Malaysia’s grassroots football development enters a new phase following the unveiling of a revamped National Football Development Programme (NFDP) structure, signalling a renewed push to strengthen the country’s talent pipeline from the academy level.
At the top of the restructured setup is Dato’ Ong Kim Swee, who has been appointed Technical Director, bringing with him vast experience at both club and national levels. He will be supported by Dato’ Dollah Salleh as Assistant Technical Director, forming a leadership duo tasked with shaping the technical direction and long-term philosophy of Malaysian youth football.
A key pillar of the new NFDP framework is coach education and talent identification. Razip Ismail has been named Head of Coach Educators and Talent Scouting, assisted by Abdul Ghani Malek, S. Veloo and P. Ganasamurthy, reinforcing the emphasis on producing not only quality players, but also well-equipped coaches nationwide.
At the Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) level, a clear pathway has been outlined across age groups:
- AMD Under-13 will be led by Hasan Sazali Waras, assisted by Fadzli Shaari and Fauzi Kassim, with Firdaus Mohamad overseeing goalkeeper development.
- AMD Under-14 sees Rusdi Suparman as head coach, supported by Aziz Ismail and Shahril Faizal Sharifudin, while Rozaimi Rohim takes charge of goalkeepers.
- AMD Under-15 will be guided by P. Maniam, alongside assistants M. Lingeswaran and Radzi Salleh, with Norazlan Razali as goalkeeper coach.
- AMD Under-16 is entrusted to former international Shukor Adan, assisted by Lim Chan Yew and Kuizwan Johari, with Farizal Harun handling goalkeeping duties.
- AMD Under-17 will be spearheaded by Noor Zaidi Rohmat, with Armi Sharif and Syahrul Azwari as his assistants.
The refreshed NFDP structure reflects a strategic shift towards clear leadership, specialised coaching roles and continuity across age groups, aimed at ensuring smoother player progression into elite youth and senior national teams.
With proven names now embedded throughout the system, expectations are high that this “new face” of NFDP will provide a stronger foundation for Malaysian football’s future — one built on structured development, technical consistency and long-term vision.
Credit Photo : FAM
