Leisure and Cultural Services DepartmentLeisure and Cultural Services Department
Improvement measures to booking and use of recreation and sports facilities (Revised in December 2025)
(I) Cancellation of the Standby Arrangement
a) For Soccer Pitches
The standby arrangement for soccer pitches was cancelled on a trial basis from 18 June to 17 December 2013. During the trial period, the "no-show" rate of individual bookings for soccer pitches dropped significantly while there was no noticeable increase in the rate of soccer pitches being left unused. In view of these, the standby arrangement for soccer pitches has been formally cancelled with effect from 18 December 2013 after the end of the six-month trial period.
b) For Indoor Basketball Courts and Indoor Volleyball Courts
With effect from 30 December 2025, the standby arrangements will no longer be applicable to indoor basketball courts and volleyball courts.
(II) New Requirements for Booking and Using Indoor Basketball Courts and Indoor Volleyball Courts
With effect from 21 January 2026, when booking indoor basketball courts and volleyball courts through SmartPLAY, members of the public must provide the SmartPLAY user account numbers or aliases of two other users (Please visit the tutorial video of Update Friend List). One of the two users nominated in the application must check in together with the hirer (both of them must present the originals of their identity documents for identity verification and registration) and be present during the use of the booked session.
(III) Booking quota of leisure and sports facilities for individual users to be tightened (with effect from 3 April 2014 and 16 April 2022)
With effect from 3 April 2014, the booking quota of fee-charging facilities at peak hours for individual users is adjusted to a maximum of two hours per day for the same type of facility at all venues.
With effect from 16 April 2022, the booking quota of fee-charging facilities at non-peak hours for individual users is adjusted to a maximum of two hours play per day for the same type of facility at individual venues.
Facilities affected by the revised quota system include badminton courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, table tennis tables and activity rooms. Some examples of the same type of facility are listed as below:
- Activity Rooms: include activity rooms and dance rooms
- Snooker Tables: include American Pool tables
- Turf Pitches: include natural turf pitches and artificial turf pitches
- Rugby Pitches: include natural turf pitches and artificial turf pitches
Facilities that have spare capacity at peak and non-peak hours, such as squash courts, golf driving ranges, archery facilities and holiday camps will not be affected after the implementation of new quota arrangement.
(IV) Revised Penalty System for Block Booking by Organisations (With effect from 1 June 2014)
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has completed a review of the penalty system for bookings and use of land-based sports facilities by priority users in response to the recommendations made by the Ombudsman on improving the mechanism for leisure and sports facility bookings. "Conditions of Use of Recreation and Sports Facilities" have been revised to tighten the "no-show" penalty on organisation hirers. An organisation hirer who fails to take up its booked sessions on two occasions within 12 months will have its priority booking status suspended, as opposed to the current system whereby penalty will be imposed if "no-show" occurs on four occasions within 12 months. The revised penalty system was implemented with effect from 1 June 2014. Major points of the revised penalty system are as follows -
| (a) | Arrangement to issue Default Notice |
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If an organisation has committed serious breach such as failing to give satisfactory explanations to LCSD for not using the booked sessions without notification to LCSD for cancellation of the booked sessions 20 days before the day of use, the LCSD will immediately issue a Default Notice to the organisation. If the organisation has repeatedly breached in the same venue within 12 months counting from the issue date of the first Default Notice, the organisation will be issued with a second Default Notice and will then be penalised.
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| (b) | Penalty |
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If an organisation receives the second Default Notice, its priority booking status for the land-based facilities of the same district will be suspended for six months. The suspension will take effect as specified by LCSD which will generally be after 14 days from the date of second default notice. |
(V) Penalties on individual hirers in breach of the conditions of booking/ use of recreation and sports facilities (revised on 1 November 2022)
To reduce wasting resources as well as combat touting activities and misuse of facilities, penalties on individual hirers in breach of the new conditions of booking/ use of recreation and sports facilities were revised with effective from 1 November 2022 as follow:
| Items of Breach | Suspension of booking right of leisure facilities# |
|---|---|
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Hirer who:
on two occasions in any 60 consecutive days. |
90 days |
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Hirers engaged in unauthorised transfer or touting of user permits |
360 days |
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Non-eligible persons abuse the half-rate concessions offered to senior citizens, students and persons with disabilities to make bookings |
180 days |
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Hirers are found to have used the facilities together with partners not eligible for concessionary rates during the booked sessions(Note 2) |
90 days |
| Note 1: |
The number of occasions on which a hirer is found “not having taken up the booked recreation and sports facility without cancellation of the booking one day before the start of the booked session” on a particular day is counted on a day basis and regarded as one occasion of breach, regardless of the number of sessions involved. To avoid suspension of booking rights, hirers are advised to make cancellation as soon as they are aware that they cannot take up the booked session(s). SmartPLAY User can cancel the booking through the SmartPLAY System (including the internet booking service of the SmartPLAY system (smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk), the mobile application and smart self-service stations) one day before the start of the booked session. The hire charges paid for the bookings will not be refunded.
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| Note 2: |
If a non-eligible partner is found to have used a facility at concessionary rate, the hirer is liable to penalty for abuse of the concessionary arrangement.
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| #: |
including advance booking, on-the-spot-booking of facilities and free use of facilities (i.e. “stand-by” arrangement)
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(VI) Arrangement for "SmartPLAY" Service Counter Booking of Leisure Facility and Programme Enrolment
Identity Documents Required for
Booking Recreation and Sports Facilities,
Enrolment in Recreation and Sports Programmes
and Buying Swimming Pool Monthly Ticket
Identity Document (Original or Copy) Accepted at Booking Counter
| (1) Land-based venues, Facilities at Tuen Mun Recreation and Sports Centre, Water Sports Centres – Craft Identity Document (Original) Accepted at Booking Counter |
(2) Recreation and Sports Programmes, Swimming Pool Monthly Tickets, Camps, Water Sports Centres – Package Programmes Identity Document (Original or Copy) Accepted at Booking Counter |
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Hong Kong residents Hong Kong residents
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Hong Kong residents
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Non-Hong Kong residents
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Non-Hong Kong residents Valid travel documents (e.g. passports and Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao) (Non-Hong Kong residents holding valid travel documents wish to make enrolments through self-service channels (i.e. internet booking service of the SmartPLAY system (smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk), the mobile application and smart self-service stations) for the recreation and sports programme, they must apply for registration as a SmartPLAY Temporary Users in person at the Leisure Link Telephone Services Centre at the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building.) |
| * |
Hong Kong residents aged under 11 who are holders of Documents of Identity for Visa Purposes/Re-entry Permits/One-way Permits may book recreation and sports facilities or enrol in recreation and sports programmes at booking counters. If they wish to make bookings or enrolments through self-service channels (i.e. internet booking service of the SmartPLAY system (smartplay.lcsd.gov.hk), the mobile application and smart self-service stations), they must apply for registration as a SmartPLAY user in person at the SmartPLAY Services Centre at the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building.
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Identity Documents Required for Taking up Booked Facilities,
Attending Recreation and Sports Programmes
and Entering Swimming Pools by Monthly Ticket Holders
| (1) Land-based venues |
(2) Recreation and Sports Programmes, Camps, Facilities at Tuen Mun Recreation and Sports Centre, Water sports centres - craft and package programmes |
(3) Swimming Pool Monthly Ticket Scheme |
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Hong Kong residents
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Hong Kong residents
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Hong Kong residents
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Non-Hong Kong residents Original copy of valid travel document used at the time of booking |
Non-Hong Kong residents Original copy of valid travel document used at the time of booking or enrolment |
Non-Hong Kong residents Original copy of valid travel document used at buying swimming pool monthly ticket |