When the Singapore Government began the Unleash The Roar project in 2021 – a movement to help raise the standards of football in Singapore – perhaps it forgot to inform its very own Members of Parliament (MPs) that such a project will need support at every level, including the need to potentially open up spaces in neighbourhoods to let the popularity of the sport improve organically.
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Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be somewhat true.
When the Sembawang Town Council barricaded a void deck in Woodlands to stop children from playing football, temperatures were raised across the island and the news, first highlighted by TMSG, was then carried across various media platforms in Singapore.
Not to be outdone, Tan Kiat How, a Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC and a Minister of State for National Development, decided to take the heat off his Sembawang parliamentary compatriots by sharing that a street soccer court in his ward in Bedok North would be temporarily closed due to noise complaints.
Since his announcement that the street soccer court in Bedok was to shut temporarily, readers have also submitted photos of other signs around the island which have been put up to prevent people from playing.
In Woodlands again, an image of a metal contraption to stop players from playing basketball was submitted by a reader.
The Marsiling Yew Tee Town Council later clarified in a comment on the Facebook post by TMSG that the specially engineered metal block was only used from 10pm onwards and the court can be used during the day, without sharing what time the hoop block was dismantled.
But at least they responded, unlike Sembawang Town Council, which chose to stay silent, and didn’t even respond to a Straits Times query before and after the barricades were removed.
Netizens don’t seem to care, unfortunately, because the sight of the abomination was enough to raise the blood pressure.
Not to be left behind, another reader then submitted a photograph of a sepak takraw court with a pristine blue surface which also had a sign which read “no ball games”.
The logo on the sign had a logo of the West Coast Town Council.
In Pasir Ris, a wall with nails pierced in to puncture balls is also a feature right next to the West Plaza Mall.
In previous posts, TMSG had also posted a photo of a notice in Sengkang Town Council which called for no ball games to be played at the playground and fitness corner.
The issue appears to be a nationwide problem as opposed to just being localised, and cuts across political boundaries as both the People’s Action Party and Worker’s Party face increased political pressure to win or maintain as many votes as possible.
ONLINE COMMENTS AND THE DICHOTOMY
The online sentiment on the matter appears to be almost one dimensional with a huge block sharing their unease and angst over what they are experiencing or even seeing.
Even Singaporean artiste the Lion City Boy chimed in with his comments in response to a TMSG post about the locking of the basketball hoop in Woodlands.
The reason for this outpouring of online emotion is simple.
As Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong said in his speech at the launch of ‘Sport in Singapore: Visions of Change’ Book and Sport Heritage Exhibition on 25 November 2023, “Sport in Singapore is in fact very emotional and inspirational in so many ways.”
“Sport in Singapore also grows with the people”, “reflects our society” and “it is a mirror of who we are, and it reflects wider sporting community of our leaders, of our administrators, and strongly supports the process of nation building.”
Absolutely. A reflection of our society.
What kind of a people are we if we lock up basketball hoops, stop children from playing in a court built for street football, and put barricades to stop children (and other users) from using common pool resources just to play.
The Government on the other hand asking that it receives support for its national movement to raise the standard of football through the Unleash The Roar project.
But on the other hand, its own MPs are are going the extra mile to stop children from playing ball games.
This sounds like a party with a split personality.
A clear dichotomy is evident and perhaps the real movement which needs to be started is that of removing the “NO FOOTBALL” and “NO BALL GAMES” signs from across the country.
BATTLE FOR SPACES AND SPORTS
Space will always be a premium in tiny Singapore, and there will be a clamour from as many segments of society for the use of these spaces.
So why are people not being tolerant of each other’s needs?
If a resident can withstand the noise from a funeral and a bad wedding singer from a void deck wedding, then shouldn’t we be tolerant of a few children playing football and building their childhood friendships?
And shouldn’t Members of Parliament also have the wherewithal to explain to residents that as much as they need to rest after 10pm, children also need to play, as long as it doesn’t go beyond certain hours of the evening.
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And if it does, aren’t there already community groups and vigilantes on patrol to put an end to the din?
In addition, and looking to the future, shouldn’t our urban and neighbourhood planners also now take into consideration that perhaps the playing spaces like badminton, sepak takraw and street football courts be constructed within basements of neighbourhoods so that the noise can be contained?
How about transforming spaces which are unused to allow children the avenue to play?
With lesser cars expected to be on the roads in future with a car-lite society, there will be spaces for kids to play as we cut down on the need for carparks.
The bottom line is that children will need spaces to play within their neighbourhoods as they build bonds with their neighbours, and as they maintain their sanity in a highly pressure cooker environment.
As President Tharman Shanmugatnam himself said in a recent speech at the launch of ‘Sport in Singapore: Visions of Change’ Book and Sport Heritage Exhibition on 25 November 2023, “Sports are a powerful way in which we develop that emotional resilience and character, develop the team spirit and ultimately develop unity.”
The Government is spending millions on Unleash The Roar to help raise the standards of football in Singapore.
This is truly money going to waste if we don’t get our fundamentals right, and among the first things it has to educate its own MPs is to stop restricting spontaneous play in our neighbourhoods.
MAIN PHOTO: TMSG
