KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to field its first-ever youth national flag football teams as the Malaysia American Football Association (MAFA) prepares to host the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Asia Youth Championships in October.
The association will hold open trials this weekend at Padang Merbok here to select players for three national youth squads – Under-17 boys, Under-17 girls and an Under-15 mixed team. Malaysia will host the championship from Oct 2 to 4 at Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur in Cheras.
Daryll Nathaniel, MAFA co-founder and former president, said students selected for the national squads would also receive Physical Activity, Sports and Co-Curricular Assessment (PAJSK) co-curricular marks through an agreement with the Education Ministry, providing an added incentive to participate.
“Flag football is also now recognised at UiTM (Universiti Teknologi MARA), so these marks help students when they apply to public universities,” he said.
Nathaniel described the tournament as a major milestone for the sport in the region.
He said the association had spent the past four months identifying potential players before narrowing the selection to the final open trials.
Rather than limiting recruitment to existing flag football players, MAFA is casting a wider net to attract talented young athletes from other sports.
“We’re looking for youths who are interested, athletic and already play sports like basketball, netball, athletics and football,” said Nathaniel.
“Even if you don’t know much about flag football, if you’re athletic, you’re welcome to come, experience it and learn the game.”
Nathaniel said the association was particularly keen to encourage greater participation among girls.
“We want to give more opportunities for girls to play new sports. It’s very much in line with efforts to promote women’s participation,” he said.
Nathaniel acknowledged that funding remains one of the association’s biggest challenges.
“At the moment, the players and their families are covering the costs themselves,” he said.
“We’re still looking for corporate sponsors and organisations that would like to support the programme as part of their CSR initiatives.”
The Under-17 boys’ and girls’ squads will each comprise 15 players, while the Under-15 mixed team will consist of 16 players, with equal representation of boys and girls.
On the field, teams play five-a-side, with mixed teams required to alternate their gender combinations between halves to ensure equal playing opportunities.
“Teams that win the coin toss decide whether they want to start with three boys and two girls or three girls and two boys. There are unlimited substitutions. The formation changes in the second half,” Nathaniel explained.
Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Kuwait are expected to compete in the tournament.
Nathaniel believes the tournament marks the beginning of Malaysia’s youth development programme.
“A lot of what we’re doing now is building the sport towards LA28,” he said, referring to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where flag football will make its Olympic debut.
“We’re trying to create sustainability and continuity. It’s not just about one event.
“We’re building a pathway for the sport. This isn’t a one-and-done project. We want to keep growing flag football across Malaysia year after year.”
He said this year’s programme builds on last year’s nationwide grassroots initiative, in which MAFA worked with the National Department of Youth and the Youth and Sports Ministry to organise coaching clinics nationwide.
