SINGAPORE – From the persistent referee whistles to shouts and squeals from recreational footballers, The Cage’s seven football pitches have been the heart of Turf City for the past decade.

The sprawling 140ha Bukit Timah site – about the size of 200 football fields – also housed facilities for rugby, netball, softball and mountain biking –making it a hive of activity for families and people of all ages to come and play. Today, however, it resembles a ghost town.