SHAH ALAM: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh feels that the 2023 National Women’s League (NWL) has the potential to be a turning point in women’s football in the country.
She said the creation of the women’s league could instil an interest in the game among young girls.
“Girls watching the NWL will think that they too can play in it. So, from there, we can unearth more (girls) to play football. I will hold town hall sessions with women players and coaches to look into this ecosystem.
“If we want to have more women coaches, then we must establish more clubs. If we want more clubs, then we need to have sufficient funds and sponsors. So, this ecosystem must be strengthened if we want to develop women’s football,” she said at the launch of 2023 NWL at the UiTM Stadium here today.
Also present was Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, who said the NWL is not only capable of becoming a career platform for the players but also beneficial to the national women’s team.
Hamidin said FAM would strive to attract more clubs and state teams to participate in the NWL in the coming editions.
Commenting on the involvement of corporate sector sponsors to further expand the NWL, he said FAM is working on getting as many sponsors as possible.
“But they (the sponsors) may want to see how the (women’s) league progresses first... we hope that in three to four years we will see an improvement (in terms of sponsors’ involvement),” he said.
The 2023 NWL will officially kick off on Nov 5 with six teams - Pahang Malaysian Sports School, Malaysian University, Sabah, Kelana United FC, LMS Tigress and Selangor FC - vying for glory.-Bernama
