Sports & Fitness

Building a legacy for the ages

While others have been short-sighted with their immediate pursuit of success, JDT has invested in its longevity

Updated 3 years ago · Published on 07 Jan 2021 12:00PM

Building a legacy for the ages
The Southern Tigers continue to set benchmarks in Malaysian football. - Pic courtesy of The Southern Tigers, January 7, 2021

by Vijhay Vick

Contentment is a word Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) has never been familiar with, and presumably, never will, if their present ethos reflects their future endeavours.

For the Southern Tigers, it's never about what the club has accomplished, but what it intends to accomplish down the road. 

‘What are we going to do today and where do we want to be tomorrow?’ is the standard approach taken by club owner, HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor. 

Pic courtesy of The Southern Tigers
Pic courtesy of The Southern Tigers

Although we constantly harp about the club's achievements, we are not interested to walk down memory lane or switch to the History Channel for inconsequential accomplishments in modern football. 

We continue to set benchmarks in Malaysian football — some never thought possible until JDT changed the landscape — and certain competitors could do with a reminder of just how far ahead we are on and off the pitch.

You don't see Aston Villa trying to dethrone Liverpool, do you?

When HRH Tunku Ismail took the helm of Johor football, no one could have predicted the future success of The Southern Tigers.

What initially seemed like an enthusiastic football fan playing football manager, with a long-term vision of signing up the country's top players, has turned into a legacy.

Dominating Malaysian football for seven straight Malaysia Super League titles, the first East Asian side to lift the AFC Cup, eight domestic Cups, world-class facilities, such as the JDT Training Centre and the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium … the list grows year in, year out.

One fine example of the club's vision to simultaneously build for today and tomorrow is the construction of a rehabilitation centre with further upgrades at the current training centre despite finalising plans to construct a new centre adjacent to the stadium for both juniors and seniors.

Whilst pursuing success at the highest levels, JDT’s long-standing investment in development has reaped rewards in the form of 10 age-group trophies in 2018 & 2019, with the cancellation of competitions in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

JDT Academy graduates Ramadhan Saifullah and Arif Aiman Hanapi also made massive inroads into the senior team in 2020.

A two-pronged approach has also been adopted in the transfer market: in addition to signing players for the first team, there are scouts all over the country in search of talent for the JDT Academy and development teams; recent signings of youngsters Danial Amier and Indonesian Syahrian Abimanyu are a testament to this. 

Commercially, JDT has strived to build a brand that attracts both domestic and international partners. This includes attempts to constantly grab headlines in order to raise brand awareness and, in the long run, financial support. 

There is always a plan for the future ─ this sentiment is perfectly captured by a banner at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium that states: 'vision without execution is hallucination'. ─ The Vibes, 7 January, 2021

Pic courtesy of The Southern Tigers
Pic courtesy of The Southern Tigers

Former journalist Vijhay is Head of Content at Johor Darul Ta'zim FC following stints with Malay Mail, Sports247.my, FourFourTwo Malaysia and FOX Malaysia. You may have also heard him on BFM Football or watched him on Media Prima's football programmes. Vijhay can be reached at @vijhayvick on Twitter.

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