The former Singapore National Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Kallang, which opened in July 1973 and closed on 30 June 2007. The stadium was demolished from 2010 to 2011 for the development of the Singapore Sports Hub, which houses its successor. During its closure from 2007 to 2014, the National Day Parade (NDP) and sports events were held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform and Jalan Besar Stadium. The stadium was prominently the home of Singapore FA, a club side, and the Singapore national team. It also hosted the Singapore Cup finals annually, the first in 1996, and the second leg of the 2004 AFF Championship finals. In addition to association football matches, the stadium hosted the 1973, 1983 and 1993 Southeast Asian Games, the Singapore Armed Forces day parades and the opening ceremony of the biennial Singapore Youth Festival, as well as numerous music and cultural events. It was the primary venue for the NDP. History Conceptualisation Soon after the end of the Second World War, as Singapore moved towards self-government and independence, the clamour began for a national stadium. Funding A state-owned lottery company, Singapore Pools, was set up in 1968 to raise funds for the stadium. Proceeds from the Singapore Sweep and TOTO were used to pay a substantial part of the construction bill. Between 1968 and 1976, the company contributed S$14.5 million towards the project. Singapore Pools also helped the stadium repay a government loan of $7.8 million meant as start-up money for a stadium management corporation. Following the completion of the National Stadium, Singapore Pools remained a major sponsor of stadium, as well as the National Day Parade. Construction On 7 December 1966, in the year that Singapore celebrated its first National Day, Othman drove the first pile into the ground. For the next three and a half years, piling was done to lay the foundations. Work had to be delayed due to bad weather for about a month. By the end of 1970, the stadium was three-quarters completed and was starting to take its definitive shape. Thirty-six steps, each wide, formed an impressive entrance; and a cauldron was built within the stadium to carry a flame that would burn on special events and on the opening of the stadium. By the end of June 1973 when the stadium was completed, 300,000 bags of cement, 3,000,000 bricks and 4,500 tons of steel and timber