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The sporting side of Singapore

Singapore soccer supporters make a sea of red as they pack into the National Stadium. Picture: Lincoln Bertelli

The annual Formula 1 Grand Prix might be Singapore’s top sports event but Lincoln Bertelli finds the island nation has much more for sports fans.

Singaporeans called it the Kallang Roar. The sound of 55,000 fans cheering in unison at the country’s old national stadium became one of the defining features of its national soccer team.

That stadium is part of the country’s past, now replaced by a sparkling new National Stadium which opened last year.

Built on the same site and still housing 55,000 spectators, it’s one of the most stunning venues you could wish to be attending a match at.

I was there for an AFF Suzuki Cup (the South-East Asian soccer championship) match between the host nation and Malaysia — and I could not have picked a better night to experience the action.

Matches between the two countries are known as“Causeway Derbies” and this was the first such fixture to be held in the new stadium.

To add to the sense of occasion it a crucial match, the prize being a place in the tournament’s semifinals.

A near-capacity crowd was in attendance, nearly all of them dressed in Singaporean red except for the small pocket of Malaysian fans to my right with their drums, choreographed singing and yellow scarves.

The stage was set and a Mexican wave broke out just three minutes into the match — surely a record — providing my first taste of noise resembling the Kallang Roar.

When Singapore scored a crucial equalising goal with less than 10 minutes remaining, you couldn’t help but be caught up in the excitement, cheers and celebrations.

The moment that would define this particular match, though, was a controversial late penalty to Malaysia that allowed them to score the winning goal. The police had to accompany the referees off the field to protect them from the hail of plastic bottles and home fans venting their frustrations.

I fell in love with South-East Asian soccer that night. Despite the passion on display this was not a match which would attract global headlines but I felt privileged to have watched something that was such great fun for this neutral spectator.

I would soon return to this arena. The stadium is in a clever, modern precinct called the Singapore Sports Hub. It includes the country’s Indoor Stadium, a comfortable 12,000- capacity venue where I watched a night of International Premier Tennis League, the sport’s new Twenty20 equivalent.

No part of this island nation is complete without a giant shopping mall, so it was no surprise to see Kallang Wave Mall near the precinct’s train station. Such additions, plus a library, sports museum and outdoor swimming pool, make it a destination in its own right.

While the National Stadium is the country’s star attraction, an evening walk provided a superb place to watch ‘the beautiful game’.

Taking the standard tourist stroll along Marina Bay, I spotted a soccer match being played on a floating pitch. The Marina Bay Floating Platform is literally on the water with high nets surrounding it to prevent stray balls ending up in the bay.

I watched Central and Bishan fire stations play an organised casual match in this unique “stadium”, which has a huge grandstand to allow it to host major events. That night, though, the crowd was just a few interested onlookers leaning against the railings next to the path.

Those who stayed were treated to an off-field spectacle. As the floodlights took effect, Singapore’s stunning skyline twinkled to life, providing a magical backdrop. Once again, it was the splendour of the game and the venue setting that really won the day.

These experiences are not the side of Singapore most tourists will seek but their sporting venues do showcase the nation at its vibrant best.

ODDS ON A GOOD TIME

Never before had I walked into a sporting event and felt so out of place. But Singapore Turf Club is a unique beast.

The track, adjacent to Kranji MRT station, is a 45-minute trip north from Singapore's main tourist points. On arrival I was greeted by a place that’s part racetrack and sporting venue, part hawker centre and part downtrodden gambling hall. The latter was what struck me so strongly.

The glamorous days of the Australian racing calendar are often joked about, with many racegoers never seeing a horse. The same applies in Singapore but not for reasons of fashion, champagne or socialising.

Here, most of the predominantly male crowd spend their day in the betting halls, supplementing their gambling on the Singapore races with those from other Asian tracks, which are televised.

This allows them to have a race to bet on and watch every 10 minutes or so.

It also means the majority of the crowd does not bother making the short walk track-side, where sparsely populated grandstands are in stark contrast to the activity inside.

Anyone who has ever set foot inside a TAB will know the ubiquitous gambler who passionately cheers his horses home or barks instructions at the faraway (somewhat preoccupied) jockey. Singapore’s betting halls are like this but with extra gusto.

As the horses round the final corner in any given race, the yelling exponentially increases on cue as each of the men implore their steed to deliver the goods.

Close to race time, negotiating the betting halls is a challenge as you try to join the haphazard queues to place a bet.

Before doing so, a ticket must be filled out and I mistakenly assumed the vital tool for doing so — a pen — would be accessible near the betting slips.

This led to a trip to the track’s convenience store to buy one and my betting ticket was then taken, along with cash, to one of the attendants.

Electronic betting machines, which only accept local credit cards, are available but these are about as popular as actually watching the horses. Another quirk of the betting system is the absence of any form guide to be studied and dissected. Daily newspapers have the race fields listed and some race books can be bought at the venue, but otherwise it is guesswork.

Odds are freely posted across screens, and one big touch screen — after plenty of effort to navigate it — revealed various media predictions which I blindly followed. It was only when receiving my betting slip that I learned the name of the horse. Again, none of these obstacles bothered anybody aside from the one who seemed like the lone Westerner there.

Clutching their pre-prepared betting information, most of which was in Chinese and prevented me from stealing a sneaky glance, punters had the aura of those who viewed the day solely as a chance to win money rather than enjoy an event.

Armed with my completed betting slip I headed out to the track and picked a vantage point. With a stunning natural backdrop, this is a very pleasant place to sit and watch the horses run around.

You can see them relatively close as they enter and exit the track and there was no jostling for a view on this humid Sunday afternoon. I watched the last four races placing the minimum bet of $SG5 ($4.65) on a horse in each.

My method of aggregating random media predictions yielded one winner, on the second race, but it was a good one as my return of $SG40 for my $SG5 bet meant I could sit back and enjoy the last two races knowing I'd be guaranteed to end this adventure with more money than I started with.

They say if you can’t beat them, join them. Walking to the train with my modest profit stashed away, I realised I’d just done both.