FORMER national hockey ace Faizal Saari, 34, who officially retired from the national team in February this year, is now working on establishing his own hockey academy in the Klang Valley.
When contacted by theSun, Faizal, who earned 302 caps with the Speedy Tigers, said the effort is currently underway with the help of former schoolmates from Sekolah Sukan Bandar Penawar (SSBP), now known as Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail (SSTMI).
The prolific striker, widely regarded as one of the best forwards in Asia, added that his schoolmates were also once part of Malaysia’s national junior team.
Originally from Terengganu, Faizal said his passion for coaching began even before he retired from the national team, but he was unable to fully commit to it while still donning the national jersey.
According to Faizal, his mission is to groom a trio of lethal forwards capable of breaking into the national team and elevating the Speedy Tigers on global stage.
“My main goal is to produce killers… my expertise is in the attacking line, so I want to nurture three feared strikers. That’s my mission which is to develop three sensational attackers in the same era who can become the focal point of the national team’s offence. Hockey formations use three strikers, so that’s what I’m aiming for,“ he said.
To achieve this, he is collaborating with Region Sport Hockey Club (RSHC) based in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru.
“I’m currently working with Region Sport Hockey Club because I have old teammates here from our junior playing days. I also studied at SSTMI. My goal is to pass on my knowledge to young players and the response has been really encouraging, especially during a recent two-day coaching session in Johor.”
He added that the rise of private hockey academies not only helps revive the sport locally but also gives more players a chance to extend their careers and expand the national talent pool.
“I plan to bring this academy to the Klang Valley and have already started taking steps in that direction.”
Meanwhile, RSHC president Mohd Norrashid Ramlan, said the club was established in 2019 after he returned from Singapore, where he coached a junior hockey club.
He explained that the club’s mission is not only to discover new talent but also to guide young athletes in shaping their hockey careers.
“Hockey isn’t an easy career path, especially now. Many former national junior players eventually pivot to coaching due to a lack of opportunities at the senior level,” he said.
Mohd Norrashid shared his own story, saying his last playing stint was with Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya during the 2006 Junior Hockey League. He didn’t receive any offers from senior teams and eventually returned to Johor before moving to Singapore to work.
There, he met a hockey enthusiast named James Chew, who owned his own club in Singapore, a meeting that he says changed his life.
“At one point, I felt lost and thought my hockey career was over. Initially, I was doing regular jobs in Singapore, but things changed after meeting James,” he said.
James encouraged him to return to the sport and helped him pursue coaching qualifications while introducing him to the local hockey community.
“I started coaching James’ junior players and, to facilitate my travels across the border, I worked at a warehouse owned by one of the players’ parents,” he said.
Mohd Norrashid now holds a Level 2 coaching certification from the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, and there are four other former national junior players on the RSHC coaching team.
Notably, one of RSHC former player, Kamarul Zaman Kamaruddin, has since made it to the national squad and is a Youth Olympic gold medallist and FIH 5s World Cup silver medallist.