Finally Football Schools Come Under Fam Scope

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The days of football academies flourishing uncontrolled are over
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has moved to regulate such setups to ensure they operate above board and meet standards
The “FAM SupaRimau Charter” seeks to register these entities and provide them guidance in all facets of development
The primary aim is to have credible academies and to achieve excellence in teaching the game to juniors
In the past, some shady operators shut down after a few months while others lacked facilities, guidance and qualified coaches
These so-called academies sprang up at an alarming rate because parents wanted to give their children a path to professional football
Others wished to see their young take to outdoor activities
While FAM was happy with some academies doing proper development work and talent spotting, there were those operating without proper facilities, accredited coaches and coaching syllabus
The FAM SupaRimau Charter, supervised by the national body’s grassroots unit head Samuel Siew, will endorse and support grassroots programmes and activities initiated by registered academies
To date, 210 of the estimated 500 academies in the country have enlisted with FAM
Those who fail to register and prefer to do things their own stand to lose in the long run as benefits are aplenty
FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam said the advantages included accreditation, SupaRimau League and player training compensation when a junior moves on to a big stage
He said three levels of classification will be based on leadership, planning, facilities, junior competitions and education
Stuart said a portal, to be launched soon, will update academies with latest coaching methods and keep track of players and coaches
State football associations will know where to talent scout for players, he said
He said “Return to Football” guidelines will see football schools up and running soon during the recovery movement control order
It has taken FAM a while to control academies, but the good news is the recognition of academies as an integral part of grassroots development
As Stuart puts it: “We are not out to shut down any academy as everyone has a role to play
“Our intention is help academies build a proper system in the interest of football and children who chase their dream to make it big in the sport.”Kudos to FAM, but the bigger challenge will be the execution of the system and monitoring it
Development is a long word and the work involved is lengthy, hard, and sometimes thankless
Everyone must put in an honest day’s work if we are to see talented footballers emerging in four to six years. - FMT

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