Singapore, 10 November 2007 – Since 2003, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has been opening up State land to the public for casual community and recreational use. This initiative was mooted by Senior Minister of State for Law & Home Affairs and President of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee. Today, 284 State fields are available for public use.

2 These 284 fields, which were identified from public feedback, are equivalent in size to some 780 football fields. Located throughout Singapore, with more than half near housing estates, these fields are easily accessible to the public.

3 SLA is pleased to announce that the 284 State fields have been made more conducive and safer for casual use by the community. Since February this year, SLA has improved the ground conditions of these fields by turfing, levelling and compacting the soil. Now, besides casual football games, certain fields have drawn other users. The field near Merchant Loop at Robertson Quay has become a favourite gathering spot for motorised kite enthusiasts. Another field at Henderson Road is favoured by senior citizens for gateball, while a field at Punggol is well-used for traditional kite-flying. Many more are being used for activities such as tai-chi and picnics, or simply for relaxation. (Please see press kit for photos of such activities and the contacts for the various interest groups.)

4 Mr Lam Joon Khoi, SLA’s Chief Executive said: “The improvements are part of SLA’s pro-community efforts. We hope that improvement of these fields will further encourage more people to use them for recreational purposes and promote community bonding.” Mr Lam adds that the public should exercise care when using the fields as the fields are not purpose-built and may not be suitable for all forms of sports.

5 Other than improving the sites, SLA has also reworded the old “Enter at your own risk” signboards to read: “This site is for casual community and recreational use. Please exercise caution and be responsible for your own safety”. Associate Professor Ho said: “In 2003, I started the initiative to open up fields for public use. I was very glad when SLA opened up 284 sites by the end of 2005. However, I wanted to create greater awareness of these fields. Therefore, I charged SLA with the task of rewording the signboards to make them friendlier and more welcoming to the public. Today, SLA has gone one up and improved the fields as well. Now, I am glad to note that all 284 sites are safer, and more conducive for community activities.”

FAS adopts Farrer Park field, the first under SLA’s “Adopt-A-Field” programme

6 This morning, Associate Professor Ho launched SLA’s new community outreach programme called “Adopt-A-Field” (AAF) at the “FAS Junior Football Fiesta” at Farrer Park. The programme encourages private sector organisations and grassroot organisations to “adopt” any of the 284 fields. It aims to inculcate in our public a sense of ownership and responsibility for such fields. Organisations may select fields for adoption based on proximity or other reasons.

7 Associate Professor Ho also announced that FAS has adopted the Farrer Park field, the first under the AAF. Associate Professor Ho said: “’Adopt-A-Field’ is a great way to promote civic responsibility and generate community pride. FAS is proud to be the first to be associated with the project, and SLA hopes that more organisations will come forward to do so likewise.”

8 In their efforts to promote football among the community, FAS will bring up the standard of the Farrer Park field to make it more football-friendly. However, the use of the field will not be exclusive to FAS or football activities; it will remain open to the public for casual community and recreation uses at all times. When the field is used for any approved and organised activity, a fee will continue to be charged as per the normal practice today. SLA will continue to carry out the basic maintenance works.

9 Mr Steven Yeo, General Secretary of FAS said: “FAS is happy to partner SLA by adopting the Farrer Park field and making available the field for grassroots and community football activities. This is part of our corporate social responsibility and long term strategy to make football accessible to all. We will be embarking on outreach projects such as clinics and encouraging responsible use of the fields such as avoiding playing when it rains and not littering so that everyone can enjoy playing a game of football safely.”

10 This morning’s event saw some 280 students, both boys and girls, from 14 primary schools participating in 7-a-side matches. The Farrer Park field was chosen by FAS as it is the training ground of many of our national football icons. This morning’s event, kicked off by Associate Professor Ho, was refereed by 20 FAS-trained student referees from the Singapore Sports School. The teams were led by former national football icons, Au-Yeong Pak Kuan, Dollah Kassim, David Lee, Terry Pathmanathan and Jeffrey Lazaroo. FAS also used some of the warm-up exercises recommended by F-MARC (FIFA Medical Assessment Research Centre), which made their debut here, before the start of the matches.

11 The list of the 284 State sites can be found on SLA’s website at www.sla.gov.sg.

-End-

Attachments
Annex A: Picture of footballers at Bedok South Road
Annex B: Picture of motorised kite-flyers near Merchant Loop
Annex C: Picture of gateballers at Henderson Road
Annex D: Picture of kids on casual community and recreational site
Annex E: Picture of kite-flyers at Punggol Central
Annex F: Map of SLA’s casual community sites

Issued by:
The Singapore Land Authority and the Football Association of Singapore
10 Nov 2007

About SLA
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board with the Ministry of Law. Its mission is to optimise land resource for the economic and social development of Singapore. SLA is responsible for the direct management of some 14,000 hectares of State land and about 5,000 buildings. It is also in charge of land sales, leases, acquisitions and allocation, developing and marketing land-related information, and maintaining the national land information database through digitised land information services. SLA is also the national land registration authority for property transactions, and the issuance and guarantee of land titles in Singapore. It also manages and maintains the national land survey system, including the defining of boundaries or legal limits of properties based on a coordinated cadastre survey system. For more details, visit www.sla.gov.sg.

About Football Association of Singapore (FAS)

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is in charge of developing and advancing one of the world’s most popular sports – football – at all levels. Besides providing a structure for the game to flourish and governing the running of football in Singapore, the FAS also ensures that the Laws of the Game are adhered to, from the professional S.League to amateur leagues. The FAS are also charged with organising and running league and cup competitions, stewarding international teams, establishing youth development, refereeing and coaching frameworks. For more information, visit the FAS website: http://www.fas.org.sg/