Former National Stadium, Singapore

The former Singapore National Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Kallang, which opened in July 1973 and closed on 30 June 2007. The stadium was demolished from 2010 to 2011 for the development of the Singapore Sports Hub, which houses its successor. During its closure from 2007 to 2014, the National Day Parade (NDP) and sports events were held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform and Jalan Besar Stadium.
The stadium was prominently the home of Singapore FA, a club side, and the Singapore national team. It also hosted the Singapore Cup finals annually, the first in 1996, and the second leg of the 2004 AFF Championship finals.
In addition to association football matches, the stadium hosted the 1973, 1983 and 1993 Southeast Asian Games, the Singapore Armed Forces day parades and the opening ceremony of the biennial Singapore Youth Festival, as well as numerous music and cultural events. It was the primary venue for the NDP.
Shortly after the Second World War, as Singapore moved towards self-government and independence, the call for a national stadium began.
In June 1963, the Singapore government announced plans to build a national stadium in Kallang Park, and a 19-member committee was formed to oversee planning and fund-raising for the project. Comprising two outdoor stadiums, a covered stadium, and a swimming complex, and intended to be large enough to host the South East Asia Peninsular Games, the stadium was expected to cost S$16 million.
As part of the planning process, the Public Works Department's chief architect, Tan Beng Kiat, studied several stadiums overseas. In March 1966, then-Minister for Law and National Development E.W Barker announced that the stadium's development was of top priority in the government's infrastructure development plan, and that the main stadium would be developed first. Expected to cost between S$20 million and S$25 million, the main stadium was to have a capacity of 50,000.
A state-owned lottery company, Singapore Pools, was set up in 1968 to raise funds for the stadium. Proceeds from the Singapore Sweep and TOTO were used to pay a substantial part of the construction bill. Between 1968 and 1976, the company contributed S$14.5 million towards the project. Singapore Pools also helped the stadium repay a government loan of $7.8 million meant as start-up money for a stadium management corporation. Following the completion of the National Stadium, Singapore Pools remained a major sponsor of the stadium, as well as the National Day Parade.
Construction of the stadium began in December 1966, and the groundbreaking ceremony was officiated by then-Minister of Social Affairs Othman Wok. The foundations were completed by February 1970, and the stadium's foundation stone was laid on 23 February. By the end of 1970, the stadium was three-quarters completed and was starting to take its definitive shape. Thirty-six steps, each 76 metres (249 ft) wide, formed an impressive entrance; and a cauldron was built within the stadium to carry a flame that would burn at special events and at the opening of the stadium. By the end of June 1973 when the stadium was completed, 300,000 bags of cement, 3,000,000 bricks and 4,500 tons of steel and timber had been used. The new stadium was opened to the public for the first time on 19 July 1973.
Plans were made to demolish the stadium and build a multipurpose, 35.6 hectares (88 acres) Singapore Sports Hub in its place. Demolition works began in the second half of 2007, and the new Sports Hub was eventually completed in 2014. Three finalist consortia submitted redevelopment plans.
The 2007 ASEAN Football Championship was the last major event held at the National Stadium before its redevelopment.
On 30 June 2007, a closing ceremony titled Field of Dreams – A Tribute to the National Stadium was held at the stadium. 45,000 people attended the event, together with President S R Nathan, members of the Cabinet and Singapore athletes, past and present. Before the ceremony, a football match featuring ex-internationals from Singapore and Malaysia like Quah Kim Song, Terry Pathmanathan, Samat Allapitchay, V. Sundramoorthy, David Lee, Dollah Kassim, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Chow Siew Wai and K. Gunalan was played.
The match was followed by the highlight of the evening, an international friendly between ASEAN champions Singapore and the Asian Cup bound Australian team, the Socceroos. The Australians won 3–0 with goals scored by English Premier League players Mark Viduka (50, 86 mins) and Harry Kewell (75 min).
This was not the last football match to be played in the stadium as it was subsequently used for 11 football matches. The very last goal scored at the stadium was scored by Gholamreza Rezaei of Iran in a 1–3 loss for the hosts against the Iranian national team in an Asian Cup qualifying match on 6 January 2010.
On 29 September 2010: The former National Stadium started its demolition to make way for the construction of the Sports Hub. It was completely torn down in February 2011.
During the demolition of the former National Stadium, seating planks were salvaged and National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the salvaged planks could be recycled into bench as a way of commemorating the former National Stadium.
In 2012, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched a design competition to design benches using the salvaged planks. A total of 30 designs were selected where 93 benches are created and located at 23 public spaces in Singapore. Of the designs and locations, ten designs and 15 locations chosen by the public in a competition. Some of the locations picked by public are Fort Canning, HortPark, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and the National Museum of Singapore.
In 2017, URA launched a second design competition for the public to design benches using the remaining salvaged planks left after building the benches from the 2012 competition.
The National Stadium had an eight-lane running track and two 400m eight-lane tartan training tracks and football field in addition to other miscellaneous facilities such as table tennis tables, a weights room and an auditorium, housed underneath the spectator stands.
While the facilities were often used for high-profile sporting events, they could also be used by members of the public and other local organizations for a nominal fee. For example, when not otherwise used, the running track could be used by joggers for S$0.50 per entry.
The headquarters of the Singapore Sports Council used to be located at 15 Stadium Road.
The new National Stadium was officially opened on 30 June 2014 on the site of the Former National Stadium.
The stadium's 44-year history is as follows: