National Stadium pitch will only get better: Sports Hub CEO

SINGAPORE — Pitch problems at the National Stadium may be a thing of the past, said Sports Hub’s chief executive officer (CEO) Manu Sawhney yesterday.

About a week after the field was given the thumbs up in terms of aesthetics and playability by players and spectators at last Friday’s Causeway Challenge between Singapore and Malaysia, Sawhney told TODAY he is confident it will only get better.

In fact, new technology may also be brought in next year to prepare the pitch for other major sporting events, including the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens (April 16-17), said Sawhney, who added that more details will be revealed at a later date.

Three Super Rugby matches are also pencilled in for next year, and a Battle of Europe masters football friendly is set for next month.

Acknowledging that the pitch was in good shape at the Causeway Challenge, which saw some 25,000 fans witness a 0-0 draw, Sawhney said: “I think we’ve always said to people that we are working very hard towards arriving at what we think would be a stable solution which works, and we are learning every year. We have a clear pitch strategy this year ... (and) we will reveal more about this turf strategy.

“There are also various elements of technology — the timing and how we are going to do it, for example — that need to be further discussed, but we are very confident of doing it (right).”

He added: “For the (HSBC Singapore) Rugby Sevens and the new rugby season, we might be bringing in new technology ... and to make sure that it adds to what the stadium has given overall. So turf is an important part of it.

“The teams (behind the management of the pitch) are working really hard and making sure that it makes everybody proud. We are pretty focused on it, so hopefully this will only get better.”

The pitch at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium, which is the centrepiece of the S$1.33 billion Singapore Sports Hub, has drawn criticism since its opening two years ago.

The most recent brickbats came in May, at the Asian Football Confederation Cup group match between Tampines Rovers and Selangor.

Several Tampines players complained that they lost their footing while running on the sandier parts of the field. The pitch also bore traces of logos from the Singapore Rugby Sevens tournament held a month before, with ungainly dark patches evident.

Back in October 2014, the Sports Hub spent S$1.5 million on special lighting machines to stimulate grass growth. But it subsequently abandoned the hybrid field two months later for a “lay and play” natural pitch solution.

“I am confident that the pitch is not going to be a problem in our partnership (with Sports Hub). I’ve always been so,” said Singapore Rugby Union president Low Teo Ping yesterday.

“We are closely monitoring its condition, and are already in preparations for it (to be ready) for the Rugby Sevens. The lay-and-play will be carried out again in January, where a new pitch will be installed.

“They will roll (the old surface) up, take it to the nursery, rejuvenate it, and bring a new one in and just lay it. I am confident that it will work out fine.”