ISTAF plans to introduce Sepak Takraw Professional League by 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 -- The International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) is looking to introduce the Sepak Takraw Professional League (SPL) by 2020.

Its secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Kader said the league would provide a better platform for sepak takraw players to pursue their interest in the sport, as currently, only a number of players had the opportunity to play for their respective countries and states.

“We have thousands of good players from countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore. Only a few of them, around 12 players, get the chance to play with the national team.

“So SPL will be the opportunity for former national players, as well as players not accepted into the national team, but have the skill and competence, to show their prowess. This can be organised by forming the Professional Sepak Takraw Federation under the patronage of ISTAF,” he told Bernama.

In this regard, Abdul Halim said he will meet with the Asian Football Confederation and International Football Federation to learn on how they organised their respective leagues, after having met with Badminton World Federation secretary-general Thomas Lund on Friday, to discuss about processing and licensing.

Abdul Halim said sepak takraw had huge potential for growth by introducing the professional league, with efforts being made to increase the number of countries playing the sport, to eventually have it included in the Olympic Games.

“Few countries have their own sepak takraw league now. With the introduction of the ISTAF Super Series from 2011 to 2014, I can see that the viewership of sepak takraw spiked up to 1.4 billion viewers from 715 million in 2012.

“The clubs should be owned by corporate bodies, business personalities and passionate leaders. Everything from salaries, insurance, work permits and transfer of players must be done in a professional manner,” he said.

Abdul Halim said the initial plan was to organise the league in two divisions, comprising competitions among countries and clubs, which aims to bring in respectable salaries for players.

-- BERNAMA