Pahang Rangers My New Home

The 3 weeks so far with Pahang Rangers has been crazy. Yes, rumors travel fast, so does good news. The good news is I'm back in Kuantan, the place I grew up in with the aim of contributing back to Pahang. The initial process of applying for the job to negotiating to accepting to actually living it is, to say the least, mind blowing. New place, new environment, new culture and new family. Yang Mulia Tengku Dato' Indera Aidy Ahmad Shah, the Vice President of Pahang Rangers has been kind enough to welcome me and I was introduced to the team and everyone has made me feel welcomed.

Yesterday, we had a nighter. No it wasn’t planned but it definitely gave us a valuable lesson on the need to stick together through thick and thin. A couple of weeks ago as a team we survived the flood in Seksyen 19 Shah Alam and today as a team we fixed the futsal court together. All i only can say is that, anyone can claim they are part of a glam team but only a few can actually testify being truly part of a team. Between working together and actually feeling satisfied with the work we do, is a very fine line.

We have been spending quite a substantial sum of money on friendly matches and training as we do not have our own court. Now that we have our very own ‘playground’ we hope to reduce our expenditure and increase our productivity. After all, who wouldn’t want their own ‘playground’?

To actually want the best for the team involves a lot of sacrifice as it is not a 9 to 6 job. I must thank two special people for making my job easier. Firstly, YAM Tengku Arif Temenggong Tengku Fahad Mua'adzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Shah, the President of Pahang Rangers who has not only been the pillar of strength for all of us at Pahang Rangers but also hands on 24/7. Countless times, Tengku Fahad would be ahead of everyone else in replying to group messages, giving his undivided attention which clearly shows what Pahang Rangers mean to him. Despite his tight schedule, Tengku Fahad has been very supportive and helped me understand the club better.

To think outside the box and make plans for the benefit of the team needs a person who is passionate about the team, someone who puts the team first and has no hidden agenda, a person who doesn’t care about acknowledgements but just wants what is best for the team. I am definitely blessed to be working alongside Muhammad Syahir Ab Aziz, the Team Manager of Pahang Rangers. I don’t know how he balances his time, but he’s been living and breathing Pahang Rangers 24/7. He has been kind enough to teach me the A-Z of futsal. Kid you not, i only learnt this week that the size of a FIFA size futsal court is similar to the size of 3 badminton courts! Haha, funny but all these little details help me to learn, understand and implement better execution for the club.

The Malaysian Primier Futsal League is around the corner, and I wish all the best to all the teams participating in the league. Competition in sport is healthy competition, however let’s all not forget that the only competition we have is with ourselves. Always try to do better and be better for ourselves and it will definitely help our environement.

Written by Mutiara of Women In Football Malaysia