KUCHING: Football is more than just the 22 players on the pitch, as the PETRONAS Youth Football Champions League (PYFCL) continued to provide a competitive platform for Sarawak’s youth that culminated with the final held at the Sarawak Stadium on Saturday night.
Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information and UKAS), Datuk Abdullah Saidol, praised the collective effort behind the tournament, crediting organisers, sponsors, parents and volunteers for creating an environment that supports youth development through sport.
“Football is not just about the 22 players on the pitch. It involves many people behind the scenes, and we witnessed an entertaining match, especially in the last 15 minutes when the young players went all out on the field,” he said.
Abdullah highlighted PETRONAS’ role in providing a valuable platform for young players to showcase their talent in what he described as the world’s most popular sport, stressing that involvement and exposure were just as important as results.
“We must applaud PETRONAS for providing this platform for Sarawak’s youth to be involved in football, which is the most popular sport in the world,” he added.
He also commended the strong turnout at the stadium, noting that the presence and encouragement of parents played a crucial role in motivating players, particularly at the Under-14 and Under-16 levels.
“The biggest support for young players comes from their parents. Behind every success is the encouragement of family,” he said in his address.
Abdullah stressed that youth tournaments should be viewed as avenues for character-building rather than purely competition, adding that the tournament helped instil values such as teamwork, emotional control and respect for instructions from coaches.
He expressed hope that continued support and proper development would see more young talents progress to represent Sarawak and potentially the nation in the future.
Meanwhile, PETRONAS Sarawak General Manager, Norazibah Md Rabu, said that PYFCL 2025 is a platform where the values of discipline, teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship are nurtured.
She stressed that investing in youth is not a choice, but a responsibility and a trust towards future generations.
“The league, held from July 4 to Sept 13, 2025 (Kuching Edition), Oct 4 to Nov 22, 2025 (Bintulu Edition), and now PYFCL 2025, saw a total of 819 matches played, involving 40,755 minutes of football and producing 1,116 goals,” she said.
She added that every goal scored was more than just a statistic, reflecting the creativity, courage and fighting spirit of Sarawak’s young players, which proved that the state’s youth talent has great potential to continue developing to a higher level.
The PETRONAS Youth Football Champions League 2025 featured two categories: PSK14 and PSK16.
In the PSK14 category, Cascara Junior won the championship, followed by Sekolah Sukan Negeri Sarawak as runner-up.
Mukah FA and Al Mateem Football Academy shared third place.
In the PSK16 category, KV Miri Landas Youth Team claimed the title, with My Team X SMKAI finishing second.
Kelab Pembangunan Bola Sepak SMK Sri Matang and Sarikei FA tied for third place.
