Jalan Besar Stadium set to be fitted with natural grass pitch

SINGAPORE – The Jalan Besar Stadium’s artificial turf will be removed to make way for a natural grass surface to meet the latest requirements set out by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Straits Times understands that work to returf the pitch is scheduled to commence in August and set to be completed by January 2026.

The 6,000-capacity venue, which originally had a grass surface, was first fitted with an artificial pitch in 2005.

The change comes after the AFC banned the use of fully artificial pitches in its major national team and club competitions.

In a June 11 memo to member associations, Asian football’s governing body said the decision is in line with efforts to improve the quality of play, following feedback that the standard of pitches – in particular artificial ones – has varied over the past few seasons.

The affected competitions are the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, the Women’s Asian Cup and Olympic qualifiers, AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) and the AFC Women’s Champions League.

The Jalan Besar Stadium hosted ACL2 matches of Singapore Premier League (SPL) sides Lion City Sailors and BG Tampines Rovers last season, with both teams having also qualified for the group stage of the second-tier continental club competition next season.

After notifying its member associations of the ban on June 11, AFC sent letters the next day to those who are affected by the decision, asking them to nominate an alternative venue with natural grass or a hybrid surface for their home matches.

These include Singapore, who have played some national team games at the Jalan Besar Stadium when the 55,000-capacity National Stadium was unavailable or deemed too big for requirements.

During last season’s ACL2, the Sailors played six home games at Jalan Besar, winning four