Photo: The pitch was a measly sight when the National Stadium opened to media in June; AFP / Roslan Rahman
The Sports Hub Pte. Ltd. (SHPL) is switching the National Stadium to artificial turf after months of mulling over the poor quality of its $800,000 Desso Grassmaster pitch, a hybrid of synthetic and natural grass.
The decision was made despite a recent $1.5m investment into new lighting equipment to improve the quality of the Desso Grassmaster, whose sandy patches and overall safety have been acknowledged with disdain by international guests, including Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.
According to a TODAY report by Ian De Cotta, the cost of installing the artificial turf will be borne by SHPL.
If sports events promoters insist on natural grass, De Cotta says SHPL will install it over the artificial pitch temporarily, a process that can be completed in less than 72 hours and has been done before in other parts of the world, including Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
Sports Hub has reportedly been growing grass in a nursery for use in cricket matches, which require a bigger turf. The grass will also be used for the football pitch in the future.
Photo: The pitch was a measly sight when the National Stadium opened to media in June; AFP / Roslan Rahman
The Sports Hub Pte. Ltd. (SHPL) is switching the National Stadium to artificial turf after months of mulling over the poor quality of its $800,000 Desso Grassmaster pitch, a hybrid of synthetic and natural grass.
The decision was made despite a recent $1.5m investment into new lighting equipment to improve the quality of the Desso Grassmaster, whose sandy patches and overall safety have been acknowledged with disdain by international guests, including Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.
According to a TODAY report by Ian De Cotta, the cost of installing the artificial turf will be borne by SHPL.
If sports events promoters insist on natural grass, De Cotta says SHPL will install it over the artificial pitch temporarily, a process that can be completed in less than 72 hours and has been done before in other parts of the world, including Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
Sports Hub has reportedly been growing grass in a nursery for use in cricket matches, which require a bigger turf. The grass will also be used for the football pitch in the future.