Playing surface woes intensifies demand for new Hong Kong Stadium

Hong Kong authorities are apparently embarrassed over the poor state of the playing surface at the Hong Kong (So Kon Po) Stadium during the recent Barclays Asia Trophy and at Manchester United having cancelled their public training session at the Stadium today (Sunday 28th July).

Incessant rain made the surface at the Hong Kong Stadium treacherous during the recent Barclays Asia Trophy, leading some media outlets to describe the surface as a "killer pitch". As a result, English Premier League officials enlisted the expertise of Tottenham Hotspurs head groundsman, Darren Baldwin, who was travelling with the English club, in efforts to make the pitch playable during the final round of Barclays Asia Trophy games on Friday (26th July).

While Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore tried to defuse the situation with comments that a few games in the English competition's last season had been played in similar conditions, the spectacle of the poor playing surface was an embarrassment to Hong Kong authorities and the Premier League as well as being a disappointment for the legions local fans.

The playing surface at the Hong Kong Stadium has long been problematic, going back to its opening in the mid 1990s, but with Hong Kong trying to develop itself as an Asian sporting centre, local commentators have highlighted that recent events underline the need for Hong Kong Hong's planned new stadium on the former airport site at Kai Tek.

Hong Kong Football Association Chief Executive Mark Sutcliffe has called for work on the new facility to be expedited, stating "it goes without saying a modern state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof would have prevented some of the problems.

"In an open stadium, playing matches at this time of year in Hong Kong will always be a risk and potentially problematic.

"If Hong Kong is to remain competitive in terms of attracting this type of event then a new stadium is essential."

Planned to open in 2019, the new HK$19 billion (US$2.44 billion) Kai Tak sports complex will include a 40-50,000 seat stadium with a retractable roof. When the new stadium is built, the Hong Kong Stadium will be turned into a 10,000 capacity district sports arena.

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