Sports Hub to host four matches in March as Singapore home venue

The FA of Singapore (FAS) and SportsHub Pte Ltd today officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to play a minimum number of matches at the Sports Hub.

Alongside the MOU, the FAS and Sports Hub mooted an initiative to position the Singapore Sports Hub as the Home of the Lions. This will boost the calendar of football matches and football-related events at the Singapore Sports Hub, as well as introduce fresh branding elements at the campus to increased visibility of Singapore football.

To kick off the agreement, the National Stadium will be hosting four matches in March. The first match to be played under this agreement is a Women’s International ‘A’ Friendly match against Maldives on 5 March 2018 (please see below for the fixture list).

* Entry to this match is complimentary.

The match will be followed by an International Friendly between Singapore and Indonesia’s Under-23 National Teams on 21 March as part of the RISING50 celebrations commemorating Singapore and Indonesia’s 50 years of warm bilateral relations (as at 2017). The series of matches will continue with an International ‘A’ Friendly between Singapore and Maldives on 23 March.

The three matches will culminate in the curtain raiser match of Singapore’s professional domestic league – the Great Eastern Community Shield on 31 March. Tickets to these three matches will go on sale on Friday 9 March 2018.

FAS President Lim Kia Tong said: “We are delighted and appreciative that the Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Sports Hub Oon Jin Teik, has given us and our vision for Singapore football a vote of confidence and is strongly supporting us in this Memorandum. In addition, we are excited about the initiative to make the Sports Hub the ‘Home of the Lions’. More than just the Home for our National Team, the ‘Home of the Lions’ refers to the entire spectrum of the Singapore football ecosystem. We want to establish the National Stadium and Sports Hub as the venue for all aspects of Singapore football – be it Women’s, amateur or grassroots football. I hope Singaporeans will join us in our vision to build Singapore football and support the teams at the matches at the Sports Hub this March.”

Singapore Sports Hub Chief Executive Officer Oon Jin Teik shared: “The Sports Hub is proud to be a partner of FAS and home to the Lions. Beyond our aspiration to be the region’s premier sports, entertainment and lifestyle destination, we are deeply passionate about supporting our local teams and cultivating a sports culture which brings our people together, as one Team Singapore. We warmly welcome the Lions and all Singaporeans to the Sports Hub, and look forward to forging great sporting memories and experiences with everyone in the exciting days ahead.”

Under the Memorandum, which has been signed for the period of three years, both organisations have committed to a minimum of seven matches to be played at the Sports Hub. The Home of the Lions initiative will run alongside the MOU. Mooted by the FAS and Sports Hub, the initiative seeks to strengthen the partnership between the two parties to reach everyone within the local football fraternity and to position the Sports Hub as the destination for football in Singapore.

Under the initiative, fans can look forward to a face-lift of specific high-traffic physical spaces within the Hub to showcase local football prominently in a concerted effort to brand the stadium as the ‘Home of the Lions’. More football activities such as football festivals and stadium tours will be held at the Sports Hub to generate deeper engagement with the community.

Commented Colin Chan, Managing Director, Group Marketing, Great Eastern: “As a long-standing supporter of the S. League, we are delighted with this latest initiative by FAS and Sports Hub which augurs well for the development of football and which will bring it closer to the community. As a LIFE company, Great Eastern champions health and wellness and football is a sport which actively promotes both. This year, Great Eastern celebrates our 110th anniversary and we invite fans, young and old, to join us for the exciting Great Eastern Community Shield at the National Stadium on 31 March and bring back the Kallang Roar! Our staff and distribution partners will also be hosting several hundred needy school children at the event. I have no doubt that on and off the field, everyone will have a memorable time.”

Teo Hock Seng, Group Managing Director of Komoco Holdings, the man behind Hyundai’s co-title sponsorship of the S.League, said: “Home is where the heart is. Now that Singapore football has a home again, we are on the right path in the rebuilding process. Crucially, this MOU will rebuild a sense of belonging for both the players and fans alike. 

“The old National Stadium was once our happy home when the Kallang Roar reigned. Today, a new home welcomes a rejuvenation of that spirit. So back to the future, this is where Singapore football belongs.”

Entry to watch the Women’s National Team’s match against Maldives will be complimentary as a gesture to welcome all to the opening match at the Home of the Lions this year. Tickets for the other matches will go on sale on Friday 9 March 2018. – www.fas.org.sg

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