| Stadium Jalan Besar (Malay) 惹兰勿刹体育场 (Chinese) ஜாலான் புசார் ஸ்டேடியம் (Tamil) | |
 Jalan Besar Stadium, facing the gallery stand | |
 Interactive map of Jalan Besar Stadium | |
| Full name | Jalan Besar ActiveSG Stadium |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207542 |
| Location | Jalan Besar, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′36″N103°51′37″E / 1.310016°N 103.860347°E /1.310016; 103.860347 |
| Public transit | EW11 Lavender DT23 Bendemeer |
| Owner | Sport Singapore |
| Operator | Sport Singapore |
| Capacity | 6,000[1] |
| Record attendance | 16,000 (Singapore FA vsSouth China AA, 12 September 1951) |
| Field size | 98 x 63.5 metres (107 x 69 yards) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 26 December 1929; 96 years ago (1929-12-26) |
| Renovated | 1999–2003 |
| Tenants | |
| Singapore national football team (1932–present) Young Lions (2003–present) LionsXII (2011–2015) Lion City Sailors (selected matches) Lion City Sailors FC (women) (selected matches) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.myactivesg.com/Facilities/jalan-besar-stadium | |
Jalan Besar Stadium, officially theJalan Besar ActiveSG Stadium, is afootballstadium located inKallang, Singapore. The stadium is part of the Jalan Besar Sports and Recreation Centre, a community sports facility.[2]
It is the home ground of theSingapore Premier League clubYoung Lions. The stadium is also used as an alternative home ground to theNational Stadium by theSingapore national football team. TheFootball Association of Singapore (FAS) is also headquartered within the stadium.
Jalan Besar Stadium is located along Tyrwhitt Road, within the close proximity of the major roadJalan Besar, hence its name.
The original stadium was opened onBoxing Day 1929 by president of theMunicipal Commission of Singapore,R. J. Farrer, with the nearbyFarrer Park named after him.[3] It is considered to be the birthplace ofSingapore football.[2]Malaya Cup matches were played at the stadium from 1932 to 1966, and Malaysia Cup matches from 1967 to 1973.[4]
During theJapanese Occupation, the stadium was one of theSook Ching mass screening sites orchestrated by Japanese officials. During the war, the stadium remained opened and was also used as a language centre to teach the Japanese language to locals.[4]
On 12 November 1956, theUnited States men's national soccer team (USMNT) for the1956 Summer Olympics played anexhibition game against the Singapore team at the Jalan Besar Stadium.[5][6]
On 30 May 1964, a mass rally led by Singaporean statesmanLee Kuan Yew was held at the stadium to mourn and honour the death of Indian statesmanJawaharlal Nehru, whom Lee considered "a staunch friend" during thedecolonisation era afterWorld War II. Nehru had previously spoke at the stadium when he visited the country in June 1950, calling for "peace and conciliation" in the region while decolonisation was underway.[7][8]
The stadium was also host to many major events in Singapore's history, such as being the venue for the firstSingapore Youth Festival in 1955, the first Singapore Armed Forces Day in 1969, and the 1984National Day Parade.[2]
In December 1999, the original field was closed for rebuilding. The new stadium was opened later in June 2003 with aseating capacity of 6,000. The position of the pitch was retained in the exact position as the previous stadium.[9]
SAFFC (NowWarriors) played their2009 and2010AFC Champions League group stage matches at the stadium which saw them faceSuwon Samsung Bluewings from South Korea,Kashima Antlers from Japan andShanghai Shenhua from China for the 2009 tournament.
The following year in the 2010 tournament, SAFFC was drawn in a group with Suwon Samsung Bluewings,Gamba Osaka from Japan andHenan Jianye from China. On 13 April 2010, they became the first Singapore club to achieve a win in the competition, against Henan Jianye in a 2–1 win which surprisingly SAFFC finished in third place above Henan Jianye with 4 points.
On 24 July 2010,Burnley played against aSingapore Selection XI side in the FIS Asian Challenge Cup held at the stadium. The Singapore side narrowly lost the game 0–1.[10][11] That same year during the2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore, the stadium was the designated venue for both the boys' and girls' football tournament.[2]
In 2012, a local fans club, Kingsmen, sponsored a temporary stand, King George's Stand, for the stadium. This increased the stadium's capacity from 6,500 to 8,000.[12][13] The final extension for the use of the temporary seating structures expired on 29 August 2015, and the dismantling and reinstatement works would commence in November.[14][15]
On 22 May 2013, Spanish football clubAtlético Madrid played against a Singapore Selection side in thePeter Lim Charity Cup held at the stadium. The game ended 0–2 to the away team.[16]
On 4 October 2013,Fulham U21 travelled to Singapore to play a friendly against Singaporean club,Woodlands Wellington in a thrashing 7–0 defeat for the Rams.
In 2015, after dismantling the King George's Stand, the capacity of the stadium was reduced back to 6,500.[15]
On 24 November 2022, As part of BVB Southeast Asia Tour,Borussia Dortmund played a friendly against theSingapore Premier League champions,Lion City Sailors which see the match resulted in a 7–2 win for the German club.
In 2023, BothLion City Sailors andHougang United will host most of its2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage matches and2023–24 AFC Cup group stage matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium respectively as its match the requirements standard of the tournament and also being rated as a FIFA 2 Star Recommended Turf. It will also see the first time that theAFC Champions League group stage matches will be hosted in Singapore since 2010.
In March 2025, Jalan Besar Stadium also hosted Lion City Sailors2024–25 AFC Champions League Two quarter-finals match againstJ1 League clubSanfrecce Hiroshima and the semi-finals match againstA League clubSydney FC.
On 3 December 2025, Jalan Besar Stadium sees the pitch being restored to using natural grass for the first time since 2005 whereTampines Rovers take onBG Pathum United in the2025–26 ASEAN Club Championship which resulted in a 3–2 win for Tampines Rovers whereHide Higashikawa scored a hat-trick.[17]
On 30 October 2012, an LED scoreboard was implemented at the Gallery stand to provide better quality video to the spectators, allowing replay video highlights of the action on the field during matchdays.[18] Two new screens were also placed at the two ends of the Grandstand, North and South, to enable better match experience for the Gallery fans.
From 2005 until 2025, the Jalan Besar Stadium had usedartificial turf for its pitch. That year, the stadium's pitch was laid with a "FIFA 1 Star Recommended Turf", an artificial turf. The cost of relaying the pitch had cost approximately $1 million.[19] In 2008, the stadium's pitch was relaid again at the cost of an additional $500,000, with a "FIFA 2 Star Recommended Turf", an improved quality artificial turf. The cost of re-turfing was sponsored by FIFA in collaboration with theFootball Association of Singapore (FAS).[20]
As part of theLionsXII's sponsorship by Kingsmen, a local fans club, the King George's Stand was built in 2012 using a removable stand, increasing the stadium's capacity to 8,000.[12][13] The final extension for the use of the temporary seating structures expired on 29 August 2015, and the dismantling and reinstatement works would commence in November.[14][15]
In 2014, the pitch was relaid to ensure maintenance of the turf. In 2021, the pitch was relaid with a GreenFields Evolution Pro 40 pitch, which is softer than the previous turfs. It consists of a durable shock pad underneath the playing surface, enhancing the compactness and reduce the hardness of the pitch.[21][22]
In June 2025, the pitch was restored to natural grass to comply with the requirements of theAsian Football Confederation (AFC), which no longer allowed fully artificial playing surfaces in major national team or club competitions. The restoration was completed in December 2025.[23]
In 2022, FAS announced plans to implementvideo assistant referee (VAR) technology for theSingapore Premier League (SPL).[24] The VAR system it to be operated centrally by a three-man team at the FAS headquarters in Jalan Besar Stadium. It has been in use since the2023 Singapore Premier League season.[25]
Jalan Besar Stadium is located near toLavender MRT station on theEast–West Line (EWL) andBendemeer MRT station on theDowntown Line (DTL). Despite its name, the stadium's location is closer to the latter station on the DTL rather thanJalan Besar MRT station.
 |
| Date | Competition | Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2011 | Friendly |  Singapore | 4–0 |  Maldives |
| 18 July 2011 | Friendly | Singapore | 3–2 |  Chinese Taipei |
| 23 July 2011 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | Singapore | 5–3 |  Malaysia |
| 6 September 2011 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | Singapore | 0–2 |  Iraq |
| 7 October 2011 | Friendly | Singapore | 2–0 |  Philippines |
| 11 October 2011 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | Singapore | 0–3 |  Jordan |
| 15 November 2011 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | Singapore | 0–4 |  China |
| 8 June 2012 | Friendly | Singapore | 2–2 | Malaysia |
| 14 August 2013 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Singapore | 0–2 |  Oman |
| 10 October 2013 | Friendly | Singapore | 1–0 |  Laos |
| 15 October 2013 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Singapore | 2–1 |  Syria |
| 4 February 2014 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Singapore | 1–3 | Jordan |
| 31 March 2015 | Friendly | Singapore | 2–2 |  Guam |
| 24 March 2016 | Friendly | Singapore | 2–1 |  Myanmar |
| 31 August 2017 | Friendly | Singapore | 1–1 |  Hong Kong |
| 10 September 2019 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | Singapore | 2–1 |  Palestine |
| 17 December 2022 | Friendly | Singapore | 3–1 | Maldives |
| Date | Competition | Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2005 | 2004 AFF Championship (Third place play-off) | Malaysia | 2–1 | Myanmar |
| 12 December 2012 | 2012 AFF Championship | Singapore | 1–0 | Philippines |
| 19 December 2012 | 2012 AFF Championship Final (First leg) | Singapore | 3–1 |  Thailand |
| 24 December 2022 | 2022 AFF Championship | Singapore | 3–2 | Myanmar |
| 30 December 2022 | 2022 AFF Championship | Singapore | 0–0 |  Vietnam |
| 26 December 2024 | 2024 ASEAN Championship semi-finals (First leg) | Singapore | 0–2 | Vietnam |
| Standing |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Demolished | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
