Football kicks off trials and drills at Kai Tak Sports Park

Henry Siu

The first trial match at the Kai Tak Sports Park will be held on Sunday, with a series of other trial matches and drills that include crowd-management exercises to follow before it officially opens in the first quarter of next year, says Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung.

Yeung yesterday said the first trial match will feature football and will have an estimated attendance of around 1,000 spectators.

The next trial match will feature rugby in November, followed by another event in the indoor sports venue in December, culminating in a trial match at the main stadium in January next year.

Additional drills, including crowd-management exercises, will also be held, with the total attendance for these drills expected to reach as many as 200,000 before the sports park officially opens.

"Through the trial matches and drills, we hope to achieve smooth operation in processes, including ticket sales, audience admission and ticket verification," Yeung said.

He added that supporting facilities have to be enhanced to make the sports park ideal to serve its culture and entertainment purposes. For example, malls and parks nearby should be able to offer catering services to spectators.

Authorities have also come up with plans to disperse audiences after major matches months ago, he said. For example, the government has thought about how to arrange travel for them to nearby Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi MTR stations and how the rail operator could cooperate with authorities, he said.

Yeung said authorities may also arrange buses to pick up children or elderly residents. Some spectators may even be taken to Diamond Hill or Choi Hung MTR stations.

He said the government will review the redevelopment of Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po, whose capacity is planned to be cut to 9,000 from 40,000 as the new 50,000-seat Kai Tak stadium comes into use.

However, as some event organizers are concerned about the capacity, authorities will now reconsider the redevelopment plan, he said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Football Association chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan said some matches of the East Asian Football Championships qualifiers, scheduled for December, will be played at the secondary stadium at the Kai Tak Sports Park.

Since Taiwan abandoned hosting, Hong Kong has taken over the qualifiers. Fok said the East Asian Football Federation has sent staff to the site and expressed satisfaction.

The association has set up a task force for the preparation, but the schedule and lottery have not been finalized. It is expected to be announced early next month.

"Hong Kong Stadium, Mong Kok Stadium, Siu Sai Wan and Kai Tak secondary stadium will be the venues. We hope fans have a new experience," he said.

henry.siu@singtaonewscorp.com