S’pore Cricket Club mistakenly tells members Padang will be used for 2019 NDP
The Singapore Cricket Club has been told to clarify a statement made to its members that the 2019 National Day Parade will be held at the Padang. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) has been told to clarify a statement made to its members that the 2019 National Day Parade (NDP) will be held at the Padang, TODAY understands, after the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said the venue has not been decided yet.
The club, which is situated right next to the Padang, had cited the NDP organisers’ use of the venue in 2019 — which would result in its closure for nine months — as one of the reasons for asking its members to approve a three-year renewal of the lease for a field in Dempsey, which will require the club to fork out S$214,800 a year.
In a circular dated Jan 3, which TODAY obtained a copy of, the club said: “We have been informed by the Ministry of Defence that the Padang will not be available for nine months in 2019 due to the National Day Parade to be held at the Padang in celebration of the 200th year since the founding of Singapore in 1819. This will be a major disruption to almost all outdoor sports.”
However, a Mindef spokesperson said on Friday (Jan 5) in response to TODAY’s queries that the 2019 NDP venue has not been decided. “We are reviewing the venue options for 2019 National Day Parade and will announce the selected venue at an appropriate time,” the spokesperson said.
TODAY understands that Mindef has spoken to SCC about the matter, and the club — which has more than 5,000 members — has been asked to correct the errorneous information. Contacted by TODAY, SCC did not reply to queries by Friday night.
The SCC circular said the latest round of lease extension for the Dempsey field would be the fourth. The club started leasing the field in 2008, when Singapore held its inaugural Formula 1 race which has been held yearly since.
Apart from NDP, the F1 race — which would render the Padang unsuitable for sporting use for about three months — was cited as the other reason why the club needs to renew the lease for the Dempsey field.
The current lease will expire on Feb 28, and the club is proposing a renewal from Mar 1 to Feb 28, 2021.
The circular said a special general meeting will be held on Jan 23 to seek members’ approval, and it has received an in-principle approval from the Singapore Land Authority.
An alternative to ensure that the club’s sports offerings “continue without disruption” is to hire external grounds or facilities, the circular said.
The rented Dempsey field hosts the club’s football and rugby academies, among other uses. SCC added in the circular that leasing the field would make the Padang available for “special event rentals”, which yield significant additional revenues for the club without any disruption to its sports programmes.
A check on the SCC’s website showed that some of its sports activities, such as rugby and cricket, are held at the Padang. It has also organised rugby, football, hockey and cricket tournaments at the venue.
