Old National Stadium

Old Kallang National Stadium

After Singapore gained independence in 1965, Othman Wok, then minister for social affairs and culture, campaigned for the substantial funds needed to get the plans off the ground. He believed that good sports facilities were needed to spur the people's interest in sports and improve the fitness of youths, especially because most of the National Servicemen recruited at the time were considered to be lacking in strength.
A photo of the Kallang National Stadium before it was demolished. [1]

Singapore Pools, a private lottery company owned by the Ministry of Finance, was set up in 1968 to raise funds for the stadium. Proceeds from lottery games Singapore Sweep and TOTO were used to pay for a substantial part of the construction.

The 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games of September 1973 was the first major event held at the National Stadium. In the years that followed, the stadium witnessed the patriotic phenomenon dubbed the "Kallang Roar", the cheering and shouting of the national football team's supporters whenever it played against visiting teams.[2]

One of the greatest memories of the National Stadium came from the days of the Malaysia Cup, where Singapore participated and won the tournament three times in 1977, 80 and 94. The hardcore football fans, packed fully into the stadium and sat closely to each other on the concrete slab seating, would never forget the famous Kallang Roar as well as the Mexican Wave that circled round the stadium during the cheering for the home team.

Throughout its history, the 55,000-capacity stadium had also hosted three Southeast Asian Games (1973, 83, 93) and 18 National Day Parades.[3]



SEA games
The newly completed National Stadium was the venue of the opening ceremony on 1 September 1973. An estimated crowd of about 50,000 spectators watched the “most colourful” ceremony. It showcased more than 5,000 Vigilante Corps members flashing “mammoth pictures and messages of welcome” with coloured placards in front of the “colourful displays and dances by school children”.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Barker said that the games would “strengthen ties” among SEAP nations, as well as provide the region’s athletes with a platform to prepare for the Asian and Olympic games. Barker also highlighted the importance of promoting sports to the people. He said that sports are a form of “social investment” because they “build healthy minds and healthy bodies”. This would in turn prevent “vast and wasteful expenditure on hospitals” and continue to “contribute to the progress of the society to the maximum possible extent”.

A total of 1,623 athletes from Malaysia, Thailand, Khmer Republic, South Vietnam, Burma (now Myanmar), Laos and Singapore took part in the games.[4] 


The opening of the 7th SEAP in Singapore during 1973 [5]
[6]
























[1]Image taken from: remembersingapore.org
[2] Singapore Infopedia, National Stadium, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1441_2009-02-09.html, 2014
[3]Remember Singapore, The Kallang National Stadium, <https://remembersingapore.org/kallang-national-stadium>, 2010
[4]Singapore Infopedia, The 7th SEAP, <http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2014-05-16_132924.html>, 2014
[5]Image taken from: https://roots.sg/error-pages/404?aspxerrorpath=/learn/collections/listing/2008-04310
[6] Image taken from: http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/06/singapore-sports-stars-of-sea-games.html



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