PETALING JAYA: Former Commonwealth Games silver medallist Ng Tze Yong has begun his journey as an independent player after reporting for training with his new club, Next Level Badminton Academy, on Wednesday (July 1).
His first training session with the academy went smoothly under the watchful eye of coach Soong Joo Ven.
Next LEvel founder and owner Soong Nyen Yew said they already have a plan in place for Tze Yong, although the initial focus will be on helping him settle into the new environment.
"First of all, Tze Yong is being supported by the Next Level Badminton Academy. We are overseeing both his rehabilitation and badminton training for the foreseeable future.
"It is not being handled by the Soong Joo Ven Badminton Academy, as was reported.
"We have four coaches working with him, along with our local and overseas players. We will put together a structured training programme, with the intensity increased progressively based on his physical condition and fitness level," said Nyen Yew.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced last week that it had reached a mutual agreement with Tze Yong to part ways.
The Johor-born shuttler has yet to fully recover from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he sustained last year.
Besides Tze Yong, the academy is also home to several players including Huan Kai Hern, and regularly hosts shuttlers from countries such as India, Australia and the United States for training.
Nyen Yew also welcomed collaborations with companies and organisations interested in supporting the academy's players as they pursue their ambitions of competing at the highest level.
"I understand how difficult and challenging it is for independent players because they have to cover their own training expenses, air tickets, hotel accommodation and daily allowances when competing.
"Most of the lower-ranked players don't even receive a monthly allowance to help with their commitments.
"I want to help these players, especially the local ones, ease their financial burden by covering part of their training costs, airfares or hotel expenses.
"That's why I would like to appeal to companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to consider collaborating with us.
"In return, Next Level Badminton Academy can provide exposure by featuring their logos on our players' tournament shirts at the competitions they take part in," he added.
