Kota Kinabalu: A total of 45 players are vying for the final 30 slots in the Sabah FC Youth Cup squad for the upcoming 2025 season.
The number was shortlisted from the initial 400 who had attended the first phase open session conducted by the selection panel led by Jelius Ating at the Likas Stadium from March 13-15.
Sabah Football Association (Safa) vice president Datuk Fairuz Renddan accompanied by Safa’s secretary general Shamsuddin Mohd Shah and executive secretary David Wisom was also present to give encouragement to the players.
The final phase trial for the Under-18 players started at the Likas synthetic pitch on Thursday (March 20) and will end on March 28.
The new Youth Cup season is scheduled to start on April 26 and the pre-season training for the team will begin in early April.
Meanwhile, there has been no official announcement yet on the coaching line-up for the team next season.
However, it is likely Jelius who was the head coach for the President Cup squad last season will be appointed by the management to take over the helm with Burhan Ajui as his assistant.
For the record, the Sabah Under-18 squad did poorly last season in Group A and they finished bottom in 9th place.
They only managed to collect a total of 10 points from two wins, four draws and lost the other 10 matches throughout their campaign.
