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Parents cry foul in basketball court booking tussle
Frustrated parents of basketball players are accusing a tutoring institution of blocking off public indoor courts in the Central and Western District and making it hard for others to book slots.
But officials of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department countered that they have not found any violation of booking rules for courts.
Among the parents of players, a reader of The Standard said the Hong Kong Basketball Academy had scheduled 240 classes totaling 350 hours from August to December. That left others challenged to find slots.
Currently, organizations can book LCSD indoor basketball courts three to 12 months in advance, while individuals can only make bookings on a first-come-first-served basis seven days at most in advance.
The LCSD told The Standard it is not a violation of booking rules for an individual member of an organization to make a booking for the group involved.
The department also said it has not received any bookings under the academy's name, suggesting individuals had booked court slots in Central and Western District in large numbers.
But it will step up its checks and "take appropriate punitive measures against any offenders if it identifies any violations."
Kowloon East constituency legislator Frankie Ngan Man-yu of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong agreed the academy did not appear to have violated booking rules, but he suggested authorities use a raffle system to plug any loophole.
"If you limit bookings to one person the organization will send 30 of its members to book courts," he said in pushing the idea of raffling slots.
Ngan claimed he had proposed the raffle system to the LCSD earlier without receiving a satisfactory response.
The managing director of the Hong Kong Basketball Academy, Richard Bradstreet, said the academy utilizes LCSD venues in accordance with its booking policies, adding that he recognizes the overwhelming need for basketball platforms and programs.
"I think the wider issue here is a severe lack of court space with an over-demand of kids who want to exercise and develop into healthy student athletes," he said.
"I believe a more productive conversation would examine how we can more quickly reopen several closed sports centers and continue expanding public and private facilities to a growing sports community."
The academy has 67 classes scheduled for October.
In May, the LCSD implemented measures to combat "queuing gangs" who made unauthorized transfers of booked sessions to different users.
That means a venue slot can only go to an individual who is listed on a booking approval letter.
Among the parents of players, a reader of The Standard said the Hong Kong Basketball Academy had scheduled 240 classes totaling 350 hours from August to December. That left others challenged to find slots.
Currently, organizations can book LCSD indoor basketball courts three to 12 months in advance, while individuals can only make bookings on a first-come-first-served basis seven days at most in advance.
The LCSD told The Standard it is not a violation of booking rules for an individual member of an organization to make a booking for the group involved.
The department also said it has not received any bookings under the academy's name, suggesting individuals had booked court slots in Central and Western District in large numbers.
But it will step up its checks and "take appropriate punitive measures against any offenders if it identifies any violations."
Kowloon East constituency legislator Frankie Ngan Man-yu of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong agreed the academy did not appear to have violated booking rules, but he suggested authorities use a raffle system to plug any loophole.
"If you limit bookings to one person the organization will send 30 of its members to book courts," he said in pushing the idea of raffling slots.
Ngan claimed he had proposed the raffle system to the LCSD earlier without receiving a satisfactory response.
The managing director of the Hong Kong Basketball Academy, Richard Bradstreet, said the academy utilizes LCSD venues in accordance with its booking policies, adding that he recognizes the overwhelming need for basketball platforms and programs.
"I think the wider issue here is a severe lack of court space with an over-demand of kids who want to exercise and develop into healthy student athletes," he said.
"I believe a more productive conversation would examine how we can more quickly reopen several closed sports centers and continue expanding public and private facilities to a growing sports community."
The academy has 67 classes scheduled for October.
In May, the LCSD implemented measures to combat "queuing gangs" who made unauthorized transfers of booked sessions to different users.
That means a venue slot can only go to an individual who is listed on a booking approval letter.
