The past four years had been exceptionally challenging for NTUC Club. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the entire global economy, particularly the leisure industry. Club was not spared. To add to the challenges, the energy crisis since 2021 sparked a surge in oil prices, which resulted to 2.5 times increase in Club’s utilities. Government regulations were also tightened, and this led to a steeper decline in the takings from game machines.

I applaud management for taking all these challenges in their stride and responding admirably. In the battle against COVID-19, Club responded to the government’s call and converted D’Resort into a Community Care Facility for clinically-well COVID-19 patients. I am particularly moved by the courage and selflessness of the many Club staff, who at the risk of their health, stepped forward to serve at D’Resort. Many others volunteered to undertake frontline duties, and our community members devoted time to pack and distribute care packs to uplift spirits, amongst other community Do Good projects. Financial rebates were also extended to our affected tenants and stakeholders.

Transforming Adversity into Strength

Despite the difficult times, we not only weathered the adversities but emerged stronger, demonstrating our resilience and unity. The period saw Club accelerate its transformation journey, implement new strategies, and evolve to cater for changing consumer demands and digital needs.

Today, Club is beginning to reap the rewards of its hard work.

Club not only avoided a deficit, but it achieved a financial turnaround. In fact, Club witnessed record surpluses in the last two years. More importantly, many of the business units which used to register deficits, have begun to see healthy profits. All these were achieved while Club continued to play its social role of supporting the leisure needs of NTUC members at affordable prices. Club has pivoted its offerings and innovated its business models, supported by continuous cost management efforts and dedicated staff who made this possible.

Enhancing Members’ Welfare with UPlay

One of the key innovations during this period was the development of the UPlay ecosystem. Traditionally, Club had been a brick-and-mortar organisation, providing leisure services through its clubhouses, resort and other physical attractions such as Wild Wild Wet. UPlay redefined its mission and broke through physical constraints by transforming Club into a phygital concierge of recreational experiences through partnerships and collaborations with service vendors. UPlay represents a shift from an asset-focused recreational model to one that is programme-based. This comprehensive approach allows Club to leverage on networks and broaden its reach and impact on workers’ wellbeing.

I am positive of the impact that UPlay can bring to the Labour Movement. It offers added value to unions and companies by supporting the recreational needs of their members and staff; it supports communities based on their members’ ages and interests; and leverages on technology for Club to better connect with members around the clock.

At the union and company level: More than 40 companies and unions have experienced and engaged UPlay. Working closely together, Club will structure and curate a wholesome calendar of events such as overseas team bonding trips to deepen engagement with their workers all year-round. Read some of the success stories in the main report.

At the community level: Our youth community, nEbO, has also been repurposed to support the larger agenda at NTUC to prepare our youths to be work ready. For active agers, engagement programmes such as wellness and tech literacy initiatives continue to enrich their lives. Even for migrant workers, Club has grown from providing recreation services at one centre in 2019 to four centres in August 2024. This underscores our dedication to improving the welfare and interest of every worker.

At the individual level: Programmes have been restructured to ensure Club’s continued relevance. Based on survey insights from members, Club has prioritised products and services such as travel, Esports, golf, F&B and attractions to cater to evolving preferences. In partnership with Scoot, Club launched exclusive and affordable air tickets for members in April 2024. Weekly Batam trip, Esports, golf activities continue to attract good participation.

Heading towards Better Sustainability

We have become increasingly mindful of sustainability concerns. In 2023, Club initiated its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) journey and established a task force to assess the impact on its operations. Some of our efforts included the installation of solar panels to offset our energy consumption, having light sensors to conserve energy and achieving BCA’s Green Mark accreditation for our buildings. While we recognise that it is a long journey ahead, it is crucial that we initiate immediate ESG-related changes and plan effectively for the future.

Looking Ahead

We recognise the importance of planning for the social needs of the next generation. In the immediate future, Club will continue to build on the initial success of UPlay to offer our members affordable and interesting leisure choices. For the longer term, we have started conversations with the relevant national agencies for sites to develop new social and recreational facilities. These plans include an integrated golf course with family-centric concepts, featuring cycling tracks, nature trails, and common spaces for picnics and performances. I am pleased that the government has, in principle, agreed to allocate land to the Labour Movement in the Greater Southern Waterfront development, which we have named the “Downtown South” project. This underlines our care for the well-being of our workers. While this is still in the master planning stage, I am confident that Club will undertake the role with innovation and the necessary capabilities.

Utmost Appreciation and Gratitude

With the support of our tripartite partners, I am confident that together, we can build a stronger future and continue to enhance the lives of NTUC members and their families. On behalf of Club, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all our unions, members of the Management Council, and Advisory Committees, for your unwavering commitment and support. Let us continue to build on your contributions and achievements, and I trust that this dedication will endure as we move forward together in the years ahead.

Thank you.
‍

Mr. Ng Chee Meng
Chairman

Looking back, NTUC Club made significant strides over the past four years. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, I am proud that we adapted swiftly to new ways of working while maintaining our focus on workers. When social distancing prevented physical gatherings and interactions, we leveraged on technology to sustain engagement and connections with members. This included various online programmes such as virtual sports challenges, dialogue sessions, music performances, and workshops.

In terms of financial performance, our income has grown by 25%, from $152.6 million to $191.1 million over the last four years, bolstered by improved performance across most business units post-COVID. Even business units that recorded deficits have begun to register net profits. This is despite the surge in utility costs due to the energy crisis since 2021.

Overall, I would say that the Club has performed reasonably well. We have witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in our transformation journey, navigating new challenges and making progress towards our strategic goals. We forged ahead with our plans to meet the changing demands of our members and workers in the digital era.

Reinventing to Stay Relevant

As COVID-19 receded, we embraced a new normal, redefining how we live, work, and play in a hybrid environment. This was the impetus for launching UPlay in 2023. As highlighted in Chairman’s message, UPlay underlines our transformation from a traditional asset-based organisation to one that is programme-based. This approach allowed us to expand on a wider spectrum of recreational options, which ranged from team bonding programmes to travel and attractions.

One core feature of UPlay includes a digital platform for organisations to customise offerings that cater to the preferences and needs of their members or staff. Working through unions and companies, these experiences can be extended to their workers to foster deeper engagement at a larger scale. Early success was achieved with close to 50 companies engaging UPlay services. Five organisations also signed long-term contracts, for a duration between one and three years, in the provision of a more structured and comprehensive employee engagement programme.

In the area of migrant workers, we have stepped up efforts to advance their welfare and social needs. Working alongside NTUC, Club presently manages three additional migrant worker recreation centres (RCs). New pilot concepts at the RCs will include leisure programmes, enrichment, and training workshops as well as an alfresco beer garden to enhance the suite of recreational options for migrant workers.

As I pen this message, it is bitter-sweet to bid farewell to Marina Bay Golf Course (MBGC) with its lease expiry in June 2024. We take heart that MBGC has enabled affordable golf to our workers for the last 18 years. Whilst the landscape of public golf would not be the same with the closure of MBGC, we continue to seek ways to address this social need. My Golf Kaki (MGK) is one core community that we have recently revamped to offer members greater access to local and overseas golf courses. MGK has since expanded its offerings and has grown to a membership size of 9,000. In the longer term, we hope that our discussions with national agencies for a new site will materialise.

Revitalising Our Physical Spaces

Keeping our facilities fresh and vibrant is another key focus area. We continuously upgrade and refresh our experiences at Downtown East to serve our members better. Recent upgrades include experience-based attractions like Gallop Stable, an eco-farm, and signature events all-year round. Our efforts are well received, as reflected in a high annual footfall of about 10 million visitors at Downtown East. This is alongside increased turnout at our events and higher utilisation of our facilities. Our integrated water park resort has also done us proud with awards and accolades, highlighting our commitment to provide quality experiences to excite members.

By early 2025, we can expect an expanded MICE facility that is 1.3 times its current size and equipped with high-tech audio and visual equipment. I am confident that this redevelopment will garner the limelight as it plays host to iconic events, concerts, large-scale conferences, and consumer shows.

Our country clubs have also undergone significant enhancements. At Orchid Country Club, we renovated our golf courses for elevated play experiences, while Aranda Country Club was revitalised to feature wellness and relaxational amenities. A new NTUC Club Clubhouse @ SingPost Centre, sprawling across 10,600 square feet, opened in 2022, featuring F&B outlets and other entertainment facilities.

Central to our Transformation is my People

As we progress with our transformation, it is important to uphold a motivated team culture to deliver results. We recognise the contributions and resilience of our staff who have helped pull Club through the pandemic. Our core values of Care, Passion, Trust, and Service have faithfully led us to where we are today. We will continue to stay nimble to embrace change.

Staff development also remains important, as we continue to build competencies in our journey forward. We empower and encourage our staff to think out of the box and experiment with new ideas. Growing together, we will leverage on our diverse strengths to envision new possibilities, conquer challenges, reflect, and refine our strategies.

With the support from the Labour Movement and our tripartite partners, we look forward to advancing the well-being and social welfare of our members and their families.


Mr. Lim Eng Lee
Chief Executive Officer