New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground

by ActiveSG Circle, on February 17, 2024

 

T20 Asia Qualifications_Singapore vs Nepal_20190728_photo by Peter Marini_124T20 Asia Qualifications - Singapore vs Nepal, 2019 / photo credit: Peter Marini

By mid-2024, Singapore's national cricket team will begin training at West Coast Ground. This new cricket training ground will be a dedicated training facility for the National Team to prepare for major competitions, which may include SEA Games, Asian Games and ICC ranking competitions.

The West Coast Ground will have a cricket pitch, cricket nets, gym and sheltered training area. The sheltered training area will allow the team to train even in rainy weather.

This latest development is part of a close partnership between Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) since 2016, to ensure that the training needs of Team Singapore cricketers are met. This new space was secured following active discussions with various government agencies. Together with the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth, SportSG drove discussions with Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and People’s Association to explore how our Team Singapore cricketers could have the training space needed.

Discussions to secure the West Coast Ground, a former National League venue, began in earnest in July 2023 and with support from SLA, this site was confirmed in November 2023.

“It is a challenge to find adequate space for field sports, given the land constraint we face in Singapore. The national cricket team’s training regimen and schedule requires a dedicated space that is conducive for training. We appreciate the strong support from Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and Sport Singapore in this journey – from negotiating for earlier shared facility arrangement at Balestier Plain to their quick action in helping us secure the lease at West Coast Ground,” said Mahmood Gaznavi, President of SCA. “From the moment Singapore Cricket Association shared our requirements and challenges with Minister Edwin Tong, there had been prompt and timely developments culminating in the West Coast Ground being allocated to cricket.”

SportSG takes a long-term view in planning for spaces to give Singaporeans good access to quality sport facilities as well as support the training needs of our Team Singapore athletes in land-scarce Singapore, under the Sports Facilities Master Plan.

Beyond supporting our Team Singapore athletes and National Sport Associations’ need for training space, the Associations also receive various other support.

Dr Su Chun Wei, Chief of Singapore Sport Institute, said, “Sport Singapore works closely with National Sports Associations including the Singapore Cricket Association to develop their sport in Singapore and support our Team Singapore athletes. We provide the Singapore Cricket Association with annual funding support which it uses for training facilities, development programmes, and local and overseas training and competitions for our national athletes. The athletes also have access to sport science and sport medicine support. We look forward to the national cricketers’ continued achievements in the international arena in the coming years.”