Nothing beats being at the match itself, but if you can't, there is little to complain about watching it on a screen that is a swimming pool in length and three stories high.

Football-starved English Premier League fans in Singapore can catch, up close and "live" telecasts of selected EPL matches on the Singapore Turf Club Panasonic Astrovision screen at the Singapore Racecourse, from this Sunday.

The first match to be screened on Singapore's largest outdoor screen is the FA Community Shield match, the kick-off to the EPL season, on Aug 5 between Manchester United and Chelsea.

Besides the main screen, the action will also be shown on 20 TV screens at the lower grandstand at the racecourse at Kranji. Admission and parking is free and gates will open from 7pm. The "live" telecast will begin at 9.30pm, with the game kicking off at 10pm.

Fans must be aged 18 years and above, however.

Snacks and drinks will be sold and betting counters for the game will open from 9pm that evening until the game's 80th minute.

President and chief executive of the Singapore Turf Club, Mr Yu Pang Fey, said: "This is the first time we are trying this out and we hope that the response will be good. Should the screening be well-received, we will continue to provide this service beyond the one-month trial period."

Other scheduled matches for August:
Aug 12: Chelsea vs Birmingham, kick-off: 830pm
Aug 19: Man City vs Man Utd, kick-off: 830pm
Aug 25: Sunderland vs Liverpool, kick-off: 7.45pm

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