Shenzhen Sports Center Stadium

Being a key venue of the 15th National Games, Shenzhen Sports Center was upgraded  and reopened to the public in May 2025 after a five-year renovation. Featuring four major sports zones, football, basketball, badminton, and tennis, the stadium is open for public booking and offers time-based discounts.

Built in 1985, the Shenzhen Sports Center has long been a cornerstone of the city's sports and entertainment scene. It includes a gymnasium, a stadium, a swimming and diving complex, a badminton and tennis center, and other public facilities.

Shenzhen's "home ground" gets a makeover to welcome the Greater Bay Area National Games, photo by Xinhua

After the renovation, the Shenzhen Sports Center stadium has been upgraded from a 32,000-seat comprehensive facility to a professional soccer field with a maximum capacity of 45,000 spectators. The venue now features 16,000 seats, including retractable seats, lower-tier stands, accessible seats, and companion seats.

Additionally, it has been the first professional soccer field in Shenzhen that meets the standards for hosting international Class A soccer matches, the highest level of official international soccer competition. 

The professional football stadium (left) and retractable-roof stadium at Shenzhen Sports Center, photo by Xinhua

Smart technology adopted to improve sport experience

The Shenzhen Sports Center Stadium integrates smart technology, with innovative designs matching top-tier Premier League standards. It features intelligent climate control and a 3D drainage system, ensuring the field is playable within 20 minutes after heavy rain and minimizing weather disruptions.

Interior view of Shenzhen Sports Center Stadium, photo provided by Xinhua

In addition, the stadium is multifunctional design facilitates seamless transitions between basketball, badminton, tennis, and ice hockey, as well as cultural showcases. It is a premier ice hockey venue, being the first in South China to implement CO2-based ice-making technology. This system provides precise temperature control, superior ice quality, and high ice-making efficiency, allowing for rapid conversion from ice to basketball within hours. 

Its soccer field boasts a specialized lighting system that supports turf growth day or night, paired with a subsurface ventilation system. This dual-function system blows cool air through pre-installed pipes to prevent root rot and suction moisture during heavy rain, using negative pressure to quickly drain excess water beyond the drainage system's capacity.

Shenzhen Sports Center Stadium, photo provided by Nanfang Daily

In addition, the Shenzhen Sports Center has renovated sections of its natatorium and tennis/badminton complex, added second-floor connecting walkways, and introduced new facilities including a sports museum, a sports-themed hotel, a main media center, commercial services, and underground parking—all part of a future-oriented vision to build a vibrant, multi-functional urban sports hub.

For visitors, the stadium combines AR, Bluetooth beacons, and GIS mapping to deliver an immersive, smart navigation experience. A 4-screen UHD display (141 sqm each) captures every match detail with crystal clarity.

Beyond event hosting, it has also upgraded public fitness services by installing a smart perimeter running track around the stadium and gymnasium, alongside trendy sports zones, including a football park, basketball park, tennis park, and skatepark.

Adding convenience, 594 of its 1,093 restroom stalls are gender-neutral, adaptable to real-time demand.

The Shenzhen Sports Center has been designated as a key venue in the 15th National Games, which will be jointly hosted by Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao in 2025. Various competitions will take place at the center, including badminton, men's soccer (U20 and U18), archery, and darts. 

Metro：

Line 14: Huangmugang Station (黄木岗站), Exit 8A

Line 6：Sports Center Station (体育中心站), Exit B; or Bagualing Station (八卦岭站), Exit G2

‌Line 7‌：Huangmugang (黄木岗站), Exit 8A; or Bagualing Station (八卦岭站), Exit G2

Reported by Zhang Shujing

Edited by Yin Juewen