KUCHING: The Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) is targeting a mid-August start for the Sarawak Premier League, with new youth participation requirements among the proposals to be considered for the upcoming season.
FAS president Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said the association’s executive committee would meet tomorrow (June 29) to finalise plans for the state’s premier football competition.
“We are targeting the middle of August to kick off the Sarawak Premier League,” he told Sarawak Tribune when officiating the Liga K-LSC here today.
Fazzrudin said the competition is expected to retain last year’s format, which divided participating teams into two zones before the top four sides progressed to the knockout rounds.
“The format will remain the same. Last year, we divided the teams into two zones, with the top four advancing to the quarter-finals and semi-finals,” he said.
He added that registration remains open to divisional football associations, while FAS is also looking at introducing several new competition requirements to further strengthen player development.
Among the proposals under consideration is a rule requiring teams to field a minimum number of Under-21 or Under-23 players, although the final decision will only be made after the executive committee meeting.
“We are still open to entries from the divisional associations. We may introduce several new requirements, which will be decided tomorrow night.
“Among the matters to be discussed is whether teams will be required to include Under-21 or Under-23 players. We want to gradually introduce the new regulations,” he said.
