The Cage

It’s pretty expensive to play soccer in Singapore. Well, if you can gather a group of around 10 – 15 to play 5v5 here, that would be great. It’ll cost only around $ 10 a person (that’s the cheapest rate on Sunday night where I usually play). There’s free parking on the road as the divider is the broken white line (just try not to park at the double yellow line). Jalan Benaan Kapal means Ship-​building road in Malay, but it is on these very same pitches where friendships are forged. I feel that the social aspect of playing soccer is under appreciated here. Whether it’s reuniting with old friends from school or work on the pitch, or meeting new people i.e. friends of friends, it’s a great sport enjoyed by all ages.
The aspect of this sport I go for is the cardio workout. There probably aren’t many sports that is able to motivate you as much to run for a solid 2 hours, well, not including the rolling subs and water-​breaks. On top of that, you get to hone your precision, technical skills and flexibility playing this game.
The difficult part of cage is to get the required number of people (15!) to play. Worry no more as there’s this app Playpal football built by some Singaporean soccer players themselves, available for download on both iOS and Android. You can look for teams to play with or find people to play on your team. The added social features allow you to message players, get ranked on a leaderboard or follow Singapore soccer news. Talk about soccer fanatics who are actually applying their love for the game!

Sheltered and well ventilated, the Cage is a 24 hour establishment that allows you to play soccer free from the scorching sun.
It’s great for people who work irregular hours as you can play into the wee hours of the night. It is subject to booking, so there’s no need to compete with secondary school kids flouncing around in sweaty uniforms around street soccer courts. Each pitch is like a private ring, with each bunker housing one pitch. It has its own drinks vending machines, two toilets, showers, seating areas, and not to mention the world’s biggest fan right in the middle above the pitch and cage for ventilation.
However, the pitch is rather small, and most people tend to use the walls to play a form of billiard soccer, using the walls as unofficial players. However, that’s a problem that’s relatively easy to settle. Just agree beforehand and all is good. After all, with its central location and proximity to a 24 hour Maccas, its really an awesome place to work out and enjoy the beautiful game.