Sep 24, 2007
S'pore Badminton Association
to get new home
It will move to S'pore Sports School in Woodlands
By Jeanette Wang
According to a source outside the SBA, the
association's operations - both its office and training venue -
will move from the Singapore Badminton Hall in Guillemard Road
(above) to the Singapore Sports School in Woodlands. -- PHOTO:
NP
THE Singapore Badminton Association is set to get a new home.
According to a source outside the SBA, the association's operations
- both its office and training venue - will move from the Singapore
Badminton Hall in Guillemard Road to the Singapore Sports School in
Woodlands.
When contacted on Monday, the SBA declined comment.
However, it is believed that the move could happen as soon as next
month, with some national shuttlers moving into the Sports School's
dormitories by the end of October.
The national team is already having centralised training at the
Sports School's 10-court facility ahead of December's South-east
Asia Games in Thailand.
The move comes after the SBA was told that its annual rent of under
$100,000 for the Guillemard Road site will be increased to $1.164
million when the lease ends on Jan 31.
The lease is for the badminton hall and its adjacent building,
which houses the SBA's office and practice courts.
The building had another tenant, Fatty Weng Restaurant, but it
moved to Smith Street in March when the SBA was not able to commit
to a long-term contract.
The restaurant had contributed about $500,000 annually to the SBA's
coffers.
The SBA receives between $2 million and $3 million in funding a
year. But the money is used for training and development.
The 55-year-old Singapore Badminton Hall has hosted major sporting
and political events in the past, among them the 1955 and 1958
Thomas Cup tournaments.
It was also the vote-counting station for the 1962 merger
referendum.
In recognition of these events, the hall was marked as a historical
site by the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Sports
Council in 1999.
The land will be returned to the State when the 30-year lease
between the SSC and Singapore Land Authority expires in January.
But, the hall's future remains uncertain.
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reserved.
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