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

Malaysia's opposition MP, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, has proposed that the country emulate Japan's approach to community sports clubs to boost the nation's football talent at the grassroots level. This initiative, according to the MP, stems from a successful collaboration between the government, national sports department, sports associations, corporations, and communities in Japan. These clubs are inclusive, catering to all sports and age groups, not just high-performance athletes, he added.

During a debate on the Sports Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat, the MP highlighted that Japan's steadfastness in this approach has produced football stars like Wataru Endo of Liverpool. While Malaysia already has community-level football programs involving academies, clubs, district associations, and interschool competitions, the MP noted that the missing piece is a system to connect these entities and a set of regulations governing such a system.

Moreover, he pointed out that there is still a significant disparity between the sports development in rural and urban areas, and the bill does not address this issue.

The opposition MP emphasized that while Malaysia has community-level football programs, the current system lacks a mechanism to connect these clubs and enforce a governing framework. The proposed bill, however, proposes a regulatory framework, where sports bodies involved in activities detrimental to national security, public order, or morality can be declared unlawful and immediately struck off.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a new enforcement and investigation regime, granting ministry-appointed enforcement officers and police the authority to record statements and seize documents from sports bodies. Under the new Section 41A, the minister may immediately cancel a sports body's registration with a gazetted order after consulting the sports commissioner.