Monday May 13, 2013

Shah Alam in need of futsal stadium to host big tournaments, says mayor

By CHRISTINA LOW
christinalow@thestar.com.my

Teams in action at the Shah Alam Mayor’s Cup Futsal Tournament 2013 recently.

IF ALL goes well, a futsal stadium will be built in Shah Alam soon, said mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan.

He said the city needed an arena where it could organise futsal tournaments on a larger scale.

“The sport is popular in Shah Alam but we are not able to host any big tournaments. Every arena is so small, there is no space for fans to come and watch the matches,” he said at the launch of the Shah Alam Mayor’s Cup Futsal Tournament 2013 recently.

He added that finding a location in a former factory lot with the allocated budget was not an easy task.

“It is expensive to buy these lots even though many have been left vacant,” Mohd Jaffar said, adding that Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) was on the lookout for other alternatives.

Once complete, the stadium will have five futsal courts with a centre court complete with large seating capability for spectators to watch the featured match.

“The courts can also be used for street soccer matches when there are no futsal tournaments,” Mohd Jaafar said at the two-day tournament held at Frenzy Sport Arena in Section 16, Shah Alam.

The annual competition attracted some 80 teams from across the country for its three categories — men’s open, women’s open and children under-12.

Mohd Jaafar said there were an additional 20 teams on the “waiting” list as the arena could not accommodate such a large number of players.

“With a bigger arena in the future, we will be able to accommodate more participants and not turn them down,” he added.