SINGAPORE — More than 1,200 people have signed a petition started two days ago to oppose the Singapore Land Authority (SLA)’s recent restrictions on pitch usage at the youth academy of local S.League side Home United.

TODAY reported last week that Home’s Youth Football Academy (HYFA) was told to restrict operations on its two 11-a-side pitches last month, following complaints about noise from residents staying in nearby HDB blocks. The SLA restrictions stated they could not use the two pitches during weekends, while limiting hours up to 7pm on weekdays.

The report sparked a strong reaction online, where the majority of netizens expressed shock and bewilderment over the decision.

An online petition was started by one Billy Jones on the petition website Change.org, titled “Revoke the bizarre decision to curtail the HYFA”. As of Friday (Jan 20) evening, 1,254 signatures had been obtained, with the number still increasing. The target is 1,500 signatures, after which the petition will be delivered to the SLA.

In the description, Jones wrote: “(Football) is our national sport, and it’s being severely handicapped yet again by the actions of an entitled few. It’s really a pretty accurate microcosm of society in Singapore … To fellow Singaporeans, please don’t let our country be turned into an office building. Save our local sports scene.”

A football fan who signed the petition, Louis Wang, questioned the logic of the injunction, noting that there are many other communal activities that generate noise near HDB residences.

“Will they ban funeral wakes, weddings and getais if a few people deem it to be disrupting the peace in the estate?” he told TODAY. “Then why impose a ban on football activities when we have been living with these activities?

“And in a time when we are trying to create a sporting culture in Singapore and football is such a popular sport, the authorities (SLA) and MCCY (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth) should align their visions. But, with this ban, they seem awfully disjointed.”

In June last year, The New Paper reported that a resident living nearby launched a petition against HYFA, although it generated signatures from just five families. The misgivings were submitted to the SLA, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Ms Tin Pei Ling, the Member of Parliament for MacPherson. HYFA's location comes under the MacPherson constituency.

When contacted, Ms Tin confirmed she is aware of the petition and added that she is helping to mediate between the residents, HYFA and SLA. She explained that some residents’ lifestyles “had to change” because of the previous usage conditions — including constant noise every weeknight and throughout the whole day on weekends — before the current restrictions came into place, and it was not unreasonable to ask for a “breather or reprieve”.

“Most residents appreciate and understand the idea of co-existence; they understand our community is diverse and built-up, so give and take is necessary,” she told TODAY. “The affected residents are not asking for HYFA to leave or shut down.”

Hoping for a resolution soon, Ms Tin added: “The SLA is looking into this (issue) with the other affected agencies, and I think they will come to a compromise. What (restrictions) you see now is only temporary, because there is an appeal (by HYFA) going on.”

HYFA's detailed plans were approved by the authorities before it was built in 2014 for more than S$1 million.

TODAY understands that HYFA is still required to pay the full monthly rental fee, believed to be more than S$30,000, to the SLA despite the restricted hours. The lease was extended to 2019 last year.

The injunction also affected around 1,200 kids from local football academy JSSL Singapore, which used to conduct their full-day activities on weekends at the two pitches. They have been forced to relocate.

In a bid to appease the affected residents, HYFA had implemented several measures to reduce the level of noise at its facility. These include the use of low-decibel referee whistles, limiting the area of play to pitches that are farther from the flats, reducing the initial hours of operations of the pitches, as well as setting up a hotline for residents to call in if they are disturbed by activities at the venue.