New venture: Former Olympian Wendy Ng Yan Yee is the latest coach to leave Malaysian shores after accepting a job offer across the Causeway.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry needs a bigger slice of the pie in order to stop coaches from leaving abroad for more lucrative pay cheques.
Its minister Hannah Yeoh said a larger allocation will also enable the continued hiring of qualified former athletes and coaches in Malaysia and most importantly, to keep them within.
“What’s important is that the salary scheme in Malaysia must be attractive. I cannot stop them if they want to go abroad, to China or Singapore, to gain experience. But what’s crucial is that we want to retain those who are still here,” said Hannah.
Currently, the country’s sports industry is losing skilled professionals as they are enticed by attractive salary packages from foreign entities.
The latest to make the move is former national diver and Olympian Wendy Ng Yan Yee, who has been recruited by Singapore Aquatics as a development coach.
Most national coaching contracts fall under the purview of the National Sports Council (NSC), with the exception of a few sports such as football and badminton.
In addition, the ministry has already implemented a revised salary and allowance scheme under the National Coaching Employment Scheme effective January 2024.
Under this new adjustment, coaches holding the SPJK Level 3 Certificate, the highest qualification certified by the National Coaching Academy will see their monthly salary increase from RM4,500 to RM5,900.
“So, I hope that the existing coaches will remain loyal and continue serving with us. That’s why when I discussed with the Cabinet about the development budget, many questioned why sports require such a high budget, thinking it’s just for recreation. In reality, sports is an industry that is highly competitive, with countries actively investing in it.”
“If we continue using the 1998 scale, we will keep falling behind,” said Hannah.
Thus, given the limited budget, Hannah is calling on corporate bodies and private entities to step forward and provide sponsorships to strengthen the development of local sports.
“On NSC’s side, when we receive the budget for this year, for example, we’ve already planned it out. However, suddenly, a coach might receive an offer from abroad, and we need to make adjustments. At the same time, sports associations are requesting top-ups.”
“The same goes for the National Sports Incentive Scheme (Shakam). When you already have fixed tournaments, athletes might suddenly participate in other competitions and win.
“It’s great that they win, and it’s a good problem when associations start requesting Shakam incentives. But all these will be additional expenses not budgeted for, and NSC isn’t a bottomless agency, we have many commitments to manage,” she added.
