Hong Kong Bulls may be step closer to CBA league after Kai Tak lined up to host games

The Hong Kong Bulls could move one step closer to making it to the Chinese Basketball Association’s elite league after the city’s government said slots had been identified at Kai Tak Arena between 2026 and 2027 to host their home games.\nA spokeswoman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) confirmed it had been in touch with the Bulls regarding the venue arrangements for the 2026-27 CBA season, and had facilitated the Bulls’ discussion with the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (KTSPL).\n“Both CSTB and KTSPL support HK Bulls for using KTA as its home venue,” said the bureau spokeswoman. “KTSPL has successfully identified around 12 slots between October 2026 and March 2027.”\nThe 12 available slots coincide with only four or five matches during the regular season, according to team sources. In the past two seasons, a CBA team had to play 23 and 26 games at home.\nThe shortage of basketball courts eligible to host Fiba’s elite-level competitions in Hong Kong could be seen as an obstacle to the city’s determination to develop the sport locally. In September, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced they were to pump HK$3 billion (US$384.6 million) into the sport in the city over the next three years.\nSenior Bulls officials said a home base and a home court remained “the most basic” needs of a professional team, and that the team were willing to build one.\n\n“We understand that land is extremely valuable in Hong Kong and we are not demanding a base in a bustling and prosperous urban area,” Leo Sun Xinwei, general manager of the Bulls, said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s far away, such as the Northern Metropolis.\n“A large sports complex in the newly built area would also greatly benefit the development of other businesses in the region.\n“We could also build our own venue, either run it jointly with another company or by ourselves.”\nSeparately, a source told the Post that the Bulls could be “one of the two specially invited teams” expected to join CBA’s expansion next year.\nWith the competition being run by the CBA League company until 2027, the “special invitation” means “[new] teams won’t earn the league’s profit sharing”, a source said, and “they’ll be taking part for free”.\n“So in next season, the expansion will not affect the dividends of the 20 teams currently in the league.”\nHowever, aside from the CBA status issue, there are far more pressing matters for the Bulls to deal with, as the reigning two-time champions remain in limbo over their home court arrangements for the coming season.\nThe Leisure and Cultural Services Department could allocate only two days a month – at Tsuen Wan Sports Centre – for the Hong Kong-based team during the regular season between December and March, a figure that falls short of covering even one-third of the Bulls’ 13 home fixtures.\nA team source also revealed that the arena had requested the venue be cleared by 11pm because staff “need to get off work”, and failing to comply might affect any future bookings.\nOne match in January – against Changsha Yongsheng – will be held at Kai Tak Arena, but there are eight more matches to arrange.\nAnother existing arena, Southorn Stadium – which the Bulls used heavily in their first three seasons in the second-tier league in China – was out of the equation as it “no longer meets the standards” of Fiba for elite-level competitions, according to team officials.\nLCSD said Southorn “had accepted their improvement works recommendations” to achieve the relevant standards. The Post has reached out to Southorn Stadium.\n“Professional teams need to adapt to the [court situation],” said Sun. “It looks like more than half of this season will be spent in Shenzhen.\n“Our first match of the season, which is also the ring ceremony to celebrate our championship-winning season, now has to be held as an away game because there was no available venue in Hong Kong.”\nFormerly a CBA team executive, Sun added that Kai Tak always welcomed having a professional team at their arena, but were facing difficulties in accommodating all the bookings.\n“It might not be ideal to immediately position the Coliseum as an entertainment-purpose arena as soon as Kai Tak was opened,” he said. “That left Kai Tak with some hefty requests to fulfil.”\nThe new NBL season will see 14 teams playing one another during the regular season from December 20 to March 21. The play-offs are expected to commence for just over a month, from March 24.\n