Monday, August 31, 2020

Merdeka Stadium survives test of time and development

By Tony Mariadass

HAPPY 63TH MERDEKA DAY

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



Saturday, August 22, 2020

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET - SCRAMBLE FOR THE OLYMPICS

FMT

Tony Mariadass

 

August 22, 2020 10:00 AM

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.

Ends.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

FOOTBALL HOTBEDS THAT LAUNCHED STARS, FORGED SOLIDARITY

FMT

Tony Mariadass

 


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.

 

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