I have been a regular at the Hong Kong Sevens ever since the inaugural event in 1976. Last month’s tournament at Kai Tak Sports Park was my fourth different venue. I still remember that afternoon almost a half-century ago, walking down from my Happy Valley flat to the old Hong Kong Football Club stadium on Sports Road at the suggestion of a neighbour to watch the matches being played. I was immediately hooked and have attended every year since, pandemics permitting. Not surprisingly as it grew in popularity, the tournament outgrew the Football Club ground and moved to the old Government Stadium in So Kon Po. Even that proved insufficient after a few years and a new one had to be built in situ. Dragages designed and built a fine 40,000-seater. That did us proud for many years, but the world moved on and, eventually, so did we. The first thing to strike me about the new facility is the sheer beauty of the structure in engineering terms. Walking in for the first time on the opening Friday night I gasped out loud – it is breathtaking. It makes a bold statement: Welcome to Hong Kong, a world-class city equipped with a world-class venue to stage world-class events. During the long weekend, I tried out different locations to check the experience from a spectator’s perspective. Every angle I tested had an excellent, unobstructed view of the action on the pitch. The grass looked pristine and held up well over the course of many matches. The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric, the crowd knowledgeable and vocal. There were sufficient food outlets and toilets, so from a physical perspective the hardware was fine. As has been documented elsewhere, the problem was with the software. Having enough washbasins is fine, but soap dispensers need refilling. Having enough cubicles is fine, but toilet rolls need replacing when empty. Wet floors need to be constantly mopped. Food outlets ran out and had to be restocked, which took time. The drink outlets periodically ran dry and had to be replenished. Incredible as it may sound, a sporting event famous for alcohol consumption which has been sponsored by a famous brewery from time to time temporarily ran out of beer. The speed of service was glacial. People will forgive some shortcomings when a new venue is used for the first time. However, they will not be as patient in the future if the organisers fail to learn their lessons. All these management issues must be sorted out before the next big events. In the run-up to the stadium’s opening, we were frequently regaled by government officials telling us about stress tests. In fairness, movement to and from the stadium on foot was handled well. The MTR coped as well as could be expected given the numbers involved, but the internal service issues were obviously not sufficiently stretched. The next big tests will be the Coldplay, Nicholas Tse and Jay Chou concerts, and once the standard is set these will no doubt be followed by others. In the summer, four big European football teams – Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and AC Milan – will play against each other. That is good, but the format could be even better in future years. For instance, it could feature two traditional English rivals and two from another European league, such as the two Milan clubs or Real Madrid and Barcelona. The English rivals could play on the first day, the European rivals on the second, then a rest day. The two losers would play on the fourth day and the winners on the fifth. Four world-class matches in five days – better put the brewery on double shift. We know the rugby sevens works as a big draw, but how about the traditional 15-a-side game? The idea of a New Zealand vs Australia match has already been floated. That would be great, but could we also add a Hong Kong fixture every time the British and Irish Lions are en route to the Southern Hemisphere? I am sure Japan or South Korea would be delighted to field a team, and maybe both. Someone has suggested Hong Kong could stage a US-type NFL game with two top teams crossing the Pacific to play American football here. A novelty fixture like that should draw a decent crowd. If one of the sides was the Kansas City Chiefs, maybe the tight end Travis Kelce would bring his girlfriend Taylor Swift. Are there enough Australians in the region to support an Aussie Rules football game? Perhaps we should find out. Once we put on our collective thinking caps, there are no limits and ideas will start pouring in. Others will have suggestions and ideas about how to improve mine. I have deliberately stayed focused on the new stadium at Kai Tak because it is such a wonderful addition to our armoury. One final comment is to repeat a plea about dropping our hyperbole and restraining our terminology. Spurs play Arsenal twice every season, and the UK has 10 top matches every weekend. I have yet to hear a single British sporting minister use the term “mega-event”. Let’s just stage incredible sporting fixtures, which we know how to do, and let the results speak for themselves.