A brand new year presents itself with a brand new opportunity and as the Ministry of Education League Cup (MELC) 2016 open its campaign this week, the expanded league will hopefully see more quality players coming through the ranks.
This year will be the ninth season of the premier youth football league in the country and over the years, the league has grown to be hugely popular with state FAs now taking a more proactive stance on the position of the MELC as a factory to produce players of the future.
Several states have already formed partnerships with the schools and giving coaching assistance to the budding talents.
“Certainly the league has grown competitive but we should look at playing at an even higher level especially when at the Asian Schools meet, we are still a little lagging. But definitely, the MELC is much better than the carnival-based tournaments which we used to have,” said National Youth Coach Richard Scully.
“With the expanded league (following the addition of three teams from the National Football Development Programme), the league should be more competitive although I would like to stress on the need for more coaching exposure for our coaches.
“My expectation for this year would be to see how SMK Bukit Nenas (from Terengganu) and also SMK Tunku Anum (from Kedah) will respond after their disappointing season in 2015. That will make the league all the more interesting.”
The three teams from the NFDP programme are the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (U14), Bukit Jalil Sports School (U14) and also Gambang Sports School (U13).
SSM Putrajaya is also making their debut this year with a team in the U14 and also U17 league.
If the season in 2015 has proven anything, it is that the MELC has not only grown in stature but also in terms of competitive edge. Gone were the days where the league was dominated by just one or two teams with high scores a common occurrence on each weekend.
For the first time in years, powerhouses like SMK Tunku Anum (main pix), SMK Bukit Nenas and even SMK Mutiara Impian from Penang were given several doses of reality. They no longer hover the other teams like they used to.
And for the first time too, the three silverwares of the 2015 season were shared by three different teams.
With SMK Mutiara Impian winning the season opening Charity Shield while the U14 crown were snagged by SMK Zaba of Negeri Sembilan and the U17 title going to the way of the Under-16 team of the Bukit Jalil Sports School.
For the record, it was the first ever crown for the Kuala Pilah side in any division.
“First and foremost in 2016, we are just looking at maintaining performance as this is more important than aiming to win the title. That will come later in the year,” said Mazwan Mohd Mansor from SMK Zaba.
“It has to be realized that at the U14 level, it is more developmental than anything else. Of course we want to defend the crown but it is far better that we emphasized on the performance first.
“I believe that this year will be more competitive when compared to 2015 as the addition of a team from Bukit Jalil will give the other teams in the U14 division a tough time for sure.”
Certainly more can be expected from the MELC in 2016 where the expanded league will allow for more participation of players where they will be given the right training throughout the week and competition matches on the weekend.
To the uninitiated, the MELC is very much similar to the top flight of the Malaysian Super League with players travelling and playing matches on the weekend while studying and training during the week.
UNDER-14
GROUPINGS
SUPER LEAGUE: SMK Za’ba (Negeri Sembilan), SMK Syed Hassan (Perlis), SMK Seksyen 11 (Selangor), SMK Bukit Nenas (Terengganu), SMK Seberang Temerloh (Pahang), SMK Putera (Kelantan), SMK Tabuan Jaya (Sarawak), Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (U14), Bukit Jalil Sports School (U14)
PREMIER LEAGUE: SMK Mutiara Impian (Pulau Pinang), SMK Tunku Anum (Kedah), SMK Seri Titiwangsa (Wilayah Persekutuan), SMK Seri Kota (Melaka), SMK Tun Hussein Onn (Johor), SMK Gunung Rapat (Perak), SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin (Sabah), Gambang Sports School (U13), MSS Putrajaya.
UNDER-17
GROUPINGS
SUPER LEAGUE: SMK Za’ba (Negeri Sembilan), SMK Syed Hassan (Perlis), SMK Seksyen 11 (Selangor), SMK Bukit Nenas (Terengganu), SMK Seberang Temerloh (Pahang), SMK Putera (Kelantan), SMK Tabuan Jaya (Sarawak), Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (U16 and U15).
PREMIER LEAGUE: SMK Mutiara Impian (Pulau Pinang), SMK Tunku Anum (Kedah), SMK Seri Titiwangsa (Wilayah Persekutuan), SMK Seri Kota (Melaka), SMK Tun Hussein Onn (Johor), SMK Gunung Rapat (Perak), SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin (Sabah), Gambang Sports School (U15), MSS Putrajaya.
