PETALING JAYA: Former national women’s doubles shuttler Lee Meng Yean is already looking to raise the bar at her Future Champs Badminton Academy, just nine months after it was established.
Meng Yean recently expanded the academy by opening a new branch at the CPC Sports Centre in Petaling Jaya, which is owned by former national shuttler Chow Pak Chuu.
But as the academy grows, Meng Yean is determined not to compromise on the quality of its coaching.
She wants her coaches to have a strong badminton background, with preference given to those who have at least represented their state.
“I will be based in Sungai Long, but I will still come here to monitor the progress,” said Meng Yean.
“I want to make sure the quality is maintained and I don’t want to simply appoint anyone as a coach at my academy.
“I want coaches who are able to identify talented players and guide them properly so that we can develop more players for the future.
“I’m confident in my experience because I believe that if a coach has competed at a high level before, they will understand what it takes to reach that level,” said Meng Yean after hosting an invitational tournament for media members on Sunday.
Meng Yean is currently also assisted by former national coach from China, Zhang Hongyu.
Meng Yean, who reached a career-high world No. 10 with Chow Mei Kuan, also believes young players should be exposed to a structured training system similar to the one used in the national set-up at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
She believes this will make it easier for them to adapt should they eventually be selected for the national squad.
“I competed at the Olympics and that is valuable experience which not many players have. I can use that experience to guide and share what I know with the younger players.
“Another thing is that the coaching system at my academy is very structured and follows what is taught at the BAM). They have their own system and plan, and so do I.
“Most of the players at my academy are still very young and they can easily become confused if the coaching keeps changing, with one thing being taught today and something different tomorrow.
“So, as I said, our training programme is structured for the whole year and there are targets that the players need to achieve,” she added.
