Call For More Attention To Develop women's Football, futsal 

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- The development of women's football and futsal in the country requires consistent and continuous efforts from the grassroots to the elite level, so that teams can at least compete with regional powerhouses.

This view was shared by national women's football and futsal player Fatin Shahida Azmi, who told Bernama that some past tournaments and programmes for women seemed inconsistent and sporadic.

However, she is pleased with the continued organisation of the Women's Super League (WSL) by the  Football Association of Selangor since 2021, as well as the National Women's League (LWN) by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), which for the first time offered a spot in the AFC Women’s Champions League 2024 to the previous edition's champions, Sabah.

Fatin Shahida, 33, who was named Best Player at the 2022 Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup, said that just like men's football, the development platform for women should also start from the bottom and move upwards.

"Currently, only Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are organising women’s leagues. For me, this is a good start because at the beginning of the year, I played in the WSL, followed by the LWN, with tournaments happening throughout the year. I’m also active in futsal at the national level, having won the National Futsal League three times.

"Participation in year-round tournaments helps improve the quality of players and expand the talent pool for women. Previously, some tournaments were introduced, but they were short-lived," she said, adding that female players face many challenges to succeed in their sports careers.

Malaysia have only won a SEA Games medal once, reaching the final in the 1995 edition in Chiang Mai, Thailand, out of the 13 times women's football has been contested at the biennial Games. Vietnam and Thailand dominate the event, winning it eight and five times, respectively.

Fatin Shahida’s love for football began during her childhood, where she spent time playing the sport in Dungun, Terengganu, with her father Azmi Salleh, her brother Mohd Nazrul, and her younger brother Mohamad Shahrizal Azmi.

Sharing her journey, she said she initially played badminton at the state level in Terengganu before switching to futsal at age 17, eventually earning a spot on the T-Team squad.

"As a child, I always played football with my friends on a small field near our home. I was excited, and from there, I learned how to dribble, other skills, and techniques. Every time I played football, I felt happy and stress-free.

"When I decided to take the sport more seriously and pursue it beyond just a passion, my entire family gave me their full support," said Fatin Shahida, who currently works as an Enforcement Assistant at Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).

Fatin Shahida, who won the WSL twice in a row with MBSJ in 2023 and 2024, is determined to help the national futsal squad win a gold medal at next year's SEA Games in Thailand, after settling for bronze in the 2013 Myanmar and 2021 Vietnam editions.

While she hasn’t thought about retirement yet, she already plans to become a coach once she hangs up her boots.

Fatin Shahida, who has completed the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) coaching course, earning a C Licence for football and Level 1 for futsal, aims to pass on her knowledge to the next generation, starting from the grassroots.

She is also involved as a coach for the Adidas Malaysia Girls Football Programme (AMGFP), launched by England legend David Beckham earlier this year.

-- BERNAMA