event Fund to host more world-class sporting events in Singapore. I think we’re fortunate as it’s very much a Singapore one team approach. We work closely with our government agencies, including the tourism board, to attract events to Singapore.

Kallang Alive Master Plan

Plans for a new indoor arena will take the Hub to another level and support Singapore’s vision for the Kallang Alive precinct to host world-class events, become a lifestyle destination and serve as a home ground for national athletes.

Seeto said:

It’s very early days in scoping what (the indoor arena) will look like, but obviously a number of key sports could be hosted there. For example, the Singapore Indoor Stadium now hosts badminton and basketball as well as UFC. I think there’s a lot of potential for sporting events to be held at the new arena and take things to the next level here at the Sports Hub.

Other exciting developments to the Kallang Alive precinct include the new Home of TeamSG, which will include the relocated Singapore Sports School. By integrating world-class training facilities with academic, boarding, increased sport science and medicine support, the Home of TeamSG will provide athletes a high-quality Daily Training Environment and power our next bound of sporting excellence.

The public can also look forward to precinct enhancements that will transform the precinct into a lifestyle destination for all Singaporeans. These include a community sport boulevard running through the precinct, with community sporting facilities and programming, as well as an enhanced waterfront for all Singaporeans to enjoy.  

Kallang Alive Masterplan – Credit SportSG

One team

Seeto said that the mix of events the Sports Hub is able to offer has a snowball effect across the country and wider region. He added:

Taylor Swift was a perfect example of how that impact of having an event here at the Sports Hub resonates all the way through the country from F&B to hotels and restaurants. International travellers from all over the region come to Singapore. It’s a really good story and I guess that’s the power of Singapore with a one team approach, working together hand in hand with government has helped us in that. That one team approach from Singapore collectively is really important for us.

We’re now looking to enhance our venues and create a great and unique event experience, one that’s customer-focused and aimed to make sure everyone’s having a great and memorable time here at the Sports Hub.

Highlights of the Singapore Sports Hub include:

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Built in 1989, the Singapore Indoor Stadium is Asia’s premier entertainment venue. This air-conditioned, multi-purpose pillarless sports and entertainment facility is designed by internationally acclaimed architect Kenzo Tange.

Configurations include a Centre Stage of up to 12,000 capacity and an East Stage of up to 9,000 capacity. The North Hall Stage can host up to 6,000 and the South Stage up to 10,000.

Hospitality includes two Ground Floor Function Room (150 each), the OCBC Premier Suite (Capacity 144) and 234 club seats.

The OCBC Arena is made up of six indoor sports halls, designed for multi-purpose use by the public or national athlete training. Sports that can be played at the OCBC Arena include badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball, table tennis, rhythmic gymnastics and silat training.

The OCBC Arena is home to seven National Sports Associations: Boccia, Netball Singapore, Singapore Badminton Association, Singapore Silat Federation, Singapore Table Tennis Association, Volleyball Association of Singapore and Singapore Gymnastics.

The venue utilises a controlled, natural daylight and mixed-mode ventilation system, which gives the option of air-conditioning for competition events or a low-energy, natural ventilation system for everyday use.

With a capacity of 300 to 3,000, the OCBC Arena allows for simultaneous usage of the six halls and can be used as a venue for indoor sports events, meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 at OCBC Square

The 3,000-seat OCBC Aquatic Centre is a world-class facility that caters to the general public and national athletes. Additional temporary seating can expand the seating capacity to 6,000 seats, enabling it to host premier regional and international aquatic competitions and community-run events.

Features include a 50m x 10 lane competition pool (3m deep), a 25m wide diving pool/multi-purpose pool (5m deep) and a 50m x 8 lane training pool (1.35 – 2m deep).

The pools meet World Aquatics standards, and are suitable for swimming, water polo, diving and synchronised swimming events. In the competition pool, a movable bulkhead has been installed to allow short and long-course pool configurations.

The OCBC Aquatic Centre roof is designed to ensure adequate daylight, ventilation and air handling. In addition, large industrial fans are installed to provide an overall better quality of environment inside the facility. The OCBC Aquatic Centre is home to Singapore Aquatics.

The picturesque Water Sports Centre is located along the Kallang Basin and caters to both national athlete training and public use. The Centre offers an array of canoes, kayaks, and dragon boats for public rental.

The Singapore Sports Museum is the only sports-dedicated museum in Singapore and ensures that the legacy and heritage of sports in Singapore is preserved well into the future.

First established in 1983, the museum was originally located at the old National Stadium. It closed temporarily in November 2007 and reopened in 2014 at the Singapore Sports Hub.

At the Singapore Sports Museum, visitors can learn about the multi-faceted development of sports and explore the sporting heritage of Singapore. To promote sports knowledge and learning, the Singapore Sports Museum also features campus heritage, education and engagement programmes, including learning journeys, museum tours and temporary exhibits.

Shimano Cycling World is Shimano’s first experiential and interactive bicycle centre in Singapore. Located next to the Singapore Sports Museum, Shimano Cycling World aims to enrich and develop the local cycling culture, promote cycling as a lifestyle in Singapore and serves to heighten awareness on the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of cycling.

The 41,000 square metres Kallang Wave Mall at the Singapore Sports Hub is the place where visitors can shop, dine and play. It is Singapore’s first ever mall that offers visitors sporting, lifestyle and entertainment activities under one roof.

Besides having a diverse selection of food and beverages, fashion brands and a hypermart, there is also an indoor rock- climbing wall in the mall.

A variety of community sports and lifestyle facilities are available at the Singapore Sports Hub. These include:

The 100PLUS Promenade is Singapore’s largest, fully sheltered sports and recreational space around the National Stadium. On non-event days, the 100PLUS Promenade provides an attractive space for the general public to get active together, without adverse weather conditions spoiling the fun. The innovative design features an elevated platform that provides picturesque views of the city, and acts as a central connector to all major facilities within the Singapore Sports Hub campus.

The Sports Hub Skate Park is located near Gate 15 along the 100PLUS Promenade. It features a park course with rails, fun-box and a mini-quarter pipe. The Park boasts a variety of basic ramps and obstacles for action sports enthusiasts. This facility is designed for skateboarding and inline skating.

Located next to the Water Sports Centre, the Sports Hub Beach Volleyball area accommodates two fully equipped beach volleyball courts. These courts are designed to mimic realistic beach elements while being conveniently located in close proximity to other sporting facilities within the Singapore Sports Hub.

Images courtesy of Singapore Sports Hub

Sports Venue Business launched the SVB LIVE series of events in 2023, featuring Global Networking Events & Webinars, and the SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition. The 2024 edition was held at Croke Park, with opening night at Aviva Stadium. Some 240 high-level execs from across the global sports and entertainment sector were in attendance.