SINGAPORE: When Mr Jonathan Xu first played at St Wilfred Sport Centre, he was an 18-year-old who simply loved football. Every weekend, he and his friends would take to the 11-a-side pitch, often squeezing in multiple matches a day.
For him, the facility in central Singapore was more than just a ground to play on. It was one of the first fields to be fitted with an artificial turf – a novelty that lured him and his friends away from their street soccer games in nearby Potong Pasir.
Over time, it became where he honed his skills through hours and hours of training and playing, before eventually turning professional with clubs in the S.League (now known as the Singapore Premier League, the country’s highest tier of football) such as Geylang United and Balestier Khalsa.
“St Wilfred is an important place that (helped me) grow as a footballer,” said Mr Xu, who retired from professional competition in 2016.
Now 42, Mr Xu still visits the sports centre at least twice a week. But instead of chasing the ball, he moves around the field with attention fixed on the youths he coaches.
He was among a dozen regulars who told CNA they will miss the 45-year-old place – which also houses two futsal pitches, four tennis and two squash courts – when it ceases operations on Oct 1 upon its lease expiry.
Singapore’s government agencies are studying plans for the site to be redeveloped for public housing.
In response to queries, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said that with the site’s location as well as nearby transport nodes and amenities, it could provide “more housing options to support Singaporeans’ aspirations to live near the city centre”.
“For me, this place is iconic,” Mr Xu told CNA on a Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a coaching session at the St Wilfred Sport Centre. “It’s a shame.”
