THE Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) aims to foster and nurture the love of the game among children of various socio-economic backgrounds, as well as boost women participation in the sport.
Acquiring a whopping RM4.6 mil sponsorship from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) for the development of cricket at the grassroots level, Malaysian cricket edges closer towards its vision – “To be a major sport in Malaysia”.
The sponsorship is aimed at developing the Cricket Adiwira Programme and the Women’s Development Programme.
Through the scope of YSD’s sponsorship, Malaysian cricket has set a road map that enables all children, regardless of their socio-economic background, to play the game under the Cricket Adiwira Programme, thus, creating a generation of children who believe and uphold unity in diversity whilst acquiring a sense of pride as Malaysian sportspersons.
Cricket Adiwira is an entry level programme in schools which can be played either indoors, or outdoors at any time.
MCA has faith and believes that women cricketers in this programme, will shine at the International stage and empower women through the sports.
“We have worked tirelessly over the years to establish structures which would give us the ability to deliver on our aspirations and targets, said MCA president Mahinda Vallipuram.
“We are of the opinion that participation at an early age is key to long term sustainability that will allow Malaysia to be one of the top playing countries in the near future.”
After successfully training more than 1,100 teachers for the programme over the past 12 months, MCA targets to lock in a total of 1,500 schools under Adiwira Cricket in the next three years.
Through the Women’s Development and High-Performance Pathway Programme, MCA aims to showcase the Women’s Under-19 and Senior Women’s teams in the international arena.
Believing that there are no shortcuts, Mahinda elaborated that the advancement of the sport in Malaysia is a journey that will continue to evolve positively.
Meanwhile, YSD chairman Tunku Tan Sri Imran Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar pointed out that they are proud to support the development programme, as funding initiatives for female talent development in sports are few and far between.
Elaborating, he commented that female athletes have the potential to excel and make Malaysia proud just as well, if not better, than their male counterparts. – Dec 27, 2020
