Chua (centre, right) hands over the official Jin Hua Sport Club kit to team captain Wong Sai Kong prior to the kick-off. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: A friendly football match was played between Jin Hua Sport Club and KK Selection led by former Sarawak team captain Bobby Chua at the state stadium on Monday.
The match, a warm-up for Jin Hua Sport Club which is competing in the ongoing Datuk Sim Kui Hian Cup however ended with a 4-0 victory for KK Selection.
“The (KK) team are very experienced and strong,” said Jin Hua Sport Club vice-president Alexander Sim Kwang Ann after the match.
Despite the loss, Jin Hua team have learned a lot throughout the game to fuel their determination to make a mark for themselves in the Datuk Sim Kui Hian Cup which is being played at Jubilee Ground from Oct 22 to Nov 26.
Chua meanwhile said his company, Beemax Enterprise, was the main sponsor of Jin Hua Sport Club for this tournament to encourage more young people from the Chinese community to play football.
“If we look at our national league today there are hardly any Chinese players which is a stark contrast to the situation in the 90s,” said Chua, who left the Sarawak team in 2004 at the age of 38.
By sponsoring Jin Hua Sport Club, Chua hoped that other companies would follow in their footsteps and provide support to rising local clubs to enter competitive tournaments.
Jin Hua Sport Club is also calling more members to join them as a platform to inculcate healthy living through sports. Call Alexander Sim at 016-8996112 for more information.