Jalan Besar Stadium
Encyclopedia
Jalan Besar Stadium is a football stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located along Jalan Besar
Jalan Besar
Jalan Besar is the name of a street in the northeastern part of the Central Area in Singapore, which is its central business district. It is also the name of the electoral Jalan Basar Group Representation Constituency, of which Jalan Basar is a prominent centrepiece...
, in the Kallang
Kallang
Kallang is an urban planning area and a subdivision located in the southeastern part of Singapore.It is probably best known for being the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium & the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub...
area of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and is the current home stadium of Young Lions
Young Lions (Singapore football team)
The Courts Young Lions are an under-23 football team from Singapore. Most of the members of the squad are players from Singapore's national under-23 team. The team comes under the direct control of the Football Association of Singapore , but is managed as a football club and has competed in...
, a S.League
S.League
The S.League is the top men's professional association football league in Singapore. The league was launched in 1996 and currently involves 12 clubs.-History:...
football team. The stadium can also be used for any Singapore national football team
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
matches as the National Stadium, Singapore
National Stadium, Singapore
The Singapore National Stadium was located in Kallang. Opened in July 1973, the National Stadium was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and has demolished to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub and New Singapore National Stadium which is expected to open in 2014.The stadium has played host to...
is being renovated. It has a seating capacity of 6,000. It is also part of the Jalan Besar Sports and Recreation Centre, a community sports facility that includes the stadium and a swimming complex.
History
The original stadium was opened on Boxing Day, 1929 and is considered to be the birthplace of Singapore football. Malaya CupMalaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup is an annual association football tournament in Malaysia. It is currently the longest-running football competition in Asia...
matches were played at the stadium from 1932-1966, and Malaysia Cup matches from 1967 to 1973.
During the Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
, the stadium was one of the Sook Ching
Sook Ching massacre
The Sook Ching massacre was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. Sook Ching was later...
mass screening sites. During the war, the stadium remained opened and was also used as a language centre to teach the Japanese language.
The stadium was also host to many major events in Singapore's history, such as being the venue for the first Singapore Youth Festival
Singapore Youth Festival
The Singapore Youth Festival is an annual event in Singapore organised by the Ministry of Education to celebrate the achievements of youths in co-curricular activities...
in 1955, the first Singapore Armed Forces Day in 1969, and the 1984 National Day Parade
National Day Parade
The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that, as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore's National Day on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence that is usually held at the Padang , the National Stadium, various decentalized venues all over...
.
The original stadium was closed in December 1999 for rebuilding. The new stadium was opened in June 2003 with a seating capacity of 6,000. Interestingly, the position of the pitch has been retained in the exact position as the previous stadium.
In 2006, under the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
GOAL plan, the stadium's pitch was relaid with Fifa 1 Star Recommended turf, an artificial turf. The cost of relaying the pitch cost $1 million was funded by the FIFA Goal Programme and FIFA Financial Assistance Plan. In 2008, the stadium's pitch was relaid again at the cost of USD$400,000, with Fifa 2 Star Recommended artificial turf, a better quality artificial turf. The cost of re-turfing was borne entirely by Fifa, under Fifa's second Goal Project.
The stadium also hosts S.League
S.League
The S.League is the top men's professional association football league in Singapore. The league was launched in 1996 and currently involves 12 clubs.-History:...
games that are shown 'Live' on Starhub
StarHub
StarHub Limited is a full-fledged telecommunications company providing a full range of services over mobile, internet and fixed platforms in Singapore...
cable television every Wednesday and Friday, and on free-to-air television every Friday.
On 24 July 2010, it was used as the venue of a friendly match between Burnley F.C.
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Singapore Selection side.
During the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state of Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics, a major...
held in Singapore, the stadium was the designated venue for both the boys' and girls' football tournament.