SINGAPORE, March 15 – Pickleball enthusiasts in Singapore have a new place to play, with eight sheltered courts officially opening yesterday at a uniquely repurposed location: the Little India Bus Terminal.
According to The Straits Times, the facility, named ActiveSG Courts @ Farrer Park, was inaugurated by Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry Alvin Tan. It will be open to the public for bookings via the MyActiveSG+ platform starting tomorrow, March 16.
The new courts represent an innovative solution to meet the surging demand for the sport in land-scarce Singapore. ActiveSG facility bookings for pickleball have increased tenfold between 2023 and 2025.
“This shows us what is possible when we think about how existing spaces can be utilised to better serve our growing sporting communities,” said ActiveSG Chief Tan Hock Leong. He highlighted that incorporating the facility into the operating bus terminal is a practical way of optimising public spaces.
The project is a collaboration between Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Yeo Teck Guan, LTA’s Senior Group Director for Public Transport, explained the dual-use concept: “By retrofitting sections of Little India Bus Terminal into pickleball courts, we are optimising the use of available space while minimising impact on current Sunday bus operations serving migrant workers.”
The courts will operate from 9am to 9pm, Mondays to Saturdays, while the facility continues to function as a bus terminal on Sundays.
The launch is a step in a broader plan to revitalise Farrer Park as a sports hub. The area was the centre of local sports from the 1940s to the 1980s, producing famous athletes like footballer Quah Kim Song and swimmer Ang Peng Siong.
Future developments for the site, which is also slated for public housing, include a sheltered swimming complex, multi-purpose play areas, inclusive gyms, running tracks, a rugby field, and futsal courts.
Minister of State Tan, who played football and tennis at Farrer Park as a boy, noted the significance of the project. “Given that pickleball is a growing sport in Singapore, and many of my residents have asked for more sporting spaces... we worked together... to avail this space,” he said. “A key part of this is a broader vision for us to bring back sports to Farrer Park.”
The new facility adds to a growing network of pickleball venues. With this opening, there are now more than 80 courts for pickleball across ActiveSG sport centres and dual-use scheme sites islandwide. This aligns with the government’s plan to build an additional 50 multi-purpose courts for badminton or pickleball over the next five years.
Peak-hour slots at the new courts will be allocated through a balloting system opening 14 days in advance. Non-peak slots and unassigned peak slots will be released on a first-come, first-served basis from 12 days prior.
At the launch, residents had the chance to try the sport, with the Moulmein-Cairnhill Community Sports Network even hosting a friendly competition. Resident Augustus Surya Jayarajan, 18, welcomed the new facility, saying, “I think this new facility is a good social space to meet new people and continue healthy living through sport.”
