New Sports Facility Booking Rules To Stop 'gangs'

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said on Thursday that new measures will be rolled out to combat "queuing gangs" at its sports and leisure facilities.

To address the problem of these professional queuers, no one will be allowed to book facilities on behalf of someone else by just presenting a copy of their ID card.

Those wanting to book the facilities will need to present their original identity documents.

To address strong demand for turf football pitches, the department is launching a pilot balloting scheme.

Sessions on the pitches will first be allocated by ballot – with leftover slots given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

A spokesman said they will continue to monitor the situation and introduce more anti-touting measures if needed.