For a 10-year-old, Lisa (not her real name) shows immense potential on the pitch.
Lisa plays for her neighbourhood club in a grassroots football league, and her exploits have caught the attention of rival clubs.
A coach from a rival team has been coaxing Lisa to play for him. Another team manager of a different club approached Lisa’s parents, telling them that she would have a better future if she played for an all-star, winning team.
Lisa said the only reason why she joined the league was to have fun – and by having fun, she is confident enough to waltz gracefully with the ball on the field, going past her opponents, and scoring a goal or two, in almost every game.
But now she is getting tired of the constant text messages from rival clubs wanting her to play for them.
Such a scene is often seen in Malaysia and beyond.
“This has been a hot topic, even before the start of Liga SupaRimau,” said Cameron Ng, the FA of Malaysia’s head of grassroots.
“From my days working in another grassroots league 10 years ago… and this has been happening for years. ‘Team Collect’ and ‘Team Menang’ are the terms that are mentioned in grassroots football,” he added.
Ng said the grassroots unit encourages football for fun and development, and that winning should not be at the expense of these.
“While we do not condone or agree with it, at the end of the day, it’s the parents who decide on who they want to pay to train their children, just like if they were to send their children for tuition.”
On calls to safeguard the welfare of the young players, Ng said: “FAM has been proactive in this aspect and have included a ‘Child Safeguarding’ module in our grassroots, and D coaching certifications since 2018.”
“In the grassroots coaching course, we include an example of a Code of Conduct, which we recommend clubs adopt. This sample code of conduct is for coaches, players, and parents.”
He added FAM has also been working on a Child Safeguarding policy since the start of the year, in line with the Asian Football Confederation’s requirements,
“We are looking forward to integrating the Safe Sport Act into this policy. We have also been in touch with Safe Sport Malaysia and are hoping to find ways to collaborate in ensuring football stays safe for all.”
Ng acknowledged that some team officials take it a little too far by belittling, or bad-mouthing their peers during competition, setting a wrong example for the children.
“Yes, we have received complaints, and this is a football problem worldwide. Overcoming this will be through the education of coaches. We try to encourage best practices through our sample code of conduct that we provide,” Ng added.
However, these issues have not derailed the sport at the lowest levels, evident in FAM’s Liga SupaRimau – a nationwide youth football league for those aged six to 16.
The league was launched in 2021. There are two seasons per year.
“Liga SupaRimau is growing from strength to strength, every season, since we started. Of course, we have had teething problems, as we returned to sports after the (Covid-19) pandemic. But we are overcoming these issues.
“It’s great to see children back playing the game, as well as their families coming out to support the league. I would describe Liga SupaRimau as a great opportunity to reset our grassroots football for our Malaysian footballing future.
Ng added FAM was “always getting enquiries” from community clubs and academies to join the league. The national body wants as many teams to join as possible.
“It’s important for us to make sure that this is a nationwide initiative, and while we want to have the league in every state, we also don’t want to expand too fast and not provide the best experience for the teams and players. We hope to have a Liga SupaRimau in every state by next year,” he said.
