Malaysian Football League confirms March 5 kickoff

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The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has confirmed a March 5 start date for the 2021 season, after COVID-19 forced a postponement of the competition.

At an online meeting of the club’s CEOs and MFL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan, all club representatives supported the decision to commence on March 5.

Hassan said that the new competition start date was the best move for the survival of the domestic football industry as well as giving way to the national team which has upcoming 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying matches.

The season was originally scheduled to kickoff on February 26.

The MFL CEO also acknowledged that the Malaysian Football League was understanding of the difficulties club face with interrupted preparations to the 2021 season.

“MFL is committed to ending the league campaign with full matches (22 matches) where we do not want to take risks that will affect the sponsorship other than measures to reduce matches or cancel other tournaments such as the Malaysia Cup or Challenge Cup had to be taken if the Malaysia League calendar begins slower,” the MFL said in a statement.

CEO of Kedah Darul Aman (KDA) FC, Khamal Idris Ali was among the club representatives to give a positive response to the March 5 competition start.

“KDA FC accepts this MFL decision and can accept the situation faced by the MFL due to certain unavoidable obstacles,” he said.

“Looking at certain factors such as the national team also needs space to make preparations, we also need to understand the interests of the country and follow the voice of other majority who also agree.

“If followed, the government has given permission for us to train and hold matches, it is enough to have good news in the current situation.

“In the current situation, the team has no choice but to be creative and may use the available space to prepare even in a short period of time.”

As of yesterday, clubs could start centralised training programs in quarantine bubbles – the MFL required players to return a negative COVID-19 test result before being allowed to commence training.

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Female Football Week kicks off across Northern NSW

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Female Football Week has officially begun across Northern NSW, with a program of gala days, networking events and awards ceremonies running until Sunday May 17, marking a ten-day celebration that organisers say reflects both the growth of women’s football in the region and the work still required to sustain it.

The national initiative, now a fixture on the football calendar, provides a dedicated period of visibility for female participants across all levels of the game from players, coaches, referees to volunteers, whose contributions have historically received less recognition than their male counterparts.

NNSWF Participation and Women’s Football Officer Serena Carter said the week offered something for everyone connected to women’s football in the region.

“Female Football Week provides a fantastic chance to highlight the dedication and skill of female players, coaches, referees and volunteers across the northern NSW community,” Carter said. “There’s something for everyone to enjoy, from grassroots participants to elite competitors.”

Women’s football in northern NSW spans remote and regional communities where clubs operate on limited resources, alongside more established metropolitan programs with clearer development pathways. Female Football Week creates a moment of shared recognition across that spectrum and acknowledges the role volunteers play, from running the canteen to progressing through the pathway.

Northern NSW Football has recorded some of its strongest participation numbers in women’s and girls’ football in recent seasons, a trend that has placed increasing pressure on clubs and facilities to keep pace. The week’s events offer clubs an opportunity to showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion at a time when that commitment is being tested by growth.

Football NNSW Releases Infrastructure Strategies as Participation Growth Outpaces Facilities

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Northern NSW Football has unveiled bespoke infrastructure strategies for each of its seven member zones, providing an evidence-based roadmap for facility investment across the region as continued participation growth exposes critical gaps in the sporting infrastructure available to support it.

The Member Zone Infrastructure Strategies draw on data across participation rates, population growth and existing facility conditions to map what each zone has, what it needs and where investment will have the greatest impact. Identified gaps include drainage, lighting and inclusive changerooms – the foundational infrastructure that determines whether facilities are functional, safe and accessible year-round.

NNSWF Government Relations Manager Gary Fisher said the strategies represented a significant step toward smarter, more targeted investment across the region.

“By bringing together key data on participation, population growth and existing infrastructure, these strategies give us a stronger understanding of where the needs are greatest and where investment will have the most impact,” Fisher said. “Ultimately we want to create more inclusive and accessible environments for everyone involved in the game while building stronger, more sustainable clubs and communities for the future.”

Northern NSW Football has previously noted that participation across the region is at record levels and still rising, with women’s and girls’ football a significant driver of that growth. Infrastructure that was built for a smaller and less diverse participation base is increasingly unable to meet current demand, let alone accommodate future growth.

The strategies are also designed to strengthen NNSWF’s alignment with government funding priorities, providing the evidence base needed to support grant applications and long-term facility planning across all seven zones.

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