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Singapore Hockey Federation

In what could be a major boost for the sport of hockey in Singapore, one of the country's oldest educational institutions is teaming up with a hockey club to build a $1.5 million stadium.
Talks between the St Andrew's group of schools and Chenab Hockey Club are in their final stages for the proposed hockey stadium.

To be built at the St Andrew's Village at Potong Pasir, the proposed facility includes a full-sized, water-based astroturf pitch costing around $800,000, as well as amenities such as dressing rooms and treatment rooms.

Space permitting, a 3,000-seater gallery could be built around the pitch, which would inflate costs to $1.5 million.

The $80-million St Andrew's Village, now under construction on a 1.88 ha site, will see St Andrew's Junior College move from its Alexandra Road site to Potong Pasir, where new premises are also being built for the St Andrew's primary and secondary schools.

"We want to contribute towards developing world class hockey players for Team Singapore as part of the long-term vision," Harbans S Gill, the project's co-ordinator for Chenab told Today yesterday.

St Andrew's Alumni vice-president Tang Kok Wah added: "It is definitely a positive move. Sport is good as it provides a better balanced education for the kids."

Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) president Annabel Pennefather has welcomed Chenab and St Andrews' unique initiative to build a stadium.

"The SHF are very supportive of this. Realistically, we cannot do everything, and it would be great if more clubs can come up with similar initiatives for the betterment of hockey," said Pennefather.

"The strength of your national side is greatly dependent on the strength of your clubs."

The project is part of the Chenab Hockey Club's Youth Development Programme, which began in 1999.

Under the scheme, coaches from Chenab are training nearly 120 primary students from St Andrew's Junior School (SAJS), which won the national boys' under-12 division title this year.

The programme could be extended to include the St Andrew's Secondary School and St Andrew's Junior College in a $60,000 sponsorship package covering coaching services, clinics, training camps, overseas stints, equipment and apparel, student sponsorship and cash incentives.

Hockey, suffering from poor long-term planning and inadequate funding, has seen dwindling popularity in recent years. This year the Singapore Sports Council relegated it from a "merit" to an "other" sport, which means the maximum annual funding has been cut from $2 million to $500,000. -

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