KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) has no choice but to allow two concerts to take place in April at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium in order to cover the refurbishment costs for the facility ahead of the FIH Nations Cup, scheduled from June 15 to 21.
Speaking to Scoop, Stadium Corp CEO Iliyas Jamil said that PSM has allowed two concerts to be held at the hockey stadium in April, adding that from May until the end of the Nations Cup tournament in June, no concerts will take place at the venue.
It was reported that the ministry and PSM received a total of 26 concert bookings this year. The bookings were made mainly for the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil National Stadium, and the Axiata Arena. However, the details of the concert bookings remain unknown.
Among the concerts held at the hockey stadium this year were performances by famous bands such as Maroon 5 (Feb 12) and Green Day (Feb 18).
“To be honest, although we recognise that hosting a prestigious hockey event is important for the country’s image, we cannot deny that we also generate significant revenue by renting the venue for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot stop all the concerts planned for the hockey stadium.
“We will ensure that no concerts take place a month before the Nations Cup, but we still need to allow two concerts in April, as the event organisers made their bookings long ago.
“We need the revenue, and we will make sure that the money is well spent and invested back into the renovations and upgrades of the stadium for the Malaysian Hockey Confederation’s (MHC) use. By hosting more concerts after the Nations Cup, we can invest more in making the stadium better and more modern.
“There will not be a major upgrade, but we will be carrying out some light renovations in late April or May this year. Our primary focus will be on improving the players’ dressing rooms, their lockers, the media center, media seats, and some of the fencing around the turf.
“We have not yet finalised the costs, but we will fully support the Nations Cup and do as much as we can to improve the facilities,” Iliyas told Scoop when contacted.
It was reported that Kuala Lumpur Sports City had recorded a venue rental collection of RM10.647 million in 2024, which was the highest ever recorded.
For non-sport events, the national stadium recorded a rental revenue of RM1.8 million, Axiata Arena recorded RM6.4 million, and the hockey stadium recorded RM210,000 in revenue.
The Nations Cup will see head coach Sarjit Singh’s team aiming for a top-four finish—a target set by MHC. Malaysia, ranked 13th in the world, will be grouped with France, South Korea, and Wales.
In the previous edition of the Nations Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the prestigious FIH Pro League, Malaysia finished seventh out of nine teams. – March 13, 2025