KUALA LUMPUR: The number of football pitches in the city that have disappeared in the last 4 decades is staggering.
They were once fertile fields for the progression of youth skill and an active production line for some of the players from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Many players, for whom the field was a “second home,” continued to gain national fame, while some have become well-known names.
Today, neighborhoods lack the football culture, network spirit and talent of players, while playgrounds have given way to concrete structures.
The FMT chose the most famous ancient terrains of Kuala Lumpur that time has forgotten: monuments that once helped Malaysian football.
Jalan Chan Ah Thong Field, Brickfields
Next: An “excavated” plot that was popular with the boys of the government staff of the “100 neighborhoods” of Jalan Rozario and Jalan Chan Ah Thong, and scholars of La Salle Brickfields, SMK Vivekananda and SK Brickfields 1 and 2.
The notable players who left here were Selangor and national players: midfielder Ng Mun Kai (50), striker N Thanabalan, central defender T Nagaratnam, left-back Clement Soosay and goalkeeper G Daniel (every 60), national defender and skipper, M Chandran defeated (defeated 1960 in the mid-1970s) Defenders of the parent K Gunalan and K Ramachandran (from the 1970s to the mid-1990s).
The box was first filled and became an airstrip for the Shell Road Safety Games in the mid-1980s. For more than 10 years, it has also been used as a transitional food court for former occupants of the famous Pines restaurants across the street from Grounds of La Salle Brickboxs School.
Now: MRCB condo in motion.
Brickfields Railway Recreation Club (RRC)
Next: Home of Hong Chin FC, a power plant since the early 1980s.
Hong Chin (meaning “always forward” in Chinese) introduced Charlie Tan and his friends through the past. The club now operates from an apartment in Jalan Padang Belia formerly Jalan Kandang Kerbau.
The big names that passed through Hong Chin were the deceased guardians Chow Chee Keong and Ong Yu Tiang, Yip Chee Keong, R Subramaniam, Peter Rajah, Reduan Yunus, John Engketesu, K Gunasegeran and Khalid Ali.
Now: the land was closed 20 years ago when the land was sold to YTL for development. Work has started recently.
Sentul Railway and Mile Ipoh Road Railway
Then: Frequented basically through the youth of Malaysian railway staff (KTM).
Among those who made their mark were Mark Ambrose, his brothers Ronnie, Peter and Clement, former national goalkeeper Chinna Karuppan, central defender Joe Soosay (Malaysia 1957), midfielder Kassim Abdullah and former national coach N Raju.
Now: Sentul Boulevard (blocks of department stores and offices) is located on the grounds of Sentul Railway, while Sentul West occupies the grounds of Ipoh Road.
Mile JKR Plot, Cheras
Then: These two camps were also the land of Selangor and the national groups, as well as the groups that visited the Merdeka tournament in the 1970s.
In addition to the young people of the city corridor whose neighborhoods were nearby, other young people from the surrounding areas such as Jalan Peel, Jalan Cochrane, Sungei Besi and Pudu did so did their territory.
Notable players come with goalkeepers Lim Fung Kee and M Pavalamani, K Kanagarajah, Mokhtar Ahmad, A Jayakanthan, Azman Adnan, Mohd Satar Aziz, Ho Tuck Keong and Wong Fook Keong.
They have come for Pemuda Cheras FC, Cheras United FC, JKR FC, Sukaramai FC, Harimau KL, Malay, Indian, Chinese and others (MICO) FC and FT Hindian FC.
Respected trainers such as Jeswant Singh, PC Dorai, Chow Kwai Lam and Chinna Karupan have their football adventure here.
Now: The earth gave way to progression in 2005 and the Construction Industry Development Board Convention Center remains high.
Selangor Chinese Leisure Club (SCRC) terrain, Pudu
Then: The club is a breeding ground for Chinese players, administrative officials, referees and coaches.
Top illustrious SCRC player, past midfielder Wong Choon Wah.
Choon Wah was the first player to venture into professional football in Hong Kong with the South Chinese Athletics Association from 1972 to 1974 before Lim Fung Kee, Chow Chee Keong and Yip Chee Keong followed suit.
Others from scrC included Ho Hon Seong, Chow Siew Yai, Wong Fook Choon, Chan Choong Yoon, Ong Chee Keong and See Kim Seng.
The club’s treasurer, the vanquished Goh Ah Chai, then served in the Malaysian FA (FAM), and the FA in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, while the late Koh Guan Kiat was a FIFA referee.
Now: The landless club after being transferred to Jalan Damai, Ampang, in the late 80s to make way for the now deserted assignment of Rakyat Square (next to Pudu Raya).
Other prominent clubs related to the network were:
Jeeshen Lee and Caren Tee own and manage Softinn, which supplies software for more than 1,000 hotels in Malaysia and Indonesia.