KUALA LUMPUR – Perak FC have decided to postpone pitch refurbishment work at their iconic Perak Stadium ahead of the Super League season.
The decision was made by the club together with the Perak State Sports Council after agreeing to the Youth and Sports Ministry’s offer to replace their existing cow grass, Axonopus compressus, with Zeon Zoysia turf last month.
The Perak Stadium, located in Kg Simee in Ipoh, has a capacity of 42,500.
Speaking to Scoop, Perak FC’s chief executive Bobie Farid Shamsudin said the club did not want to rush the process of refurbishing the pitch, citing that it would affect the team’s league campaign.
“For this season, we have decided to play all our matches at our home stadium. We did receive an offer from the Sports Ministry to improve the quality of our pitch, and we have even agreed to it, but the problem is we didn’t want to rush the process.
“It will take at least six months for the refurbishment work to take place and for the pitch to mature.
“So we have decided to postpone the refurbishment of the pitch until after the end of this season’s Super League, as the preseason break for next season will be longer.
“At the same time, we also don’t have many options for our second stadium, hence we don’t have a choice but to play the games at our main stadium,” said Bobie when contacted.
Previously, Scoop reported that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh showed commitment to supporting local football clubs by facilitating the upgrade of their pitches to elevate competitive standards in the Malaysian football league.
Kuching City FC became the first Super League club to accept the Sports Ministry’s offer to upgrade their pitch to Zeon Zoysia grass in October last year.
Zeon Zoysia has been lauded for its resistance to diverse weather conditions and is deemed suitable for football fields.
Several Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, have embraced the grass type in their respective stadiums.
Notably, Malaysia uses Zeon Zoysia at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which is fully sponsored by Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Additionally, Tunku Ismail’s own Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri utilises Zeon Zoysia grass.
The Bos Gaurus boast a prestigious history in local football, having clinched the Super League twice (2002 and 2003), the FA Cup twice (1990 and 2004) and the Malaysia Cup on eight occasions (1926, 1931, 1957, 1967, 1970, 1998, 2000 and 2018).
This season’s Super League campaign is expected to begin on May 10. – April 9, 2024