PJ City boys all kitted up and nowhere to practise
PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya (PJ) City’s are ready to return to training. But they have nowhere to train.
Their Petaling Jaya Stadium home in Kelana Jaya is under renovation, while their training ground at Universiti Malaya football pitch is also closed.
Now, they are hoping to get the go-ahead to use the Sime Darby field in Bukit Jelutong next week.
Coach K. Devan said they had conducted swab tests last week and the result came back negative and the players are all fired up to start training after three months of being away from football.
“Our usual training centre at UM comes under the Higher Education Ministry and all universities are closed. M-League teams are also not allowed to train in open fields so our option is very limited,” said Devan.
“The renovation at our home stadium has been completed but we are waiting for the Malaysian Football League’s (MFL) inspection. We also have been in talks with Sime Darby to use their Bukit Jelutong field,” he said.
“I believe we will get an answer by Monday and we will start our training on Tuesday. I don’t see starting training a bit later being an issue, for me what’s important is not how long you train but how you train.
“My plan is to focus on building the players’ strength and endurance in the first two weeks of training. This type of training can be done without contact. We hope the authorities will allow full training by then so we can focus on other aspects of training.”
Devan said he was also looking to build back the team’s family spirit after three months being away.
“I saw the players during the swab test and most of them have managed to maintain their weight which is very good for us when we resume training,” said Devan.
“My concern is the players’ mental strength when they come back to training after three months of just staying home. Our imports even had problems buying food and ended up cooking for themselves.
“We need to get the players in the right frame of mind. I want to have a get-together to rebuild understanding among the players.”