Emulate Japan’s community clubs to grow football talent, says MP

Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, an opposition member, proposed that Malaysia's youth and sports ministry emulate Japan's approach to community sports clubs to foster football talent among grassroots players. Japan's success stemmed from a collaboration between the government, sports departments, associations, corporations, and communities, encompassing all sports and age groups rather than focusing solely on high-performance athletes, said Wan Ahmad Fayhsal.

He made this point while discussing the Sports Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat.

Malaysia currently has community-level football programs comprising academies, clubs, district associations, and interschool competitions. However, the MP noted that a crucial missing piece was a system to link these elements together, along with legislation mandating and governing such a system. He pointed out a significant gap between sports development in rural and urban areas, which the bill did not address.

Earlier, Dr Taufiq Johari, the youth and sports minister, introduced the amendment bill. If enacted, the legislation would permit sports bodies engaged in activities detrimental to national security, public order, or morality to be declared unlawful and revoked immediately. The bill also establishes a new enforcement and investigation regime, granting ministry-appointed enforcement officers and police the authority to document statements and confiscate documents from sports bodies.

Notably, under Section 41A, the minister can immediately revoke a sports body's registration via a gazetted order after consulting the sports commissioner.