For Adam, participating in a grassroots league held in his neighbourhood over the weekend was a great excuse to play ball with his friends.
It was also a perfect opportunity for the 12-year-old to show his mates the new football boots he had bought for the tournament.
But for the local community, it was a different type of gathering – one that promised economic opportunities.
The income generation would begin days, or even weeks before the grassroots meet. Participants would have bought jerseys, shoes, and other sporting equipment.
On a typical match day, stalls would sell various foods and drinks – from nasi lemak to juices – and enjoy brisk business, thanks to a steady stream of patrons, comprising the participants and their family members.
After the league concludes, the many personnel involved – sports judges, officials, and other technical experts – would be paid a token for their services.
This describes just one league over one weekend.
Weekend leagues are now a thing, especially through the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Malaysia Little League (MLL) and Malaysia Sports League (MSL).
Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu’s stint as Youth and Sports minister may have been brief, but he immediately saw the potential of these leagues as a multiplier effect – and more importantly, the economic spin-offs – from these activities.
In the past, many saw these initiatives in a very traditional way. Grassroots sports was purely for developing talents, and nothing more. However, MLL and MSL were developed to break such stereotypical thinking.
However, the government can only do so much. The ultimate aim is for such leagues – created for the community – to be driven by the community. When that happens, more people will embrace and appreciate sports, turning their passion into a way of life.
Inculcating a healthy lifestyle is paramount in creating a productive society.
This comes as the Global Status Report on Physical Activity 2022, published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Oct 19, stated that almost 500 million people globally, will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes, or other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030.
The economic burden of physical inactivity is significant, and the cost of treating new cases of preventable NCDs will reach nearly US$300 billion by 2030, or around US$27 billion annually.
The report also revealed, among others, that less than 50 per cent of countries have a national physical activity policy, of which less than 40 per cent is operational, and only 30 per cent of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups.
As such, MLL and MSL are timely.
Ahmad Faizal, in a sports talk show aired in March, had stressed that grassroots development was the only way forward for Malaysian sports. He also envisioned sports to cut across all ministries and government agencies.
“In a bid to unearth more talents, we hope to get more Malaysians to be a part of the sporting culture. It’s to ensure that Malaysians continue to take good care of their health, and remain active, so that not much burden is put on our healthcare system,” he said during the talk show.
“This has to be done on a large scale, and InsyaAllah, this will strengthen our sporting industry. Imagine Malaysians on the fields or courts, playing a sport, every Saturday and Sunday. This will benefit so many parties, from manufacturers of apparel, to small vendors selling drinks, near the facilities.
“This will raise the standard of sports and generate income for so many people on so many levels,” he added.
If examined closely, the goal of such leagues goes beyond promoting the sports industry. It is a step towards creating a healthy and active Malaysia.
