YouTuber from UK enthralled by Our Tampines Hub, calls it 'world's weirdest stadium'
Who says our local football league isn’t resonating with the world?
Well, at least one of our football stadiums is.
Recently, a YouTuber from the Footy Adventures channel made a 10,000km trek from the UK to Singapore to catch a Singapore Premier League match between Geylang International and Hougang United.
The match alone was just another league fixture; the main attraction instead was the unique arena that is Our Tampines Hub.
The host, Sam, has visited Singapore before, and previously posted a video about the National Stadium three years ago.
But while there was lots to admire about the $1.4b arena in Kallang, the considerably smaller one seemed to amaze Sam a lot more.
"This looks like no stadium I've ever seen in my life,” he says in the video, as he approaches the stadium in Tampines. “It's so built up, so modern, so clean and nice.”
The first of its kind in Singapore, the 5,000-seater stadium is part of an integrated community and lifestyle hub that opened in 2017.
Other than a football pitch, the hub also hosts other facilities such as a theatre and a five-storey library. It also has six rooftop swimming pools, as well as a sports and recreation park with four tennis courts, two futsal courts and one hockey court.
Noticing the dense architecture around him, the YouTuber can't help but think aloud: "It doesn't really feel like (a place) that should have a football stadium at the end of it."
Well, that’s what you get when you have a tiny country with limited space, Sam.
The host even had to get himself orientated with a map, all while trying to make sense of a football arena within an “entire mall”.
"This is blowing my mind... I didn't realise quite how bizarre and fascinating this stadium would be," Sam says as he tours the hub's eco-community garden.
That's right. Take that, Anfield.
As he watches the match, Sam notes – with some amusement – the various people going about their business on the running track above; not to mention the patrons in the mall, who could watch the match for free if they wanted to.
He was also bemused that there was just one stand for spectators.
“This has to be one of the weirdest football experiences in my life,” he says at the end of the video.
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