Sports Hub Pte Ltd will bear full cost of implementing “lay-and-play” turf

Question

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what will be (i) the one-time cost of implementing and (ii) the annual cost of maintaining the newly proposed "lay-and-play" natural grass turf solution in the National Stadium, over and above the $860,000 spent on the existing hybrid turf system and the $1.5 million spent on buying "growth lights"; (b) why this new turf solution has been chosen over an artificial grass pitch solution which can be more durable and cost effective to maintain; and (c) how the Government will ensure that Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL) does not pass these additional costs to its tenants and end customers.

Response

1. Minister Lawrence Wong: Under the Project Agreement with Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL), the National Stadium has to be able to host a wide range of sporting events. When it became clear that the current pitch solution was not able to meet the demands of the events calendar for the National Stadium, SHPL did an extensive review and decided to go with a natural turf “lay and play” solution. This was preferred over a fully artificial pitch, because top sporting events and top teams in sports like football and rugby demand a natural turf.
   

2. The “lay-and-play” solution would involve growing the natural pitch under the more conducive conditions of a nursery and then installing it at the National Stadium for such sporting events. The cost of implementing and maintaining the new turf is a commercial matter between SHPL and the parties it is contracting with. Under the terms of the Project Agreement, such costs are fully borne by the private consortium, SHPL, and not by the Government.
   

3. The member asked how the Government will ensure that SHPL does not pass the additional costs on to tenants and customers. SHPL has already made a public commitment that it will bear the full cost of the new pitch solution and will not pass on the costs to event organisers or end users. Sport Singapore will continue to keep a close watch on rentals, charges and ticket prices at the Sports Hub to ensure that this commitment is upheld.