SOS for Shah Alam Stadium

Unsafe status: An aerial view of the Shah Alam Stadium.

LIVE concert venue, world-class football stadium, shopping mall experience, public swimming pool, wall climbing, extreme sports centre – all these and more are available at the Singapore Sports Hub.

But if we get our development plans right, these facilities could be available in Shah Alam too.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said there is a proposal to tear down the Shah Alam Stadium and redevelop the site, but these details will only be revealed on July 16, coincidentally the date the stadium was officially opened 28 years ago.

He also said the proposed development of the stadium would take at least two years and would be completed in line with the construction of the Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) line nearby.

“Of course, we do not want to be left behind in terms of technology; if we decide to proceed with the plan, we must make it perfect and this development proposal has been technically evaluated by a group of professionals.

“It is premature to disclose the full details now,” he was reported to have told reporters last week.

However, it is common knowledge that the stadium is now in a dilapidated state. It has major structural defects with a poor pitch, a leaking polycarbonate roof and rotting structures which have left it unsafe.

Amirudin said The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has given the stadium an unsafe status because of the stadium’s displaced roof tiles.

In an interview with The Star last year, Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had spoken about the stadium’s sorry state.

The Ruler had said its reconstruction must be in tandem with a planned LRT station adjacent to it.

He added that the Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah, had asked if the stadium could be demolished and rebuilt exclusively as a football stadium.

“I have no objections to the stadium being demolished for it to be better, but the name must be maintained,” he had said.

The controversy surrounding the proposed demolition of the Shah Alam Stadium brought back memories of when it was first opened to the public in 1994.

As a junior reporter then, I was assigned by my editor to write a series of articles about this 83,000-capacity architectural marvel.

The stadium, which cost almost RM500mil, was the pride of Selangor and the country because it was the largest stadium ever built back then (this was before the Bukit Jalil Stadium was completed in time for the 1998 Commonwealth Games).

International football clubs were invited for an invitational tournament, and I was also lucky enough to witness the match between Flamengo of Brazil and Bayern Munich of Germany.

A year later, I was also there when rock group Bon Jovi performed at the venue to a full house.

So, it was with mixed feelings when I read about the stadium’s redevelopment plans. This country has a serious maintenance culture problem, a shocking attitude towards maintaining our expensive development projects.

We spend billions building monumental structures, highways, MRT stations but what happens when we don’t look after these infrastructure projects. They become dilapidated, they rot, the roads have potholes, escalators don’t work at MRT stations and stadiums are used as pasar morning markets.

It’s the same with the Bukit Jalil Stadium. I remember sitting and watching with more than 80,000 fans for Manchester United vs a Malaysian selection. Even United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the stadium at that time.

That was in 2001 but look at Bukit Jalil now – the pitch is a sorry sight, more akin to a padi field.

Selangor though has a golden opportunity to create their very own sports hub. Yes, it will be a shame to tear down an iconic structure like the Shah Alam Stadium, but regeneration of this site will transform the entire area.

The stadium now is isolated and dead. MRT and LRT connectivity plus turning it into a multi-use facility much like the Singapore Sports Hub will regenerate the entire Section 13 area in the state capital.

These regeneration plans have been done the world over, from the old Singapore Kallang stadium to the famous Wembley Stadium in London, stadia are being transformed to become more than just football only venues.

These huge structures are now meeting venues, event spaces, public recreation park, shopping centres and, of course, multipurpose sports facilities.

The goal is to be self-sufficient. The state cannot be ploughing millions to run the facilities. From the time construction is completed, private companies should be allowed to lease these premises and run them professionally.

So, the state needs to get the redevelopment master plan right. There must be a 360-degree overview. Reconstruction works must take into account future usage which will ultimately benefit the people and stimulate the economy in the surrounding areas.