IT WILL be torn down later this year, but the National Stadium in Kallang is still pulling in spectators, albeit of a different kind.
In recent months, camera-wielding visitors have been turning up each week to take souvenir shots of the iconic landmark.
Among them was Singapore Armed Forces officer Christopher Wong, 43, who took his wife and two children to the stadium to shoot pictures of themselves in football attire last Wednesday.
'The stadium is very much a part of me,' he says, recalling the times he ran for his school, St Gabriel's Secondary, in national athletic meets in the late 1970s. Even his wedding photos were shot there in 1999.
His wife, housewife Jane Tham, 33, is equally nostalgic. 'My Dad used to take me to the stadium to watch football and all my dating days were there. The National Stadium is like my second home.'
Last month, youth mentor Kenneth Thong, 35, also jumped at the last chance to have his wedding photos taken at the stadium.
'We did crazy stuff in our photographs,' says Mr Thong, a former national hurdler who spent many of his younger years pounding the track.
'There's one of me chasing my fiancee in shiny track shoes while we're still in our wedding outfits.'
In fact, it was his fiancee Adeline Wenyi, 27, a fellow youth mentor, who suggested the venue.
'I wanted a place that meant something to us before and after we met. We did many things together at the stadium and taking pictures there brought back memories of our courtship days,' she says.
Built in 1973, the 55,000-capacity stadium was the venue of some of the biggest national and sporting events in Singapore.
But it will be demolished later this year to give way to the Sports Hub - a complex that will comprise a new 55,000-seater national stadium, a 6,000-seat indoor aquatic centre and a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena - scheduled to be completed by mid-2011.
While the stadium is now empty on most days, it played host to a few large-scale events recently.
Two weeks ago, 4,000 people gathered there for a massive sing-along event, We Sing Our Songs. Organised by theatre group The Theatre Practice, it was held to 'send off the stadium with songs', says the group's artistic director, Ms Kuo Jian Hong.
The crowd, made up of members of the public, sang songs from the 1970s to the 1990s, including evergreens like Lan Hua Cao and National Day songs like Home.
'Many people have an emotional attachment to both the songs and the National Stadium, so we decided to combine the two together,' says Ms Kuo.
There are more events to come. The Singapore Heritage Society plans to preserve the memory of the stadium by organising a tour for its members. To be held on May 12, it includes visits to the VIP rooms and the Sports Museum.
Society president Kevin Tan, 45, says many of its 150 members grew up participating in events like the youth festivals and Malaysia Cup, which were held in the stadium.
'Usually, you wouldn't look around at the building and its architecture. So this will allow us to appreciate it better and remember how it has become so important to us,' he says.
'We don't think of it every day, but whenever there's an important event, the National Stadium immediately comes to mind.'
Non-members are allowed to join the tour, but Dr Tan says members will be given priority.
Meanwhile, if you wish to snap photos at the stadium, a spokesman for the Singapore Sports Council recommends that you contact it to ensure your preferred date is available.
For more information, call the Singapore Sports Council on 6345-7111.