Malaysia youth development: 'Not just competing with Australia anymore'

Malaysia Flag. Photo: CGInspiration via Getty

There is a rich history of football in one of Southeast Asia’s leading football powers with the Malaysia Cup celebrating its centenary next year. There is also a bright future.

Former Australia international Alistair
Edwards was a little less surprised than most. The one-time Socceroos striker played for a number of clubs in Malaysia and has been the technical director of the country’s leading team Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) since 2016.

“The future is bright,” Edwards told The World Game. “I watch a lot of football and 10-15 years ago, you wouldn’t expect Malaysia to compete against Australia but now they are not just competing but are getting good results.”

It hasn’t come out of nowhere. The raw materials in Malaysia have always been there, but these days it is supplemented by an increasingly healthy youth development system.

“There is an amazing number of talented players here. We play tournaments in China, Japan, Thailand and we go and play extremely well.

"These kids grew up playing in the kampongs [villages] and have natural ability and incredible skill. With the structure in place they can go and show what they can do and it is great to watch.”

There are some advantages that Malaysian youngsters have over their Australian counterparts: “There is no payment at all, apart from a few private academies.

"When the young players come to us, they don’t pay a cent - the food, lodging and transport are all covered.

"Paying to play football wouldn’t gain traction in Malaysia. There are no barriers to play football.

“This team focuses on developing young players and giving them a chance to play competitively.”

This is a weakness in Malaysia: “There is still not a fully developed national competition for kids. Some states don’t have proper academies and we are trying to get a system where young players can get 30 games a season. We have an advantage as we are close to Singapore and can arrange games there.”