KUALA LUMPUR – It is something worth noting when a sport, such as hockey, does well in Malaysia despite it not having the same prominence as football.
Hockey is not getting the recognition it deserves, particularly, at the state level, where funding is a problem.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president, Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, said that it is unfortunate that the state hockey associations are not being assisted and as a result, funding remains an issue at the state level.
He said that even when he was the president of the Selangor hockey association, the biggest issue they faced was the lack of funding from the State Government.
“Hockey or any sport, for the matter, is not given the same importance as football; a lot of state leaders fail to realise that there is a lot of value in hockey. They should understand that hockey and other sporting activities in Malaysia creates an avenue for young children to stay away from unhealthy activities.
“When we began in 2015, the board decided to help the states. We wanted to make sure that each state organises its own league. Before I came on board, there was no state league, so how does the national body recruit new talent when the only way you can do that is to have as many competitions and tournaments as possible at the state level,” he added.
According to Subahan, for the first time ever in 2015 after he took office, MHC started giving out grants of RM50,000 a year to every state to organise a league. However, he added that it will cost RM80,000 a year but since the MHC is helping, the state presidents do not have a big burden on their shoulders.
In a recent interview with The Vibes, Subahan informed how the MHC board has brought about changes by practising good governance and putting the interest of stakeholders first. ─ The Vibes, 24 February, 2021
Watch the interview below to know more:
