Jalan Besar Stadium to get 1,500 more seats as FAS responds to stronger fan support

Donations to FAS surged from S$695,000 to S$12.35 million, including S$10 million from tech firm Sea.

Dusk falls on Jalan Besar Stadium before the Singapore vs Indonesia match on Aug 7, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)

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SINGAPORE: Jalan Besar Stadium will get 1,500 additional seats, as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) seeks to increase capacity amid stronger fan support for Singapore football.

In the association’s latest annual report published on Wednesday (Sep 16), FAS president Forrest Li said “solid competitive results” in the past year by the men’s national team, known as the Lions, have created a “groundswell of excitement and support” among fans.

The Lions qualified for the AFC Asian Cup on merit for the first time after an unbeaten qualifying campaign, with more than 30,000 fans turning up for their final qualifier against Bangladesh in March.

Mr Li said stadiums had been “fuller and louder than ever”, adding that every ASEAN Cup match in Singapore had been played to a sold-out stadium.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less “In recognition of this strong fan response, we are working with SportSG to increase game-viewing capacity: first, by erecting a new South Stand at Jalan Besar Stadium to add 1,500 additional seats, and later, with the completion of new stadiums in Punggol and Toa Payoh,” he said in the annual report. “This improved infrastructure, allowing us to welcome many more fans to the pitch, will make Singapore football even more vibrant and inclusive.” Jalan Besar Stadium, located in Tyrwhitt Road, currently has a capacity of about 6,000. Stadium capacity and access to match tickets have been hot-button issues among Singapore’s football fans, including when the Lions faced Thailand in their ASEAN football championship semi-final back in August this year.

“In recognition of this strong fan response, we are working with SportSG to increase game-viewing capacity: first, by erecting a new South Stand at Jalan Besar Stadium to add 1,500 additional seats, and later, with the completion of new stadiums in Punggol and Toa Payoh,” he said in the annual report.

“This improved infrastructure, allowing us to welcome many more fans to the pitch, will make Singapore football even more vibrant and inclusive.”

Jalan Besar Stadium, located in Tyrwhitt Road, currently has a capacity of about 6,000.

Stadium capacity and access to match tickets have been hot-button issues among Singapore’s football fans, including when the Lions faced Thailand in their ASEAN football championship semi-final back in August this year.

Donations to FAS rose to S$12.35 million (US$9.68 million) in the financial year ended Mar 31, 2026, from S$695,000 the year before.

The annual report said FAS received S$10 million in donations from related parties over which a council member has "significant influence", as well as S$2 million from a council member.

Elsewhere in the report, FAS said it received a S$10 million donation from tech firm Sea, where Mr Li is the chairman and chief executive officer. The donation was part of the company’s wider S$50 million commitment to support the long-term development of Singapore football.

Mr Li had said after the Lions’ Asian Cup qualification that he would reward the team with S$2 million in bonuses out of his own pocket.

“These donations were received to support the association’s activities and did not give rise to any repayment obligations,” said the annual report.

FAS's Institution of a Public Character status has also been renewed up to Jun 7, 2028, allowing it to issue tax-deductible receipts to donors.

“This year, we have seen a glimmer of possibility, a glimpse of what a bright future could look like for Singapore football. Competitive results we can be proud of, a huge and vibrant response from fans, our stadiums full and roaring. But one historic qualification does not indicate the job is done,” said Mr Li.

“To sustain and improve on the results we’ve seen this year, we need consistent, meaningful investment across the entire footballing ecosystem – both in our players and in the people and environments around them, from coaches to referees to sports scientists.”

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向新加坡金融管理局 (FAS) 的捐款从 69.5 万新元激增至 1235 万新元，其中包括科技公司 Sea 捐赠的 1000 万新元。

2026 年 8 月 7 日新加坡对阵印度尼西亚的比赛前，黄昏降临在惹兰勿刹体育场。（照片：CNA/Syamil Sapari）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：随着新加坡足球球迷支持力度的增强，新加坡足球协会（FAS）希望增加体育场的容量，因此惹兰勿刹体育场将增加 1500 个座位。

在周三（9 月 16 日）发布的最新年度报告中，新加坡足协主席李福雷斯特表示，过去一年中，被称为“狮队”的男足国家队取得了“稳健的竞技成绩”，这在球迷中引发了“巨大的兴奋和支持”。

狮队凭借不败战绩，首次以优异成绩晋级亚洲杯决赛圈。3 月份，超过 3 万名球迷涌入球场，观看了他们与孟加拉国的最后一场预选赛。

李先生表示，体育场“比以往任何时候都更加拥挤、更加喧闹”，并补充说，在新加坡举行的每场东盟杯比赛都座无虚席。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，却蕴藏着巨大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 “为了感谢球迷们的热情支持，我们正与新加坡体育理事会（SportSG）合作，提升比赛的观赛容量：首先，在惹兰勿刹体育场新建南看台，增加1500个座位；之后，随着榜鹅和大巴窑新体育场的竣工，观赛容量也将进一步提升，”他在年度报告中表示。“基础设施的改善，将使我们能够迎接更多球迷来到球场，让新加坡足球更加充满活力，更具包容性。” 位于泰尔维特路的惹兰勿刹体育场目前可容纳约6000名观众。体育场容量和比赛门票的获取一直是新加坡球迷关注的热点问题，包括今年8月狮队在东盟足球锦标赛半决赛中对阵泰国队时的情况。

“为了感谢球迷们的热情支持，我们正与新加坡体育理事会合作，增加比赛观看容量：首先，在惹兰勿刹体育场新建南看台，增加 1500 个座位；之后，随着榜鹅和大巴窑新体育场的建成，”他在年度报告中表示。

“基础设施的改善，将使我们能够欢迎更多球迷来到球场，使新加坡足球更加充满活力和包容性。”

位于泰尔维特路的惹兰勿刹体育场目前可容纳约 6,000 人。

体育场容量和比赛门票的获取一直是新加坡足球迷们热议的话题，包括今年 8 月狮队在东盟足球锦标赛半决赛中对阵泰国队时的情况。

截至 2026 年 3 月 31 日的财政年度，FAS 的捐款额从上一年的 69.5 万新元增至 1235 万新元（968 万美元）。

年度报告称，FAS 从与某理事会成员有“重大影响力”的相关方收到 1000 万新元的捐款，并从一名理事会成员处收到 200 万新元的捐款。

报告其他部分提到，新加坡足协表示，他们收到了来自科技公司Sea的1000万新元捐款，李先生是Sea的董事长兼首席执行官。这笔捐款是该公司承诺捐赠5000万新元支持新加坡足球长期发展的一部分。

李先生在狮队获得亚洲杯资格后曾表示，他将自掏腰包200万新元奖金奖励球队。

年度报告称：“这些捐款用于支持协会的活动，不产生任何偿还义务。”

FAS 的公共机构地位也已续期至 2028 年 6 月 7 日，允许其向捐赠者开具可抵税的收据。

“今年，我们看到了一线希望，看到了新加坡足球光明未来的曙光。我们取得了值得骄傲的成绩，球迷们热情高涨，球场座无虚席，欢呼声震耳欲聋。但一项历史性的成就并不意味着工作已经完成，”李先生说道。

“为了保持并提高我们今年取得的成绩，我们需要在整个足球生态系统中进行持续、有意义的投资——既包括对我们的球员，也包括对他们周围的人和环境，从教练到裁判再到运动科学家。”

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