KUALA LUMPUR – Is a renaissance for women’s football in Malaysia around the corner?
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has officially announced a transformative makeover for its Women’s National League next year, featuring a total of 11 participating teams.
Without revealing the timeline, the football body will introduce five new teams, aiming to provide more opportunities and empower women footballers in the country.
Speaking to Scoop, FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said that this initiative will also offer national women’s head coach Soleen Al-Zoubi more player options to consider for future national call-ups.
“I have spoken to Datuk Suraya Yaacob (chairman of the women’s football committee), and she also agrees that the women’s league needs an upgrade with the number of participating teams.
“For now, we will introduce five new teams, and we will make an official announcement on the names of the new teams early next year.
“When I went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a FIFA council members meeting last week, even (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino told me that FAM should invest more in women’s football and come up with more programmes.
“The introduction of the five new teams is just the beginning as we are also planning to increase the number of teams every year gradually,” said Hamidin after his birthday celebration and Majlis Doa Selamat, in conjunction with the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifiers hosted at Wisma FAM last night.
Hamidin also said the league’s expansion will help several women’s footballers secure professional contracts and remain loyal to their clubs without freelancing.
“I understand that many women footballers play as freelancers for various social clubs, and I don’t blame them as our league doesn’t have enough clubs for them to be scouted and included.
“Our league can’t be considered a professional league for now, and it’s FAM’s job to turn it into one by working hard to make it happen.
“We need to be consistent in upgrading the league and adding more teams so that the competition becomes more intense, providing players with professional contracts.
“By expanding the league, we are not going to only empower more footballers but also more women coaches and officials into the game,” added Hamidin.
Previously, Scoop reported that coach Soleen advocated for women footballers in the country to have proper professional contracts to foster sustainable careers and nurture talent for the national team.
Currently, Malaysia’s Women’s National League comprises only six teams – Kelana United FC, LMS Tigress FC, Malaysian University, Sabah, Selangor FC, and SSM Pahang.
Sabah clinched the title on November 4, after topping the league table with 16 points and a 13-goal advantage. – December 27, 2023