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THE private sector should look at the strong publicity returns from sponsoring the Penang FC club in the Malaysian Super League, said Penang executive councillor for sports, Daniel Gooi Zi Sen.
He told a press conference that the state football team could do with an injection of strong sponsorships, as it is a sport driven by funding.
Like in the majority of parts in the world, top football teams are usually cajoled with the ability of the management to spend heavily on a sustainable basis.
Penang FC is one of the few states in the Super League whose funding is rather limited, but it continues to compete due to the grooming of local talents.
Once a giant on the national scene with players such as Shukor Salleh and the late Isa Bakar donning state colours, Penang is now struggling to compete due to a limit in sponsorship.
It is now 10th in the table, standing with the next match against Melaka FC on Saturday at 5 pm in City Stadium.
Illustrating how money is playing a major role in the global number one spectator sport, Gooi said that the monthly wages of an average English Premier League player can support two Malaysian clubs for a month.
Gooi pledged that the state government will try its best to subsidise, but the private sector should seize the opportunity to collaborate with the football team.
He cited an example of how a small barber chain called the Mat Salleh Barber began to sponsor the team, and soon it was expanding its chain on the back of being seen on the Astro satellite sports channels.
The barber shop has expanded to other states after it sponsored the Penang football team, Gooi pointed out.
Gooi said that tourism players should also consider investing with the team, as sports - related tourism is a big money game for the sector.
"We want a healthy football ecosystem for the state, where the private sector can market itself well through the state FC club. It helps all sides."
Penang Football Association president Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Shariff said that the sport unites people, hence it is important for a state as highly diversified as Penang.
He thanked the state for writing off the arrears of RM127,168.50 for the rental of the City Stadium, the home ground of the Penang FC Panthers.
The state also channelled RM100,000 to the association to organise local leagues of Division I, II and III, so the talent pool can be enlarged.
Azizuddin also conveyed his gratitude to the Penang FC club general manager, Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam, for helping with sponsorships for the sport here. - January 9, 2026.
