SINGAPORE \u2013 From March 16, pickleball enthusiasts will be able to dink, volley and rally at eight new sheltered courts located inside the retrofitted Little India Bus Terminal.<\/p>\n
Known as ActiveSG Courts @ Farrer Park, the facility was officially opened by Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry on March 14.<\/p>\n
The courts are available for booking via online platform MyActiveSG+ and the new venue is part of the Government\u2019s bid to meet increasing demand for the emerging sport, which has seen ActiveSG facility bookings increasing tenfold between 2023 and 2025.<\/p>\n
As a boy, Mr Tan played football and tennis at Farrer Park, which he acknowledged as \u201cthe spiritual home of sports in Singapore\u201d. <\/p>\n
After sparring with residents on March 14, he said: \u201cGiven that pickleball is a growing sport in Singapore, and many of my residents have asked for more sporting spaces, including for pickleball, we worked together with the Land Authority of Singapore (LTA) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) to avail this space, and now we have eight pickleball courts for our residents to enjoy. <\/p>\n
\u201cA key part of this is a broader vision for us to bring back sports to Farrer Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farrer Park was the hub of local sports from the 1940s to 80s, housing an athletics centre, boxing gym, swimming complex, football pitches, tennis and squash courts. It produced household sporting names such as footballer Quah Kim Song, swimmer Ang Peng Siong and boxer Syed Abdul Kadir.<\/p>\n
In 2022, the Housing Board, SportSG and the Urban Redevelopment Authority announced that the 10ha site would be redeveloped into a public housing estate with about 1,600 flats. About 20 per cent of the site would be set aside as open spaces for sports and recreational use. <\/p>\n
According to SportSG, ActiveSG Courts @ Farrer Park is part of the broader long-term development of sports facilities in the region, and when completed, the park will include a sheltered swimming complex, multi-purpose play area, inclusive gyms and running tracks. <\/p>\n
Mr Tan also added that work is also in progress for a rugby field that can be used for football, as well as futsal courts.<\/p>\n
ActiveSG chief Tan Hock Leong shared that considerations for building spaces such as the pickleball courts include accessibility, height clearance, wind factor and noise factor. Residents were also consulted to ensure that they were happy with the idea and to allay any concerns.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cActiveSG Courts @ Farrer Park shows us what is possible when we think about how existing spaces can be utilised to better serve our growing sporting communities. Incorporating a pickleball sport facility into the existing Little India Bus Terminal is a practical way of optimising public spaces for sport. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis also reflects our commitment to bringing active living closer to every Singaporean \u2013 whether they are new to sport or looking for a convenient venue to play regularly. This facility is part of our wider efforts to respond to the community\u2019s passion for sport, making sport more accessible and providing more play opportunities for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeo Teck Guan, LTA\u2019s senior group director for public transport, added: \u201cBy retrofitting sections of Little India Bus Terminal into pickleball courts, we are optimising the use of available space while minimising impact on current Sunday bus operations serving migrant workers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis smart, dual-use arrangement allows the bus terminal to serve both transport and community needs, and we hope it will bring more communities together.\u201d<\/p>\n