By Lee Hwee Cheng

National Stadium

A drafted player with Golds coaches Clement Lim (left) and Ong Yao Kwang. (please update name in comments section) (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)

Monday, April 16, 2007 – The boys in this year’s National ‘A’ Division Football Final will be proud to know that they shall have the honour of playing on the pitch of the National Stadium – for the very last time before the monumental landmark gets torn down after June 2007.

The National Stadium, in all her glorious 34 years of existence, has brought many historic sporting events and memories to the people of Singapore – the regional Southeast Asian Games, the international Rugby Sevens, the annual National Inter-school Track and Field Championships.  And who can ever forget those pulsating, blood-rushing Malaysia Cup matches, the 2004 Tiger Cup and most recently, the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship where our Lions played their hearts out?

Yes, imagine the National Stadium and her grandeur beckoning.  Imagine you playing on the famous green pitch in the pride of your school colors in front of a 30,000-strong crowd.  Imagine all of you cheering at the stands with your school banners, doing the Kallang Roar and the Kallang Wave for your football teams.

On May 18, you could be out there on the pitch playing the Final.  Or, you could be there cheering for your teams or simply basking in the excitement of this event which will in itself go down in history.

Red Sports will be there.  To cover our first, and final, event in the National Stadium.  Be there with us.

The Singapore Sports Council will be organizing a series of commemorative events culminating in a final closing ceremony on June 30.  Amongst others, there will be a photography competition, stadium tours and the President’s Challenge 5-aside Soccer Tournament.  The closing ceremony will promise to be a grand event, with a soccer match between Singapore and Australia, a friendly game between ex-internationals of Singapore and Malaysia, fireworks display, music and entertainment by local artistes and finally, the dousing of the cauldron flame.