Hidden capacity during school hours: Are Frederiksberg Municipality's sports halls really as fully booked as they seem?

Frederiksberg Municipality faces a familiar but often overlooked challenge: many of the municipality’s sports halls remain empty during school hours, despite being booked. This not only incurs costs but also wastes valuable square footage, energy, and potential for physical activity.

Danish Tal & Viden (Numbers & Knowledge) has reported on a study that highlights the issue: In his thesis at SDU, Mark Østergaard examined the sports facilities in Frederiksberg Municipality and found a discrepancy between bookings and actual attendance.

The problem – which is not unique to Frederiksberg – can be addressed with precise data and technology.

Why are the sports halls empty during school hours?

Mark Østergaard’s thesis reveals that many halls in Frederiksberg Municipality remain unused for a significant portion of the school day, even though they appear to be booked. While schools have booked between 75 and 100% of the capacity, the facilities remain unoccupied for around half of the school day.

According to the study, this is partly due to a lack of incentives to cancel bookings. Schools face no consequences if they do not show up, even if they have booked the facilities. Additionally, some school leaders were unaware that others could use the time slots if they cancelled.

How can HallMonitor help?

The discrepancy between bookings and actual usage can be effectively addressed using technology. HallMonitor offers a data-driven system that measures and documents the actual use of sports facilities in real-time.

By installing sensors in the halls, objective and accurate overview of when the facilities are actually in use is created. This data provides municipalities, schools, and sports organisations with a solid basis for making decisions to optimise capacity – ensuring that the many resources behind sports facilities are used in the best possible way.

Benefits of HallMonitor:

Insight into actual usage: HallMonitor tracks activity in the sports halls and provides insights into how the facilities are actually used throughout the day.
Optimisation of facility use: Based on activity data, it ensures that facilities are used at times when there is demand.
More availability for schools and clubs: When unused bookings are identified and released, others can gain access.
Avoid wasted resources: HallMonitor helps reduce wasted resources, such as heating empty halls, and supports the municipality’s sustainability goals.

A concrete example of data-driven change

In collaboration with Frederiksberg Sports Union and Mark Østergaard, HallMonitor has already helped identify that some sports halls are almost fully utilised in the afternoon but often remain empty during the so-called “school hours”. This provides a clear indication that better use of the facilities is needed.

From unused slots to active usage

Optimising sports facilities is not just about efficient operations. It’s also about giving more people access to community, movement, and well-being. By ensuring that municipal halls are actively used during all opening hours, we simultaneously increase the value of existing facilities and promote a more sustainable use of public resources.

HallMonitor is a useful tool for understanding and optimising the use of sports facilities. By using data, we can ensure that Frederiksberg Municipality’s halls are not empty during school hours, and that resources are optimally utilised.

Read more about the study at Tal & Viden (Numbers & Knowledge) in Danish: Speciale forklarer, hvorfor idrætshaller på Frederiksberg står tomme i skoletiden

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