Grand Old Lady serves
as a reminder to the younger generation of the nation's history
Merdeka Stadium overall view when its capacity was 40,000 pix from visitKL portal
As Malaysia celebrates its 63rd Independence Day today, Malaysians indeed must feel blessed and be
grateful that the historic Merdeka Stadium, which is still standing, bears
testimony to Malaya's (as we were then known) 'fight' for freedom from British
rule.
Many make the mistake of thinking
that Malaya obtained independence at this iconic stadium when in actual fact
the Nation was born on the grounds of the Selangor Padang (now known as Dataran
Merdeka) at the stroke of midnight on Aug 31,1957, witnessed by thousands of
proud Malayans, when the Union Jack was lowered for the last time
(signifying an end to British rule and 446 years of colonisation) and the flag
of the Federation of Malaya was raised for the first time.
At the
Merdeka Stadium the ensuing morning was where the proclamation of independence
was held as more than 20,000 witnessed the ceremony which began at 9.30am that
Saturday morning.
Today, on
land which once stood majestically and known as Coronation Park with its own
9-hole golf course, the Merdeka Stadium took shape, but it is now dwarfed by
surrounding sky-scrappers which includes the nearly-completed 118-storey Menara
Warisan Merdeka, which when it opens its doors, will be the tallest building in
Kuala Lumpur.
Pix by S. Morgan
Currently,
the road leading up to this grand stadium is a make-shift, beaten-up cement
path running through the construction site – an eye sore not befitting the
surroundings of the Grand Old Lady.
But it is
hoped that when construction is finally completed next year, the Independence
Stadium, will be accorded the respect it deserves and will become an iconic
landmark, just like Menara Warisan.
Currently,
the stadium is still used occasionally for friendly football matches.
To recap
on the history of the Stadium Merdeka – it was constructed in record
time with the first piece of earthworks starting on 25 September 1956 and the
last stone laid on 21 August 1957. The stadium was designed by architect
Stanley Edward Jewkes.
It was on
Sept 18,1955 when Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, then Chief Minister of
Malaya, announced that arrangements were being made for the construction of a
million-dollar sports stadium.
That this
historic and sacred landmark could have been reduced to ashes in the name of
development in 2001, is beyond imagination. But thanks to Permodalan Nasional
Berhad (PNB) and their then chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid’s
concerted effort made to conserve and preserve the stadium, that it is still
standing today.
The
stadium and its land were given to a private company - United Engineers
Malaysia Berhad (UEM) - which had intended to redevelop the land into a RM
1 billion entertainment and office complex. In exchange, the company
was required to build seven other stadiums in other locations. However, the
company did not proceed with the redevelopment due to public outcry and the
company's financial difficulties due to the 1990s Asian economic crisis.
It was
then that PNB took over from UEM.
Ahmad
Sarji, widely known for his dedication to preserve history, saw in
February 2003 the Merdeka Stadium together with the indoor Stadium Negara (a
stone’s throw away) named national heritage buildings by the Unity,
Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry.
In
2007, Merdeka Stadium underwent restoration to its original 1957 condition as
part of Malaysia’s 50th anniversary plans to relive the moment when Tunku Abdul
Rahman proclaimed independence there. The restoration was completed by December
2009, and not surprisingly received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific 2008 Award of
Excellence for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
With
restoration completed, the 45,000-capacity stadium was reduced to 20,000, which
meant that several of the upper terrace blocks built over the years were
demolished.
The
Merdeka Stadium, besides serving as a reminder of our independence, also has a
long history of playing host to popular sporting and entertainment events till
the mid-90s when the Bukit Jalil National Stadium was built.
It was
Tunku's vision which saw the birth of the Merdeka football tournament that soon
became a prestigious annual event in Asia. The Asian Youth tournament
which followed two years later was also Tunku's brainchild.
Football
was the draw-card held at the Merdeka Stadium where Hong Kong were the
inaugural winners before Malaya won the next year in 1958.
The
Merdeka Stadium also proudly hosted two SEAP (South East Asia Peninsula) Games
and two Sea Games (1965, 1971, 1977 and 1989), Merdeka tournaments (from 1957
to 1995), 1975 World Cup hockey semifinals and final and numerous international
track and field championships.
It was
also the venue for international concerts including the Michael Jackson concert
in October 1996, which not surprisingly, filled the 55,000 capacity stadium for
two nights. Other international artistes and bands who performed at the Stadium
included Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Mariah
Carey, Justine Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Avril Lavigne, A.R. Rahman, BackStreet
Boys, Linkin Park, Kool and the Gang, just to name a few.How can anyone forget Muhammad 'The Greatest' Ali mixing it
up with Britain's Joe Bugner over 15 rounds in the ring on July 1,1975?
It was
also the FA of Selangor’s home ground for their League and Malaysia Cup
campaign from 1957 to 1994.
For me
personally, the Merdeka Stadium is part and parcel of my being as I have been
associated with it since my 1st birthday.
My
association with the stadium dates back to 1959 when I had my first birthday
party thrown by my late parents, at the canteen.
During my
school days with St John Institution, I used to run on the bitumen track during
our school’s sports day and also played in the 1975 Selangor Schools football
final against La Salle Petaling Jaya and won the title.
I watched
the 1975 hockey World Cup semifinals and final, from the terraces as a
schoolboy.
And from
the early 80s when I became a sports journalist, the Merdeka Stadium was my
second home as I covered numerous football, track and field events, including
the 1989 Sea Games football final which Malaysia won after 12 years of trying
beating Singapore 3-1.
I still
remember the ‘Fish Head Restaurant’ at the Merdeka Stadium which was a must
stop before covering any football match.
Also, I
watched numerous concerts at the stadium.
The
Merdeka Stadium, with its unblemished character, is without doubt the heart and
soul of Malaysian sports, and all national stadiums, are objects of pride
with history, which must stand tall always.
The Malaysian flag being hoisted at the Merdeka Stadium
A scramble among
sports officials to be in the Malaysian contingent to the Tokyo Olympics next
year is expected to begin soon, even as athletes toil hard to qualify on merit.
Are the interests
of athletes given consideration when officials are chosen to accompany the
teams?
Will freeloaders be
part of Team Malaysia?
In the past,
Malaysian teams to the Olympics have included some incompetent officials in the
mix, causing despondency among athletes.
The rescheduled
Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 23-Aug 8. Twelve athletes have
qualified, but Malaysia is hoping to send a contingent of between 30 and 35.
It is logical that
the contingent includes coaches and technical officials, or in some cases
parents who have been instrumental in getting their children to qualify, but
this is not always the case.
The selection of
officials depends on the number of athletes who have qualified, and by the
gender of the participants.
The International
Olympic Council (IOC) has the final say on officials escorting athletes, the
number of which should not exceed 50% of sportspersons in the party.
Malaysian officials
are chosen by the national sports association from which an athlete has
qualified. The name is submitted to the Olympic Council of Malaysia for
endorsement.
Depending on the
number of athletes from their sport who have made the grade, the associations
usually name a team manager and coach.
If they are allowed
only one official, a team manager is sometimes named, and this is where the
problem lies – athletes prefer a coach or technical expert.
There have been
cases when officials have been rewarded with a trip to the Olympics at the
expense of an athlete’s interests.
The 50% quota of
officials accompanying athletes has also been abused because accreditation is
transferable.
Since most sports
are not held at the same time, athletes and officials are only sent to the
Games a few days before the start of their events. The IOC allows the
accreditation of officials who have returned to be transferred to officials of
other sports.
However, the total
number of accreditations cannot exceed that allocated to a nation.
At the Rio Olympics
in 2016, Malaysia competed in 11 sports, represented by 32 athletes. The
contingent included 40 officials.
Besides team
managers, coaches and technical experts, officials also included the medical
team and secretariat staff, all of whom were billeted in the Games Village.
The National Sports
Council and National Sports Institute sent ‘back-up teams’ who operated from
outside the Games Village at their own cost.
They provided
services to the athletes either where they were or visited the Games Village
using day passes.
Then, there have
been cases where questionable officials were part of the contingent.
In one case, an
athlete convinced OCM to include a technical staff, who played a key role in
his qualification, in addition to his coach, although a team manager had been
nominated.
An unpleasant
encounter involved a manager who had arrived ahead of an athlete and made no
effort to meet him and his coach at the airport.
Officials who
arrive before their athletes are common because they want to take part in the
opening ceremony parade.
At Rio, while all
the athletes could take part in the parade, IOC only allowed 14 Malaysian
officials
However, since some
athletes skipped the opening ceremony owing to events the next day, officials
were in full force.
Some officials
hardly spent time with the athletes or were not around when needed. Those who
had dedicated officials by their side performed well.
It is hoped sports
associations will take the interest of athletes at heart and stop rewarding
officials to gain votes at their next election.
BLOG VERSION
Tony Mariadass Column Aug 22
Officials with integrity and honesty need to accompany athletes to Olympics.
Standfirst: The
scramble for officials to join the bandwagon to Olympics will begin soon.
Athletes who make it
to the Olympics must put in a lot of work to qualify on merit but it's not the
same for officials who have carte blanche to jump on the bandwagon.
There have been
numerous occasions when the ‘right officials’ have not accompanied the athletes
who has qualified for the Olympiad and this nasty habit must stop,
The Tokyo
Olympics, originally scheduled for July 24 till Aug 9, 2020, had to be
rescheduled to July 23 till Aug 8, 2021 due to deteriorating situation of
the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. However, the Games will retain the Tokyo
2020 name.
To date, 12
Malaysian athletes have qualified for the Olympics but Malaysia is hoping to
send a contingent of between 30 to 35 to Tokyo. And it's only logical that the
athletes’ coach, technical official or in some cases parents who have been
instrumental in getting their son/daughter to qualify, are included in the
contingent to the Olympics, but this is not always the case.
The number of
officials to accompany any athlete in any sport depends on the number of
athletes who have qualified and the composition of the athletes’ gender and the
number is determined by the International Olympic Council (IOC).
The standard IOC rule
in naming officials accompanying athletes will not exceed more than 50 per cent
of the total number of the athletes’ contingent.
Malaysian officials
who accompany athletes who have qualified is determined by the respective
National Sports Association (NSA) and submitted to the Olympic Council of
Malaysia (OCM) for endorsement.
Under normal
circumstances, OCM endorses the officials the NSAs have nominated to accompany
the athletes but there have been times when the OCM do question the choice if
they find that the official picked to accompany the athletes will not be of any
assistance.
But inevitably the
OCM will bow to the wishes of the NSAs.
Normally, NSAs,
depending on the number of athletes from their sport who have qualified and the
number of officials allocated by the IOC, name a team manager and coaches and
their allocation of an official if only allocated one, normally a team manager
is named.
This is where the
problem lies because the athletes will surely prefer their coach or technical
personnel to accompany them.
There have been cases
when NSA officials have been rewarded with a trip to the Olympics at the
expense of a coach or technical person for the athlete.
Although the quota of
officials accompanying athletes to an Olympics is supposed to be less than
50 per cent of the number of athletes, it normally exceeds, as the
accreditation for officials is transferable.
Since most sports do
not compete at the same time or for the whole duration of the Games, athletes
and officials are only sent to the Games a few days before the start of their
events and return a day after.
The IOC allows the
accreditation of officials who have returned to be transferred to officials of
other sports by cancelling the earlier accreditation. However, the total number
of accreditation at any time cannot exceed the total number allocation to a
nation.
For example, for the
Rio Olympics in 2016, Malaysia competed in 11 sports and were represented by 32
athletes and 40 officials.
Officials besides
team managers, coaches or technical experts, also include the Medical team and
secretariat. The whole contingent is billeted in the Games Village.
Then, we also have
the National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI) who send
additional ‘back-up teams’ who stay outside the Games Village at their own cost
and provide services to the athletes either at where they stay or visit the
Games Village using ‘day passes’.
There have been cases
where the integrity and honesty of officials to serve the athletes have been
questioned.
One case was when an
athlete pleaded with OCM to include a technical staff who had been part of this
team and played a key role in the athlete qualifying for the Games, but had
been left out by the NSA. The athlete had a coach accompanying, but
wanted the technical staff. The NSA had listed a team manager instead.
OCM gave in to the
request of the athlete in the best interest of the athlete to perform. The team
manager also accompanied.
Then, there was an
instance when a manager who had arrived ahead of the athlete, made no
effort to meet the athlete at the airport and the athlete and his coach arrived
early in the morning midway during the Games and were left to fend for
themselves and take the common transport to the Games Village.
Obviously the athlete
let his disappointment be known to the secretariat at the Games Village upon
arrival.
Officials who arrive
before their athletes are common because they want to take part in the march
past during the opening ceremony.
For the opening
ceremony all competing athletes are allowed for the march-past, but there is a
quota for officials determined by the IOC.
For the Rio Games, only
14 officials were allowed. While the full quota for athletes was not taken up,
as some skipped the opening ceremony because they were in action the next day,
while some had not arrived. But the quota for officials was fully taken up.
Then we have officials
who hardly spend time with the athletes or are around when the athletes need
them.
Of course there are
the dedicated officials who are at the service of their athletes 24 hours and
it is not surprising that it is these athletes who perform well.
The race for officials to travel once
the final list of qualified athletes has been determined, and it is hoped that
NSAs take to heart the welfare and interest of their athletes and not to reward
their officials to gain votes for their next election.
Some of the players who shone at the JKR
fields in Cheras in a kickabout outside the building that occupies the grounds.
From left: M Pavalamani, K Kanagarajah, K Murugapillai, K Kanagasabai and A
Jayakanthan.
KUALA LUMPUR: The number of football grounds in the city that
have vanished over the past four decades is staggering.
They were once fertile fields for the development of young
talent and an active production line for some of the best players from the
1950s to the 1980s.
Many of the players, to whom the grounds were “second home”,
went on to gain national acclaim while some became household names.
Today, neighbourhoods are missing the football culture,
community spirit, and the flow of talented players as playing fields have given
way to concrete structures.
FMT picked out the more famous old grounds in Kuala Lumpur that
time has forgotten – landmarks that once helped shape Malaysian football.
Jalan Chan Ah Thong field, Brickfields
Legend
N Thanabalan points to what used to be the Chan Ah Thong ground in Brickfields
where some of the biggest names in Malaysian football used to play.
Then: A “dug-out” field that was popular among boys from the
government service staff at the “100 quarters” on Jalan Rozario and Jalan Chan
Ah Thong, and students from La Salle Brickfields, SMK Vivekananda and SK
Brickfields 1 and 2.
Notable players who rose from here were Selangor and national
players – midfielder Ng Mun Kai (50s), striker N Thanabalan, centreback T
Nagaratnam, leftback Clement Soosay and goalkeeper G Daniel (all 60s), defender
and national skipper, the late M Chandran (late 60s to mid-70s), defenders K
Gunalan and K Ramachandran (late 70s to mid-90s).
The field was first filled and turned into a track for the
‘Shell Traffic Safety Games’ in the mid-80s. In the past 10 years, it was also
used as a temporary food court for former occupants of the famous Pines
restaurants, opposite the La Salle Brickfields school field.
Now: MRCB condominium project in progress.
Brickfields Railway Recreation Club (RRC)
Brickfields
Railway Club ground, the home of football force, Hong Chin FC, made way for
development 20 years ago.
Then: Home ground of Hong Chin FC, a powerhouse from the 60s to
early 80s.
Hong Chin (which means “ever onwards” in Chinese) was started by
the late Charlie Tan and friends. The club now operates from a flat on Jalan
Padang Belia formerly Jalan Kandang Kerbau.
The big names who came through Hong Chin were the late
goalkeepers Chow Chee Keong and Ong Yu Tiang, Yip Chee Keong, R Subramaniam,
Peter Rajah, Reduan Yunus, John Engketesu, K Gunasegeran and Khalid Ali.
Now: The ground was closed 20 years ago when the land was sold
to YTL for development. Work began recently.
Sentul Railway and 3rd Mile Ipoh Road Railway grounds
Mark Ambrose cant field the believe that development has robbed the Sentul Railway ground which used to be his playground with the many Sentul footballers. Today stands the Sentul Boulevard
Then: Frequented mainly by children of Malayan Railways (KTM)
workers.
Among those who made the mark were Mark Ambrose, his brothers
Ronnie, Peter and Clement, ex-national goalkeeper Chinna Karuppan, centreback
Joe Soosay (Malaya 1957), midfielder Kassim Abdullah and former national coach
N Raju.
Now: Sentul Boulevard (blocks of shops and offices) stand on the
Sentul Railway ground while Sentul West occupies the Ipoh Road ground.
What used to be the Ipoh Road Railway ground and is Sentul West
3rd Mile JKR grounds, Cheras
From left K. Murugarpilai, K. Kanagarajah, M. Pavalamani, A. Jayakanthan and K. Kanagasabai discussing what happened to promised field in place of the two JKR fields in Cheras
Then: These two fields were also the training grounds for the
Selangor and national squads as well as visiting teams to the Merdeka
tournament in the 70s.
Apart from children of City Hall staff whose quarters were close
by, youths from surrounding areas like Jalan Peel, Jalan Cochrane, Sungei Besi
and Pudu also made it their turf.
Notable players include goalkeepers Lim Fung Kee and M
Pavalamani, K Kanagarajah, Mokhtar Ahmad, A Jayakanthan, Azman Adnan, Mohd
Satar Aziz, Ho Tuck Keong and Wong Fook Keong.
They turned out for teams such as Pemuda Cheras FC, Cheras
United FC, JKR FC, Sukaramai FC, Harimau KL, Malay, Indian, Chinese and Others
(MICO) FC and FT Hindian FC.
Respected coaches like the late Jeswant Singh, PC Dorai, Chow
Kwai Lam and Chinna Karupan began their football journey here.
Now: The grounds made way for development in 2005 and today the
imposing Convention Centre of the Construction Industry Development Board
stands tall.
Selangor Chinese Recreation Club (SCRC) ground, Pudu
The
sore sight of the abandoned Plaza Rakyat stands at the site of the Selangor
Chinese Recreation Club (SCRC) ground, Jalan Pudu.
Then: The club was a breeding ground for Chinese players,
administrative officials, referees and coaches.
SCRC’s most illustrious player was the late midfield maestro
Wong Choon Wah.
Choon Wah was the first player to venture into professional
football in Hong Kong with South China Athletics Association from 1972 to 1974
before Lim Fung Kee, Chow Chee Keong and Yip Chee Keong followed suit.
Other players who came through from SCRC included Ho Hon Seong,
Chow Siew Yai, Wong Fook Choon, Chan Choong Yoon, Ong Chee Keong and See Kim
Seng.
The club’s treasurer, the late Goh Ah Chai went on to serve the
FA of Malaysia (FAM), and Selangor and Kuala Lumpur FAs while the late Koh Guan
Kiat was a Fifa referee.
Now: The club has been without a field after being relocated to
Jalan Damai, Ampang, in the late 80s to make way for the now-abandoned Plaza
Rakyat project (next to Pudu Raya).
Other famous clubs associated with community football were:
·Selangor Indians Association (SIA) at the Kampong Attap ground:
Now, a flyover near the old Istana.
·Umno and Sultan Sulaiman Club at Kampong Baru: Still existing
but under threat from the Kampong Baru redevelopment plan.
·Tamilian Physical Culture Association (TPCA), Raja Muda Stadium,
Kampung Baru: Taken over by National Sports Council for a sports complex.
·Royal Selangor Club ground (also known as Selangor Padang): Now
Dataran Merdeka.
BLOG VERSION
Disappearance of playing fields in the city in the name of development
Former international N. Thanbalan cant believe what was his playing ground at Chan Ah Thong ground in Brickfields now has made way for development
Tony Mariadass
Standfirst: The factory of top footballer players for the nation from
playing grounds around the city has been demolished.
KUALA LUMPUR: With all the main playing fields around the city converted
to concrete structures in the last 30 years, the flow of talented players has
also come to an abrupt halt.
Fields like Jalan Chan Ah Thong and Railway ground in Brickfields,
Railway grounds at Jalan Ipoh and Sentul, two JKR fields at 3rd mile
Jalan Cheras and Selangor Chinese Recreation Club (SCRC) field at Jalan Pudu,
are all memories now.
Playing fields have now been replaced with futsal courts mushrooming
around the city and sports complexes.
The community spirit and neighborhood ground concept has all been
buried, where players could go the fields anytime of the day to kick a ball and
for free.
Football players who have surfaced from around the city fields from the
late 50s to 80s and were household names but today these fields have become a death
knell.
Among the other
famous fields and associated with community football and clubs, include the Selangor
Indians Association (SIA) using the Kampong Attap ground (now a flyover near
the Old Istana), UMNO and Sultan Sulaiman Club at Sultan Sulaiman Club at
Kampong Baru(still exist but under threat under the Kampong Baru development
plan), Tamilian Physical Culture Association (TPCA), using the Raja Muda
Stadium Stadium at Kampung Baru (now taken over by National Sports Council to
be sports complex) and Royal Selangor Club ground (now Dataran Merdeka).
Jalan Chan Ah Thong
field at Brickfields:
This field which was a small-sized field in a dug-out, but it produced
several state and national players from the 50s.
It was first filled up and turned into a track for “Shell Traffic
Safety Games” in the mid-80s and in the late 90s closed, as the land was
acquired for development.
But work to build a condominium project only began a few years ago and
work is still in progress under MRCB.
For most of the boys who stayed around the area in Brickfields, especially
at the ‘100 quarters’ on Jalan Rozario, and Jalan Chan Ah Thong, it was their
playground.
The ‘100 quarters’ comprise ten blocks of ten houses for Government
Service staff.
It was also a playing ground for students from schools in the vicinity
- La Salle Brickfields, SMK Vivekananda and SK Brickfields 1 and 2.
Among the notable players who rose from here include Selangor and
national midfielder Ng Mun Kai in the 50s, striker N. Thanabalan, centreback
T. Nagaratnam, left back Clement Soosay and goalkeeper G. Daniel, who hogged Selangor
and national team in the 60s and defender and national skipper, late M.
Chandran, who came to the scene in the late 60s and went on to play into the
mid-70s before becoming a Selangor and national coach.
In the late 70s to mid-90s saw players who had links with the Chan Ah
Thong field like international defenders K. Gunalan and K. Ramachandran, KL
striker R. Sunder, 1997 World Youth Cup team defender and captain M. Gopalan,
KL and Perlis striker Zulfikar Rajamohan and Samy brothers, strikers Hemadas,
Nathakumar and Thayalan, who all played for KL and national youth teams, make
their mark.
Brickfields Railway Recreation Club (RRC):
RRC
clubhouse was also located on the grounds, and was the home ground of private
football club, Hong
Chin Football Club - who once were the household name and pride of Selangor and
Malaysian football in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
The field was closed 20 years ago, when the land
was sold for development but only recently work has started under YTL.
Hong Chin, officially registered in 1968, was a unique football club because it was a community football based
club, run by passionate and volunteers, who had to source for funds and most of
the time contributed themselves. The club was formed to provide
budding youngsters of the area a chance to become good footballers by
harnessing their talent.
Among the
notable players who have come through Hong Chin include the likes of Lai Kok
Kim, Tan Kim Meng, Khalid Ali, Reduan, Lim Hong Hock, K. Gunasegeran, Lim Then
Guan, Engketesu, Peter Ambrose, Chan Chee Mun, Abdullah Ali, Yip Chee Keong, R.
Subramaniam, Peter Rajah, Reduan Yunus and late Chow Chee Keong and Ong Yu
Tiang. Many of them turned out for Selangor and the national team.
Hong Chin, which means ‘ever onwards’ in Chinese, was started by the
late Charlie Tan and a group of friends from Scott Road, Brickfields (now known
as Jalan Tun Sambanthan).
Charlie and his friends even rented a flat for their clubhouse (26A,
Jalan Padang Belia – formerly Jalan Kandang Kerbau off Brickfields) facing the
former Railway Recreation Club (RRC).
Michael Yei,
a veteran of Hong Chin FC, recalled his association with the club and football
those days: “I grew up in the Scott Road/Jalan Kandang Kerbau (now Jln Tun
Sambanthan) vicinity. My early days of playing football was on the Railway
Recreation Club (RRC) field, the YMCA Field and the Jalan Chan Ah Thong Field.
These were the three famous football venues in the Brickfields area. During
those days, crowds used to gather around these fields practically every evening
to watch football games under the auspices of the Football Association of
Selangor (FAS).
“Monday,
Wednesday and Fridays were Commercial League games whilst Tuesdays and
Thursdays were for the Open League. The popular teams then were Sharpees
(mainly comprising Indians) and Hong Chin (mainly comprising Chinese).
“The RRC
Field was also the “home” for Sharpees. Hong Chin were in Division One whilst
Sharpees were in Division 2. I began my footballing days playing for Sharpees
and subsequently, the late Charlie Tan approached me to join Hong Chin.”
Charlie was
largely instrumental for opening Hong Chin to receive players from other races.
Then there was the period when they had an influx of players from Victoria Institution
led by Tan Kim Chuan and others like M. Indran, Dina Bandu (Datuk Dina Rizal
now), Michael Yap and Yap Kian Fui.
Sentul Railway and 3rd Mile Ipoh Road Railway grounds:
A former railway
hub, Sentul, had two railway grounds, which were popular for residents around
the area, mainly children of workers of Malayan Railways.
Today both fields have
disappeared, since YTL Land had unveiled its master plan to redevelop Sentul in the
90s, a multi-billion-ringgit project which had stalled during the 1997/1998
Asian financial crisis.
The urban renewal project,
started in 2002.
In the last 12 years, Sentul has
been given a massive makeover with the projects and Sentul West stands on the
Ipoh Road ground while Sentul Boulevard (blocks of shops and offices) stand on
the Sentul ground.
“Sentul
and Ipoh Road fields brings back memories of yesteryear that cannot be
forgotten,” said Mark Ambrose, 71, who has been staying in Sentul since 1957.
“Many of
the railwaymen's children and others staying around Sentul have graced the
field with love affection and pride,” said Mark, whose father was a clerk with
the Railways.
“I for
one will never forget the beautiful days when after school and work, these fields
were our second home,” said Ambrose who played for MCIS in the Selangor League.
The
Ambrose family also saw Ronnie play for the Asian Youth and Selangor, Peter
played for Selangor and Clement who played at Selangor League level and became
a national referee.
Other
players who excelled to play for Selangor and national from Sentul include from
centreback Joe Soosay (Malaya 1957)- national goalkeepers China Karuppan and G.
Daniel- national goalkeeper, late Chow Chee Keong and striker Yip Chee Keong -
national and professional football in Hongkong, midfielder Kassim Abdullah and
Guna Retnam – Selangor and national - and N. Raju – national coach.
3rd
Mile JKR Fields:
These two fields were not just community fields for
residents and clubs in the area, but was also training grounds for the
Selangor, national team and visiting teams to the Merdeka tournament in the
70s.
The field has made way for development in 2005 and today
the massive Convention Centre Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)
stands in place.
“We were told that a piece of land would be located at the
CIBD and a field will be there. The piece of land is there but no field,” said
M. Pavalamani, former national and Kuala Lumpur and Sabah custodian.
“These two fields have been our playing ground for years,
especially for the children of City Hall staff whose quarters were close by. We
had players coming from nearby areas like Peel Road, Cochrane Road, Sungei Besi
and Pudu,” said the 56-year-old Pavalamani.
Speedy winger K.Kanagarajah, who was among the pioneers to
put Cheras on the football map said he eats, breath and sleeps football and it
was the JKR fields which saw fall in love with football.
“We grew up in this
fields, but today we had to move to Sri Johor which is a far cry in terms of
quality, where I still conduct coaching clinics for youngsters ages from all
races,” said the 63-year-old Kanagarajah, who last played for Selangor in 1987
after making his debut in1978.
He also played in the Asian Youth championship in 1977 and at
national level, he played for the National B team and has four international
caps with the senior team.
Kana as he is affectionately known, has won five Malaysia
Cup winners and two runners up medals, and 1984 was a very memorable year for
him, as Selangor were treble champions - Charity Shield, League and Malaysia
Cup
Two players before him who came from Cheras, include
goalkeeper Lim Fung Kee and Mokhtar Ahmad.
Others players who have donned Selangor, KL or national colours, include S.
Thanaskodi, the late K. Ravindran, A. Jayakanthan, Azman Adnan, S. Tamilarasan,
late V. Gunalan, S. Mathen, Mohd Satar Aziz, K. Murugapillai, K. Kanagasabai,
K. Dandorangan, Ho Tuck Keong and Wong Fook Keong to name a few.
Coaches who coached here include late Jeswant Singh, PC
Dorai, Chow Kwai Lam, Chinna Karupan and Kanagarajah.
These players turned out for teams form this grounds –
Pemuda Cheras FC, Cheras United FC, JKR FC, Sukaramai FC, Harimau KL, Malay,
Indian, Chinese and Others (MICO) FC and FT Hindian FC.
Selangor
Chinese Recreation Club ground, Pudu:
The club and ground was breeding ground for Chinese
players, administrative officials, referees and coaches which was had to move
out in the late 80s in the name of development – Plaza Rakyat.
The project is only half completed, as the actual ground
where SCRC stood, the project has been abandoned for years now.
The most illustrious player who rose from SCRC is the late
international midfield maestro Wong Choon Wah.
Choon Wah was the first player to venture into professional
football in Hong Kong with South China Athletics Association from 1972 to 1974
before the likes of Lim Fung Kee, Chow Chee Keong and Yip Chee Keong followed
suit.
Other players who came through from SCRC include Ho Hon
Seong, Chow Siew Yai, Ho Tuck Keong, Wong Fook Choon, Chan Choong Yoon Ong Chee
Keong and See Kim Seng.
The late Goh Ah Chai,
the club’s treasurer went on to State level with Selangor, Kuala Lumpur FA and
national, the late Koh Guan Kiat emerged as a FIFA referee from SCRC, while
late firebrand coach, Chow Kwai Lam was also from SCRC.
The club is now relocated at Jalan Damai, in Ampang, at a
bungalow without any playing field.
