Football Association of Sarawak

Football Association of Sarawak
Persatuan Bolasepak Sarawak
AbbreviationFAS
Formation1974
FounderDatuk Mohamad Taha Ariffin
PurposeFootball association
HeadquartersStadium Negeri, Petra Jaya
Location
Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman
WebsiteFA Sarawak

Football Association of Sarawak (FAS; Malay: Persatuan Bolasepak Sarawak) is the governing body of football for the Malaysian region of Sarawak. Its parent body is the Government of Sarawak (Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak) and also supported by Asian Football Confederation (AFC), UEFA, and FIFA. FAS main objectives include developing football in schools & universities, focusing on local & regional football developments especially among women and youth communities in Sarawak, promoting more national and international football events, focusing on the high performance coaching skills and professional football techniques, and improving both amateur & professional football clubs in Sarawak.

History

Football pitches have existed in the Kingdom of Sarawak before the World War I, such as in Bidi, Buso, Dalian, and Rajang River. In 1824, a club named Kuching Wanderers was formed, mainly consisting of Europeans ancestry.[1] On 16 January 1928, Kuching Wanderers were transformed into Kuching Football Club. They played at local tournaments, most notably the James Buchanan Cup, named after the fifteenth President of the United States. Regular matches stopped in 1933 as several players left the country due to the world's economic slump. The following year, the Kuching Football Association was officially founded.[1] From the 1950s until 1963, Sarawak competed in the Borneo Cup together with North Borneo football team and Brunei national football team.[2] Following the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, the team subsequently joined the mainstream Malaysian football. However, in the 1970s, Sarawak football faced a decline and the management went bankrupt. The current Football Association of Sarawak was founded in 1974 by Datuk Mohamad Taha Ariffin with assistance from the Sarawak government. Its constitution was subsequently rewritten with a major overhaul, and the team established the Sarawak Cup. Sarawak qualified into the Malaysia Cup for the first time in 1978.[3]

Officials

Executive committee

As of 2025[4]

Position Name
President Malaysia YB Dato Fazzrudin Haji Abdul Rahman
Deputy president Malaysia YB Datuk Hamzah Brahim
Vice presidentMalaysia Tuan Haji Sophie Haji Shariee
Malaysia kr.Khairulddin Qalam Daud
Malaysia Nichol Agoi
Malaysia ASP Khairul Anuar Adeni
Malaysia Mohd Haical Abdullah
General secretary Malaysia Hasnandi Bin Mohd Jennis

Competitions

The Sarawak Football Association has organized the following club competitions:

Association affiliations

There are 12 football associations affiliated to the FAS.

  • Kuching F.A.
  • Samarahan F. A.
  • Serian F. A.
  • Sri Aman F. A.
  • Betong F. A.
  • Sarikei F. A.
  • Mukah F. A.
  • Sibu F. A.
  • Kapit F. A.
  • Bintulu F. A.
  • Miri F. A.
  • Limbang F. A.

Notable affiliations

Clubs in the higher league competitions affiliated to the Sarawak Football Association include:

References

  1. 1 2 "History". Football Association of Sarawak. 9 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Neil Morrison (31 March 2011). "Borneo Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Malaysia 1979". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Fazzrudin Presiden FAS baharu". Suara Sarawak. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.