**********************************
Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (June 1):
Question:
During a visit to Hong Kong in August 2013, a delegation from the Asian Football Confederation (the delegation) inspected four soccer pitches in the territory, namely the Hong Kong Stadium (HKS), Mong Kok Stadium, Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground and Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, to examine if these venues met the conditions for staging matches of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. It was reported that after inspection, the delegation pointed out that, among the four pitches, only HKS met the conditions for staging such matches, but the turf quality of HKS was in need of improvement. As for the remaining three venues, they did not meet the conditions due to their insufficient facilities, lighting and seating capacity, etc. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has, in the light of the aforesaid comments by the delegation, carried out improvement works for the soccer pitches in the territory, in the hope that there will be more venues in Hong Kong that meet the conditions for staging international soccer matches; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether the authorities have, upon the completion of turf pitch reconstruction works for HKS in July last year, conducted regular inspections and tests on the turf quality; if they have, of the details of the mechanism and the manpower involved; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) of the mechanism that the authorities have put in place to manage and maintain the turf quality of those soccer pitches, other than HKS, designated for holding matches of the Hong Kong Premier League (HKPL), so as to minimise the likelihood of soccer players sustaining injuries, as well as the details of such mechanism and the manpower involved; and
(4) whether the authorities have established any mechanism for holding regular discussions with representatives of the Hong Kong Football Association and the HKPL participating teams on issues relating to the facilities, turf maintenance and renting of various venues, to ensure that these venues meet the needs and standards of HKPL; if they have, of the details of such mechanism; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Kenneth Leung is as follows:
(1) The delegation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) visited the Hong Kong Stadium (HKS), Mong Kok Stadium (MKS), Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground (SSWSG) and Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground (TKOSG) in 2013. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) made appropriate improvements in the light of AFC's recommendations, including installing Wi-Fi facilities and enhancing the media and broadcasting facilities at MKS, and raising the illuminance level of the floodlights at SSWSG from 750 lux to not less than 1 200 lux. Following the completion of the HKS Turf Pitch Reconstruction Project in 2015, the HKS is now compliant with the requirements of the AFC for hosting matches at various levels of the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup. MKS and SSWSG, on the other hand, are ready to host the group stage matches and semi-finals of the two AFC events mentioned above. The current seating capacity of TKOSG is just over 3 000, which falls short of the AFC's requirement of a seating capacity of not less than 5 000. The LCSD will continue to liaise closely with the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) and take into account the requirements of the AFC when planning new venues or redevelop existing venues with a view to providing more venues suitable for staging international football matches.
(2) The LCSD set up an Expert Group on the Hong Kong Stadium Turf Pitch in 2013 to offer advice on the improvement measures to enhance the quality of the turf pitch. The LCSD also established the Sports Turf Management Section in May 2014 to offer professional advice and technical support for the natural turf pitches managed by the LCSD, in particular the HKS and other pitches designated for the Hong Kong Premier League (HKPL). The section is also tasked with facilitating the sharing and transfer of knowledge and experience, as well as strengthening staff training. It was closely involved in and supported the HKS turf reconstruction project in 2015 with a view to offering comprehensive and proper professional advice and technical support for the HKS in the future.
The LCSD has taken the following measures to further improve the management of the HKS turf pitch:
(a) a six-man team, members of which have either received horticulture training or attended professional training courses on turf maintenance, is directly responsible for the turf maintenance. Routine maintenance of the turf is supervised by two officers who possess professional qualifications in turf maintenance and management;
(b) in the course of the reconstruction project, the LCSD arranged training by expert consultants for staff responsible for turf maintenance to enhance their knowledge in specific areas. Since the completion of the project, HKS staff continued to follow the professional procedures and guidelines advised by the expert consultants in carrying out routine turf maintenance work to upkeep the turf quality;
(c) the LCSD has made available advanced technology and ancillary facilities to HKS, such as growth lights and ventilating fans for turf, and employed more ground workers for the maintenance work; and
(d) in scheduling activities and events, the LCSD will discuss with hirers the scheduling and frequency of activities and the conditions of use of the venue with a view to striking a better balance between maintaining the turf quality and meeting user demand, as well as to avoid causing excessive damage to the turf or compromising the turf maintenance work.
(3) To enhance the quality of its natural turf pitches designated for holding HKPL matches and provide players with safe venues, the LCSD has strengthened its turf management and maintenance. The key measures that were implemented in recent years include the following:
(a) set up a specialised Sports Turf Management Section in 2014 to offer professional advice and technical support for the management and maintenance of all natural turf pitches;
(b) restrict the numbers of sessions available for hire on the natural turf pitches designated for holding HKPL matches since September 2015, under which no more than 28 sessions per month and two sessions per day are made available in order to achieve a stricter control over the use of the pitches;
(c) close the football pitches three days prior to HKPL matches for enhanced turf maintenance;
(d) provide more in-depth training on turf management and maintenance to LCSD staff on an on-going basis to enhance their expertise and knowledge in the field; and
(e) procure more advanced equipment and tools and engage more skilled workers to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the maintenance of the turf pitches.
(4) The LCSD and HKFA conduct meetings before the start of every football season to review the conditions of the venues for holding HKPL matches, including venue facilities, turf maintenance and operational arrangements during the matches so as to improve the provision of venues for staging soccer matches at the professional league and international levels. Moreover, the LCSD also discusses with the HKFA the facilities and the operational arrangements before and after each match.
Ends/Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:35
NNNN