Delta Sport Centre reopens with bigger gym, new futsal courts, more badminton courts

A 1,000 sq m gym, three times bigger than before, four new futsal courts and more indoor badminton courts are some of the changes residents can look forward to after the Delta Sport Centre officially opened on Sunday.

The facility along Tiong Bahru Road, closed for renovation in 2019, also offers a full-sized hockey pitch and three swimming pools, one of which is equipped with an accessibility ramp for seniors and persons with disabilities.

There will also be tryouts for various para-sports staged at the venue every quarter.

Mr Timothy Lim, 29, and his wife, Mrs Cheryl Lim, 27, used to visit the Delta Sport Centre when they were in secondary school for swimming lessons, but had not been back for several years.

But they are planning to make use of the gym, citing affordability and convenience as key factors. Adults who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents pay $2.50 for entry into an ActiveSG public gym.

Mr Lim, who works in a bank, said: “It is quite nearby – just one train station and a five-minute walk away – and the facilities are good, so we are planning to come here at least once a week.”

ActiveSG chief Tan Hock Leong noted that the reopening of Delta Sport Centre was significant because of the recent closure of the nearby Queenstown Sport Centre, which will be undergoing renovations until 2025.

The hockey pitch, which served Singapore’s national team since 1991 before they subsequently moved to Sengkang in 2010, will also be used as a venue for ActiveSG Hockey Academy’s programme.

He added: “Sport Singapore (SportSG) will continue to cater for facilities that are inclusive, affordable and accessible to allow Singaporeans to enjoy sport. Periodically, we will cater for the rejuvenation of older facilities, make them more conducive and suitable for the residents.”

National agency SportSG had in February announced plans for the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which is slated for completion by 2030. The 12ha site will comprise a regional sports centre, polyclinic, public library and regional town park.

The Toa Payoh project and Punggol Regional Sports Centre are part of the Sports Facilities Master Plan, a key initiative of national sports blueprint Vision 2030. They will be the latest integrated community hubs that house multiple facilities. Others include Our Tampines Hub, Heartbeat@Bedok and Bukit Canberra, which opened in late 2022.

For residents in the Tiong Bahru and Queenstown area, the upgraded complex is a welcome addition.

Ms Catherine Lum, 50, used to take her children to the Delta Sport Centre only occasionally before it was renovated because “it was quite run down”, but the legal assistant at a private equity firm is planning to take her children, who are 14, 12 and 10, there more often now for swimming lessons.

She added that less time would be needed for travelling, as the facility is five minutes from her home. When it was closed, she had to take her children to the Jurong West Swimming Complex, which was a 20-minute commute.

Ms Lum said: “We are excited because it is brand new and everything is refurbished.”

 

Mr Daniel Lim and Ms Ang Bixia are looking to register their sons, aged seven and four, for different sports under the ActiveSG clubs and academies programme.

The parents had previously gone for football, badminton and table tennis programmes at Pasir Ris Sport Centre and Our Tampines Hub, and will be signing their sons up for the hockey programme at Delta.

Mr Lim, 42, an accountant, said: “When Delta was closed, we had to go further out for holiday programmes for the children, but now that it has reopened, there are more options for them to try during the school holidays.”