MHC sign MoU with Australia with eye towards Tokyo Olympics

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation unveiled a grand four-year blue print that includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hockey Australia aimed at Malaysia’s qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

 The MoU with Hockey Australia is said to contain the most comprehensive partnership between any two hockey playing nations. It covers a range of topics and devised towards reciprocal arrangement from grassroots development, umpires, officials, administrative staff, coaches and player exchange.

Malaysia will continue to invite Australia to the annual Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Sultan of Johor Cup tournaments while Australia will extend an invitation to our men and women national teams to their marquee events in 2016 and 2018. 

Malaysian Hockey Confederation Chief Executive Officer, Logan Raj, signed the MoU on behalf of the national governing body while Hockey Australia was represented by its Chief Executive Officer, Cam Vale. The event was witnessed by MHC President, Dato’ Sri Subahan Kamal and other high ranking NSC and MHC officials.

Dato’ Sri Subahan Kamal also disclosed that the MoU’s specific focus will be on the licensing and advocacy of Hookin2Hockey.

“This is a great opportunity for Malaysia to progress. We have much to learn from Australia and it is a fact we must acknowledge. Australia has been the perennial powerhouse of world hockey,” said Dato’ Sri Subahan, who took over the helm of MHC from His Royal Highness Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in May this year.

“The fact that we have come to a common agreement speaks volume of our talent pool. We must use this opportunity to grow,” he said, adding that ‘Hookin2Hockey’ programme will be implemented into the MHC Coaching Education Programme.

Hookin2Hockey is a widely successful development programme in Australia targeted for children below the age of 12.

“It is by far the most elaborate Memorandum of Understanding signed and we are extremely excited that Malaysia is on the same page,” said Vale.

The appointment of Australian Terry Walsh as the Technical Director of MHC is the first step towards MHC’s aspiration in changing Malaysian hockey fortunes under the leadership of Dato’ Sri Subahan and his coaching team of experienced former national players.

It is a known fact that youth development and high performance hockey in the country will receive a big boost from Australia, who has shown the world their brand of total hockey with encouraging results in the World Cup and Olympics.

The blue print, added Dato’ SriSubahan, is primarily geared towards four key areas: National teams and development of hockey competitions awareness to build exciting competitions, developing marketability and awareness, and ensuring proper governance.

Although qualification into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics takes precedence in the five-year blue print, it is also aimed at engaging long term development programmes with other top playing nations, engaging commercial partnership and also reducing MHC debts.

“Gradually we will reduce our debts. As of now we have reduced it from RM2.8 million to RM1.7 million and our aim is to be debt free with an owing aging of below 30 days,” said Dato’ SriSubahan.