What’s under fire now is Bishan Stadium. It looks to firm up its status as a likely host for the ACL Two final. Even today, the stadium does not comply with the stringent standards imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). As a result, it requires significant improvements to its infrastructure. These upgrades ranged from improvements to the stadium’s lighting and seating capacity to making it more accessible.
Currently, Bishan Stadium has just one permanent stand and a capacity of about 2,800 fans. The ACL Two final can’t be overstated—requiring a great crowd capacity and suitable facilities. An extensive review is now underway to determine how the stadium could best provide these much-needed amenities. The AFC have put in place stringent ‘Category 3’ requirements that Bishan must meet to host the tournament and be deemed a suitable venue.
A key piece of these stipulations is based on the stadium’s lighting. The AFC stipulates that Bishan Stadium must achieve a horizontal illuminance of “1,800 lux with uniformity ratios of U1h>0.5 and U2h>0.7.” Additionally, vertical illuminance must reach “1,000 lux on each reference plane with uniformity ratios of U1v>0.4 and U2v>0.5.” These lighting specifications are essential in the ability to conduct matches at a professional level. They’re particularly useful for evening events.
Natural playing surface at Bishan Stadium is in poor condition. These improvements are key in order to deliver the unparalleled operational excellence that has come to be expected of colossal opening matches. As the stadium is one of several facilities under consideration to host the final, the high standard of complex improvements is clear. King George’s Stand received comparable renovations. It might prove to be a good prototype for the sort of improvements required at Bishan.
Further improving the stadium’s physical atmosphere. It needs to serve the different working groups that make up the army of people that brings such an event to life. That means providing room for the myriad committees and secretariats that will handle the planning of what it will take to host a global final. Poor facilities would seriously compromise our capacity to bring you a great event. This risks disappointing both the public and policymakers alike who have high hopes.
The AFC have given Bishan Stadium provisional approval to be used. This approval is subject to a final inspection and official acceptance, which will likely occur in early May. That makes Bishan the perfect venue to host the month-long event. Yet there is still much work left to do.
Even before plans for the new stadium were revealed, there were serious concerns about whether it was suitable. A representative from Sharjah stated that the current configuration is “not suitable” and “does not meet the aspirations of the fans and stakeholders.” This feedback highlights an opportunity and further emphasizes the need to spearhead impactful fan-driven changes to achieve the high bar expected by fans and regulators alike.
As Bishan Stadium looks ahead to the future in executing its plans, it is admittedly under a very tight timeline to make sure it meets AFC regulations. With the final inspection date looming, all stakeholders will be watching closely. They’re making the case for fast tracking work on planned and needed upgrades.
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