Coaching licence for elite youth coaches

FAM plan to strengthen football development in the country by introducing an elite youth coaching licence programme.

As there are hundreds of football academies in the country, FAM's technical and development committee want to tap into these resources to produce elite youth coaches.

FAM technical and development committee chairman Datuk S. Sivasundram said the initiative will broaden the base of the country's youth pyramid.

He said FAM technical director Datuk Ong Kim Swee, youth development head Razip Ismail and coaches education head Lim Kim Chon have been tasked with producing the elite youth coaching module.

The committee met for the first time on Monday, and there were also representatives from Higher Education Ministry and Education Ministry.

"We have decided to work on an elite youth development licence programme to produce coaches who can develop top-quality youth talent.

"There are a lot of youth coaches in Malaysia, and they have been working well with young talents. We feel we can enhance their knowledge under the elite youth coaching licence programme.

"We have top technical people like Kim Swee, Razip and Kim Chon who are capable of coming up with a comprehensive coaching module."

Sivasundram said the committee are looking into ways to get more non-Malays involved in football, and will work with the authorities to introduce football coaching licence course in universities.

"This is the brainchild of FAM president Datuk Hamidin Amin... he wants more non-Malays to be involved in football.

"We are looking at organising coaching workshops with the Malaysian Indian Sports Council, Malaysian Chinese Football Association, Malaysian Malays Football Association, Police and Armed Forces."