Make full use of Jockey Club experts to solve sport stadiums' turf problems

Before too long fans may come to agree that one of the best things that ever happened in Hong Kong sport was the total reconstruction of the much-maligned Hong Kong stadium pitch, and that the smartest thing was to involve the Jockey Club in a key role, sharing its expertise and experience in laying turf tracks. The club's racing venues are, after all, known for the resilience of their tracks to inclement weather. Moreover, the Jockey Club Charities Trust has agreed to fully finance the HK$31 million project. The sporting community will therefore see a tangible benefit from funds generated by levies on gambling, including betting on overseas football games.

It was one of the worst things to have happened in Hong Kong sport that prompted the reconstruction, scheduled for April-September next year after the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. This was the fiasco of the Barclays Asia Trophy football tournament in July last year featuring appearances by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, which did nothing for Hong Kong's claim to be "Asia's world city".

It was marred by an unstable patchwork of grass and sand following bad weather and heavy use. Some games came within minutes of being abandoned and, when a Spurs star was injured after slipping, English media dubbed it a "killer pitch". But it took more than bad weather to give the pitch a reputation for poor drainage. For example, in an Australia-New Zealand rugby match a few years before players slipped over unaccountably in seemingly ideal conditions.

The stadium pitch has been controversial almost since the venue reopened in 1994. The city is ideally placed to be an Asian sporting hub. A state-of-the-art stadium with an all-weather roof is planned for the Kai Tak sports hub, but delays have set back the opening to at least 2019. Meanwhile, competition to host big sporting events in the region is fierce. If Hong Kong is to be competitive, the government has to ensure facilities are professionally run. It should consider a continuing role for the Jockey Club in turf management.