KUCHING: From radar rooms to the football field, the men who help watch over the nation’s skies are making an impact in their debut Liga Perdana Tunku 2026 campaign.
CRC FC, a team comprising personnel from the Command Control Reporting Centre 2 (CRC) Kota Samarahan and the Kuching Air Force Base of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), are enjoying an impressive debut season in the Liga Perdana Tunku 2026.
Making their first appearance in the competition this year, the side currently sits second in the standings after defeating Petra Jaya FT 3-1 in their eighth match of the campaign.
According to team manager, Flight Sergeant Shaiful Manshor, CRC FC assembled a team of 25 players and three management personnel, including two managers and a coach to compete in one of Sarawak’s local football leagues.
Reflecting on the latest victory, Shaiful said the match was highly competitive as both teams were fighting for valuable points.
“Both teams wanted to strengthen their positions. We are currently second and wanted to maintain our position while pushing higher up the table, so there was a real fight in the game,” he told Sarawak Tribune recently.
Despite their encouraging performances, CRC FC do not conduct regular tactical training sessions as duty calls in safeguarding the nation’s skies.
Instead, players focus on individual fitness programmes throughout the week, while tactical discussions are carried out informally at the workplace and implemented on match days.
“For training, players do individual sessions, mainly running and fitness work. Tactical discussions are done when we meet on the field.
“At the workplace, we discuss things casually before implementing them during the game,” he said.
Shaiful, who hails from Sungai Petani, Kedah, and has been stationed in Sarawak for about four years, said pre-match, half-time and post-match briefings have become an important part of the team’s preparations and continuous improvement.
“Before every game, we have a briefing. During half-time, we discuss what happened in the first half and what needs to be improved for the second half. After the game, we review everything to prepare for the next match,” he said.
The team also embodies a culture that prioritises teamwork over hierarchy.
Meanwhile, Major Dinnesh Nicolas Rene of the RMAF said the football field is a place where rank and bureaucracy are deliberately set aside.
“These players are people who work with me and are staff at my workplace, but that doesn’t stop me from putting ranks and bureaucracy aside to play together as a team.
“When there is rank involved in sports, that’s the downfall of a sport,” he said.
For the men who help safeguard the nation’s airspace, their mission on weekends is simple – leave their ranks behind, play for one another and continue their impressive rise in the Liga Perdana Tunku 2026.
Next, they play TSI FC at Field C in Petra Jaya this Sunday (June 21).
