From footballer to President of Bintulu Football Association (BIFA)

BGSS team, wearing dark stripe jersey in 1965 at BDC Padang, Bintulu.
I am at the center front row as captain of the BGSS team (Bintulu Government Secondary School)

1992

In the year 1965, a footballer I became.  Football has been my favourite game since primary school in the early 60's.  When I continued my schooling at BGSS or Bintulu Government Secondary School I became the captain  of its junior soccer team. In 1965 while at Form Two B, our soccer team won the final match  in the Junior Soccer Championship held to promote the game of football among the primary schools and BGSS, the only secondary school then at Bintulu.( see top picture)  My interest in football grew with the times and I continued with the game while I was a teacher in 1975 - 1977.  It was in the early 90's that I became the President of the the Bintulu Football Association (BIFA) which was affiliated with the Sarawak State Football Association. A major achievement while heading BIFA  was when the full BIFA Under 21 team was selected to represent Sarawak to compete  in Kuala Lumpur.  In October 1992, I was the organising chairman of the Sarawak State level "Sarawak Cup" held at the Bintulu Civic Centre.  The BIFA senior team won the prestigious championship title.  It was one of my proudest moments as a footballer and the President of Bintulu Football Association. 

News cutting dated 25 October,1992 (Borneo Post)

To be a President of a football club is basically a volunteer job. There's no salary to the post.   For the five years I headed the Bintulu football association I was assisted by very cooperative and hard working officials, members, coaches, referees, and team managers.  The Bintulu public especially the business sector was very responsive to our fund raising activities.  At the time when I decided to handover the Presidency to new blood, I left the association with a healthy balance of about RM 50,000 in its banking account.  I thought that was the best thing I could do to the association which  courted me to become its president in order to revive it just months before it was about to be de-registered by the Registrar of Societies.   Well, that is all history now.  During my time, Bintulu footballers were a much respected lot, and I felt great to be its President.  I guess it was those secondary school days as a footballer that made me love the game and the passion to lead Bintulu football to state and national level in later chapters of my life. 
Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

1979 - group photo with teachers and invited players . I am sixth at the back row standing.
Picture taken at the SMK Bintulu football field.

(Note: This is the 1st of my post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here. )

The BDC Padang and the footballer in me

Bintulu town in the 60's showing the Kemena River and the airport strip at left of the picture.

Aerial photo of Bintulu town, pre-first boom period (1950's - 1978)
The Bintulu District Council Padang or Padang BDC in Malay is the rectangular open space (partly seen) at the bottom most center part of the picture above.  It is surrounded by two Police barracks (seen at the left of the picture) and some government quarters around the padang edge.  A simple pebbled road connects it to the town as seen at the right of the picture.

In the very early days of Bintulu town especially the period before the first boom which started in 1979, there was only one public football field serving the town population of about 5000 people.  This field can be seen in the top picture.  It was maintained by the Bintulu District Council and as such was fondly named as BDC football field of "Padang BDC" in Malay. " Padang" means field or large open space.  It was here that as a young secondary school student I used to play competitive football.

MOOD (seen kneeling at the centre) as captain of the Bintulu Government Seconday School (BGSS) football team C in striped black and red jersey.........photo taken in 1965

Footballers playing at the BDC Padang in early 1970's ; Note: the Police Barrack is partly seen in the background.
When the first boom catapulted the tiny and sleepy town into a developing and dynamic region, there arose many other public football fields built by the new development authority entrusted to spearhead the town into an industrial showpiece.  I am glad to have played on this humble field in the early 1960's.

( Note: This is a re-post from my blog my Bintulu History (3rd Ed.) and blog link is here. )