Dear Fellow Old Boys,
A lot of you are aware that the School has closed the running track and soccer pitch for renovation works since 16th May 2009 and these facilities will remain closed until further notice.
The running track and soccer pitch were last resurfaced over a decade ago. After more than 10 years of heavy use, both the track and artificial turf are in dire conditions and urgent need for repairs or replacement. For the pitch, regular wear and tear has greatly reduced the “pile height” and hence the shock absorption capability of the turf. A more alarming and thus urgent problem is the “delaminating” of the turf at the seams (where rolls of turf are jointed together) especially around line markings. Football players, the most frequent users of the pitch, are extremely prone to injuries because of this “de-lamination” problem. The track (including that used for long jumps) is suffering from the same problems although to a much lesser extent. Pockets of “de-lamination” or “bubbles” can be found around the track and layer thickness reduced from regular use.
The School decided last year to look into the feasibility of repairing or resurfacing these facilities. Under the guidance of Nicholas Ng (65), the Alternate School Supervisor, the OBA and Old Boys community were intensively involved in the Working Group preparing the feasibility study and in the subsequent Steering Committee chaired by Pau Siu Hung (60). Months of work, including site inspection, facility visits, consultation meetings with the Sports Master and PE teachers, accumulated in the recommendation proposal by the steering committee. Tendering procedures followed and the works contract was subsequently awarded last month. Moreover, at the invitation of the School, a group of Old Boys who have been working closely with the School’s sports teams and student athletes, presented comments and suggestions for improving these facilities including ideas to better utilize the grounds for specialized training (for field events, goalkeepers’ training etc.), improve safety & maintenance etc. All in all, ten concrete suggestions were offered. The ideas were well received by the school administration and will be carefully considered for implementation. The OBA has been supportive to these Old Boys and we also offer our thanks to them for their time and effort. A Sports Development Fund has been set up in the OBA since a few years ago to support hardware improvement and development programs in the School and for the student athletes. Any Old Boy who wishes to contribute, financial or otherwise (training, sports medicine, physiotherapy etc.), in this area are welcome to contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].
Both the running track and soccer pitch will be fully resurfaced; the track with an IFFA approved EDPM layer and for the pitch, a FIFA approved “4th generation” (4G) artificial turf was chosen by the School. This 4G turf is a first for Hong Kong, if not Asia and upon completion of the renovation project, the students will have first class facilities to train in and improve their skills to hopefully reclaim our rightful place, meaning champions, in the inter-school sports arenas!
Sincerely,
Charles K. Chan
President