Malaysian Football: What Is The Problem With Youth Development In Malaysia
Hello Guys, i was watching Bola Mamak on Astro SuperSport the other day and they were discussing about the importance of youth developments to football in Malaysia. I was immediately inspired to write this piece. Thanks for reading and please feel free to start a discussion below there.
Cheers!
Keeshaanan Sundaresan
Keeshaanan Sundaresan
There has always been heated discussions and debates on how Malaysia could progress in World Football. Numerous suggestions and opinions have been raised on this topics. But it has all ended in never-ending debates that has literally made no difference to the state of the Malaysian Football.
But perhaps there is one fundamental way that everybody in Malaysia would agree. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. But lets get the idea right here first. WHAT IS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ALL ABOUT?
Youth Development is basically getting the current crop of youths to play and develop themselves on different aspects through football. It's the idea of continuously producing footballers for the future of World Football.
Barcelona are known worldwide for their successful youth development system that has produced elite players like Iniesta and Xavi. So, how do we produce top quality athletes here in Malaysia?
Well, i have not seen any proper system introduced by the Malaysian Government yet so i am going to take them out of the equation for now. But private companies and groups have been trying to cement an effective grassroot programme here. Numerous academies have been developed and quite a number of teenagers have got the chance. But what i would like to stress here is that talents are ultimately being wasted. Why do i say so?
The current situation in Malaysia is pretty simple to define. It is absolutely true that there are talent developers in school level. Coaches have been implemented in schools to train students in the school football team and as for that process, it is a good one because true talents can be spotted. However, what happens to this crop of talents once they finish school?
Pretty simple again. It's either they get picked up by the state youth team or else they are simply GONE. It is understandable that the State Youth teams cannot accommodate hundreds of players but there has to be a chance for some of this undeveloped talent.
There has to be a program or other alternatives for the crop of youngsters who were 'not good enough' for the youth teams of Perak, Selangor and etc. Because ability can always be developed, passion is something that grows within themselves. I am pretty sure that lots of passionate young kids were deprived of some good footballing opportunity just because they are deemed to be 'NOT GOOD ENOUGH' by some committee who i doubt even have any proper qualification in scouting players.
Another major reason is the attitude of parents. This is something even i have experienced personally. But i do not blame the parents for this. I blame the education system for this. Orange Man mentioned about a kid getting sick of her Sundays. Well, that is the situation here in Malaysia. Kids are being taught to pass examinations rather than how to face the world. Students are under pressure to perform in their examinations if they want a 'GOOD' future. With the level of competition among students rising every year, even the Parents are also affected and as a result, they tend to got for BOOKS rather than BOOTS.
Therefore, there is no point in debating whether parents should change their attitude or not because as long as the EDUCATION SYSTEM in Malaysia remains the same, their attitude WILL never change. Again i repeat, i do not blame the parents because they are forced to be like that.
Therefore, Youth Development in Malaysia has had numerous problems from different sources. Implementation of it is not a problem but CREATING a successful one has always been a problem.
In Conclusion, I believe that as long as the fundamental issues involving schools and its system are not sorted out, we will never be able to produce qualities in the same level as the MAJOR ASIAN POWERHOUSES in football.
But perhaps there is one fundamental way that everybody in Malaysia would agree. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. But lets get the idea right here first. WHAT IS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ALL ABOUT?
Youth Development is basically getting the current crop of youths to play and develop themselves on different aspects through football. It's the idea of continuously producing footballers for the future of World Football.
Barcelona are known worldwide for their successful youth development system that has produced elite players like Iniesta and Xavi. So, how do we produce top quality athletes here in Malaysia?
Well, i have not seen any proper system introduced by the Malaysian Government yet so i am going to take them out of the equation for now. But private companies and groups have been trying to cement an effective grassroot programme here. Numerous academies have been developed and quite a number of teenagers have got the chance. But what i would like to stress here is that talents are ultimately being wasted. Why do i say so?
The current situation in Malaysia is pretty simple to define. It is absolutely true that there are talent developers in school level. Coaches have been implemented in schools to train students in the school football team and as for that process, it is a good one because true talents can be spotted. However, what happens to this crop of talents once they finish school?
Pretty simple again. It's either they get picked up by the state youth team or else they are simply GONE. It is understandable that the State Youth teams cannot accommodate hundreds of players but there has to be a chance for some of this undeveloped talent.
There has to be a program or other alternatives for the crop of youngsters who were 'not good enough' for the youth teams of Perak, Selangor and etc. Because ability can always be developed, passion is something that grows within themselves. I am pretty sure that lots of passionate young kids were deprived of some good footballing opportunity just because they are deemed to be 'NOT GOOD ENOUGH' by some committee who i doubt even have any proper qualification in scouting players.
Another major reason is the attitude of parents. This is something even i have experienced personally. But i do not blame the parents for this. I blame the education system for this. Orange Man mentioned about a kid getting sick of her Sundays. Well, that is the situation here in Malaysia. Kids are being taught to pass examinations rather than how to face the world. Students are under pressure to perform in their examinations if they want a 'GOOD' future. With the level of competition among students rising every year, even the Parents are also affected and as a result, they tend to got for BOOKS rather than BOOTS.
Therefore, there is no point in debating whether parents should change their attitude or not because as long as the EDUCATION SYSTEM in Malaysia remains the same, their attitude WILL never change. Again i repeat, i do not blame the parents because they are forced to be like that.
Therefore, Youth Development in Malaysia has had numerous problems from different sources. Implementation of it is not a problem but CREATING a successful one has always been a problem.
In Conclusion, I believe that as long as the fundamental issues involving schools and its system are not sorted out, we will never be able to produce qualities in the same level as the MAJOR ASIAN POWERHOUSES in football.
6 comments:
the education system in Malaysia is caging students from developing their talents. thats the main reason why youth players have a hard time to further their career.
March 11, 2011 at 2:00 AMI agree mate. The system has screwed up the whole 'football passion' among Malaysian students!
March 11, 2011 at 2:22 AMKeesh, much as you want to, the government role in sports development cannot be taken out of the equation. As you pointed out, what happens to the talent spotted at the school level? What private sector group has access to kids at that level to introduce a youth development programme? Will parents be even willing to allow their children to forgo exam-related activity to participate in a private sector sports programme?
March 11, 2011 at 5:33 AMThe only way the private sector can be involved is if they are endorsed by the Education Ministry and work with the youth through the schools. But there is too much jostling for power in the education sector. People want positions that bring incentives but are not willing to do the work. The really hard working people get sidelined by those with political connections. Stupid decisions are made for political mileage.
Now that the national youth football team has found success, the vultures will be at them, seeking their share of the glory. Mediocracy has permeated every level of Malaysian society. How can we be anything other than mediocre?
There is only one way for Malaysia to regain their preeminence in Asian football. Kick the damn politicians out of the picture, give the sports experts a free hand and the funding and then leave them alone. They already know what to do.
politicians can never understand sports :D
March 11, 2011 at 3:10 PMYes but in the Western Countries, the soccer programmes are not run by schools. Well, they do carry out programmes but the major grassroot events are organised by soccer schools and youth clubs. This is what we need. Manchester United FC is not controlled by politicians. But Perak FA and Selangor FA ARE controlled by politicians.
March 11, 2011 at 3:32 PMAs long as politicians keep on playing an unwanted role in the development of football, we will never be able to CREATE a system thats good enough to produce talented footballers.
IMO, I feel that the government is paying waaay to much attention in politics rather than our nation's potential top seeds. I mean, maaaan, I read the papers!!! Remember when Malaysia sent their soccer team to Indonesia during the AFF Suzuki cup? Instead of a friendly match, it reeked of politics!!! You don't see this happening in S. Korea and Japan. It's like our players are trained to beat their opponents and playing the game without putting their hearts and souls in it, just like robots with all the data programmed inside ready for them to carry out their obligation without a moment's hesitation.
March 25, 2011 at 9:03 PMI am not a soccer aficionado but this is what I thought about our government's perspective of sports. Sports is a medium of promoting political interest for them.
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