Ong Kim Swee
KUCHING- There is a need to encourage more people to become football coaches with the aim to promote the development of the game at grass root level.
There are many promising local footballers who can become coaches in the near future but they do not have proper guidance and direction to channel their hidden talents.
There few notable former state players who have become coaches to local teams but they are not aware of the bright prospects in taking the job seriously just like Ong Kim Swee and Mazlan Wahed who played for Sarawak’s Bujang Senang outfit in the 1990s.
Both are from Melaka and are currently in charge of Team A and B of Harimau Malaya juniors.
Ong will always be remembered as one of Sarawak’s pillar of strength in the midfield while Mazlan was the top custodian when the Bujang Senang went on the rampage during its heyday.
But to become a full fledged football coach is not a bed of roses and is not as easy as it seems just what Sarawak Football Development Programme (SFDP) Director Lucas Kallang had pointed out to The Borneo Post yesterday.
“They must achieve certain level of qualifications first in order to become a football coach,” said Lucas on the bare facts of becoming a football coach who must be well equipped with the necessary training and education.
A qualified coach himself, Lucas had a training stint in the United Kingdom and was assisting former state chief coach, Alan Vest when Ong and Mazlan were playing for Sarawak.
According to him, the appointment of Ong and Mazlan to the national junior squads augurs well for development of former players to become coaches and he is also proud of their achievements.
“We at SFDP is only focussing on the development of players at school levels but we do work with the teachers in coaching them (players),” said Lucas on how SFDP is getting the support from teachers in training and coaching its target group.
“We would like to see more football tournaments to be organised for the under -12, under-18 and under-20 so that they can compete among themselves,” said Lucas while expressing hope for more tournaments to be held locally.
For the record, among the aims for setting up SFDP is to identify and groom young footballers who can take the road less travelled due to the constraints faced by Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) in taking in local players in its stable.
Once the desired standards are achieved and worth the money, perhaps they can seek fortunes with other state teams.
Meanwhile, state chief coach Roberts Alberts will be assisted by former state Pahang Sukma coach David Usop for next year’s Premier League campaign while Farhan Abdullah will be coaching the President’s Cup squad.
David’s appointment to the state’s number two coaching job augurs well for the development of local coaches while Farhan’s experience with the senior squad will come handy as he aims to take the junior Crocs to a higher level.
In his younger days, David was former Ngap Sayot player and played for Sarawak Housing Development Corporation (PERUMAHAN) before being roped by Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) to take charge of the Sukma squad.
If the current trend persists, perhaps more local coaches can look forward to better days ahead and continue working hard towards securing the top coaching job with the state senior team.