Holbæk Municipality and HallMonitor

Freed-up capacity and greater transparency

With HallMonitor, Holbæk Municipality has gained a precise picture of how their sports facilities are used – not just booked. This has enabled the identification of hidden capacity, especially during school hours, and created greater transparency for the benefit of both the municipality and the users.

Holbæk Municipality has 19 sports halls, 18 public schools, and 417 associations using the facilities. An analysis from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the facilities were only used two-thirds of the time, highlighting the need for optimisation. The collaboration with HallMonitor has provided the municipality with new opportunities to create transparency and free up unused time for new activities.

Solution

With HallMonitor’s activity measurements, sensors and cameras have been installed in sports halls as well as on padel and artificial turf pitches to measure usage precisely. This has allowed the municipality to identify the often significant gap between bookings and actual usage.

School hours: a hidden capacity

The analysis has enabled school sports to be adjusted to the actual need for physical education, resulting in 181 hours per week between 8:00 and 16:00 being freed up – equivalent to 36.5% of the total school allocation.

This released time has now made room for new activities in the halls, such as private providers and local associations.

Key insights

An important discovery was the 30% gap between booked and used time. This has been a decisive factor in optimising hall usage and aligning it with actual needs. There is now better opportunity for dialogue with associations, and hall boards are better able to adjust based on measured activity. For example, the Krolf association in Merløse can now use hall time in the mornings, which was previously wasted.

181 school hours per week freed up and now used for new activities

A 30% gap between booking and use provided key insight into unused capacity

Associations now adjust requests based on actual activity

Created room for new activities and users

“An important discovery was the 30% gap between booked and used time. This has been a decisive factor in optimising hall time and matching it to actual needs.”

– Hans Henrik Nielsen, Culture and Leisure Secretariat, Holbæk Municipality

Results

The activity measurements have created significant value for both the municipality and users of the facilities. The freed-up school hours have increased flexibility and made room for more new activities. At the same time, the overall utilisation of the halls has improved, as unused bookings are now more frequently identified and made available to other users. The data is also publicly available on the municipality’s website, creating a higher degree of transparency and satisfaction among associations and citizens.

Looking ahead

With an expected population increase of 3,500 residents by 2035, the demand for sports facilities will grow. This is why data will be a central part of future strategies to optimise operations and provide a better basis for comparing and evaluating decisions about new facility construction. With a focus on sustainability, it is important to make the most of existing spaces and community hubs before building new ones.

Summary

The collaboration with HallMonitor has enabled Holbæk Municipality to make much better use of its sports facilities. Freed-up time from school sports and increased transparency in the use of halls have had a positive effect for both the municipality and the users. With ongoing activity measurement, the municipality is well equipped to meet future needs for efficient and sustainable facility management.

About Holbæk Municipality

Holbæk Municipality is located in northwest Zealand and includes both urban and rural areas. The municipality has 19 sports halls and 417 associations, which—together with schools and private providers—use the facilities year-round. Holbæk actively works to optimise the use of its facilities and incorporate data into decisions to ensure that both current and future residents get the most value from existing infrastructure.