KUALA LUMPUR – In principle, it is important for sports associations to be willing to invest significantly in coaching expertise.
However, the spending power for a sport like badminton cannot be compared to that of football.
This is the view of Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky, in response to discussions about how much the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) should invest in top coaches.
“I feel if we want the best, and depending on whether we are hiring local or foreign coaches, we must be ready to spend. But if we want to compare football and badminton, even here in Malaysia, Indonesia, or other Asian countries, football is far more popular and attracts stronger sponsorship.
“Badminton is still the second biggest sport after football. Football is an industry, whereas badminton is not. Sponsors are more inclined to associate with a popular industry. If badminton was as big as football, spending large sums would not be an issue.
“Honestly, FAM receives far more funding than BAM – that’s the reality, even in Indonesia. The Indonesian football team now has a chance of qualifying for the World Cup, but while badminton has produced Olympic and world champions, the funding is still not comparable.
“What I’m saying is that we must be willing to spend, but we also need to spend within our means. There’s no point in throwing money at something and then seeing the programmes fail,” said Rexy, drawing comparisons to the recent announcement by FAM regarding their willingness to break the bank every month for a top coach.
Meanwhile, Rexy mentioned it would be ideal for ABM to have its in-house psychologist and nutritionist.
“At the moment, we don’t have a full-time psychologist or nutritionist, but we have seen the positive impact it has on the players, especially with Fredrick Tan, when we were preparing for the Paris Olympics.
“Similarly, it would be great to have a nutritionist to educate our athletes on good eating habits daily.
“For now, we receive support from the National Sports Institute (ISN), but having these professionals in-house would be beneficial. We are still in discussions and will consider this,” Rexy added. – October 8, 2024