In a "quiet corner of Singapore" lies a plot of land central to the Sports Hub's attempts to "consign its pitch woes to the past," according to Sanjay Nair of the STRAITS TIMES. The Kranji Sanctuary Golf Course is the site of "rejuvenation and repairs" for the new field at the National Stadium in Kallang. Used for the first time at last month's Southeast Asian Games, the Eclipse Stabilized Turf, commonly known as a "lay and play" surface, "combines natural and artificial grass in a roll of turf." The course houses a 3.2-hectare nursery -- run by "home-grown" company TEHC Int'l -- where the natural field was "grown and then transported in nearly 800 rolls to the stadium in a two-day process." An 8,000-square-meter reserve field is "maintained nearby, ready to replace damaged or degraded portions of the main pitch." Sports Hub Senior Dir for Corporate Communications & Stakeholder Mangement Jose Raymond said, "We are monitoring the recovery of the pitch very closely, and work to restore the pitch has been ongoing around the clock." The EST system is understood to cost slightly less than the original $800,000 Desso GrassMaster field, which had its patchy surface and sandy conditions come "under fire last year from the likes of Brazil football coach Dunga and the New Zealand Rugby Union." Melbourne-based HG Sports Turf "provides the system as part of a three-year deal with the Sports Hub." The company also "shares its expertise" with TEHC (STRAITS TIMES, 7/7).
