NTU to see further development in Sports and Fitness

By Tan Chin Hong

PHOTOS: VINSON PHUA

NTU students can expect more sports and fitness options in the years to come, such as an additional $1 million rubberised jogging track, an extension of the campus clubhouse and an all-weather artificial turf at the Sports and Recreation Centre’s (SRC) lower fields.

These new additions to NTU are part of a long-term plan to enhance student life, announced NTU President, Professor Bertil Andersson, at the opening of the renovated astroturf main field on 20 Jan at the SRC.

He said: “NTU is serious about promoting sports and recreation as part of a vibrant campus.”

The new rubberised jogging track will loop around more than half the campus, from the tennis courts at the SRC, passing by the Innovation Centre and ending at the National Institute of Education (NIE) Sports Centre.

“The new track aims to provide an alternative jogging path for all users,” said Mr Yum Shoen Keng, Senior Assistant Director at of the SRC.

Students can start looking forward to using the track from mid-2014. Mr Yum added that the jogging track might be extended to loop the whole campus.

The developments are not limited to sports and fitness, as the Campus Clubhouse, a place for recreational activities, is also receiving an extension. The new building will house a reading room, a dance studio and a covered multipurpose pavilion. According to Mr Yum, students and staff alike can look forward to its opening by mid-2014.

The two new sports halls will be housed at the upcoming North Hill residential complex. Sport enthusiasts can look forward to using the halls for indoor games like badminton and table tennis. In addition, a new gym is also under development in North Hill.

The new astroturf main field, the first completed project, has drawn much praise.

Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games soccer captain Gavin Lee, a second-year student from the Sport Science and Management programme, said: “The new astroturf is all-weather. We can train and play matches on it right after it rains.”

The lower field at SRC will also be converted to astroturf, with the project costing a total of $2 million.

However, not everyone feels that the new turf is a better option.

Bernard Lau, a first-year student from the Nanyang Business School, who plays football on the pitch regularly, said: “When we fall down on the artificial pitch, we open ourselves to the risk of razor burn from the astroturf.”

Previously, the outdoor pitch was often closed for maintenance.

Assistant Manager of the SRC Mr Ng Woon Yang said: “In the past, high usage of the pitch meant that it quickly wore out. While we let the field recover before peak periods like the IVP games and Singapore University Games, students could not use the pitch. Now it will be available all year round, even during the rainy season.”

Prof Andersson added: “The new all-weather pitch will solve many problems that the old turf presented, such as muddiness, water logging, soil-borne diseases and injuries from uneven surfaces.”