KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry, through the National Sports Council (NSC) and the National Sports Institute (NSI), will create a space at Kuala Lumpur Sports City to provide childcare support for women athletes and coaches.
Hannah Yeoh said the ministry had been looking into the lack of involvement from women in sports following their retirement.
“Why is there a lack of female coaches? What we found is that one of the main challenges is that when they get married and start having a family, there is no support system at home to care for their children when they are at work.
“This year, we have asked NSC and NSI to create a space at Kuala Lumpur Sports City, Bukit Jalil, to provide childcare support for women athletes and coaches.
“With this support system in place, women coaches and athletes don’t have to quit just because there is no one to care for their children when both parents are at work,” Hannah told the media after officiating the Sime Darby Foundation Women and Girls in Sports Forum, here today.
In another development, she also announced that the ministry has approved a proposal to review the salaries of coaches attached to the NSC.
“The last time we made an amendment to the salary of coaches was in 2014; that was 10 years ago.
“If we don’t review the salary structure of our coaches, we will lose our talented coaches to neighbouring nations who can give them better pay,” said Hannah.
Under the new salary scheme, full-time coaches under the Podium Programme and National Backup coaches will enjoy a raise according to their National Coaching Certification Scheme (NCCS) qualifications and experience as a coach.
Under NCCS level three – the highest level recognised by the National Coaching Academy – coaches will enjoy a raise to their salary from RM4,500 a month to RM5,900 a month.
To encourage more former national athletes to venture into the field of coaching, additional salary remuneration is given based on their best level of achievement while being an athlete.
For example, former athletes who become full-time coaches and have achieved medals at the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games are given an additional salary allowance of RM3,500 per month, while medalists at the World Championships receive an additional salary allowance of RM3,000.
A special allowance of RM600 was also approved for all Podium and National Backup coaches (except coaches on loan or released by the employer), while the allowance of part-time coaches was also increased based on their respective NCCS qualifications.
This salary adjustment is backdated to January 1, 2024. – February 6, 2024