KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Ong Kim Swee, the newly appointed Technical Director of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) and the Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD), is not here to point finger but to rebuild NFDP and AMD to produce homegrown talent for Malaysia’s national team, which in recent years has struggled, forcing the senior side to rely heavily on naturalised and heritage players.
However, the former Harimau Malaya head coach is candid about the scale of the task, saying it will take years of consistent effort to see tangible results in youth development.
“Development doesn’t show results in one, two, or even three years. It can take five, ten, or fifteen years. While I may not oversee the programme for that long, we’ll implement it with a long-term perspective,” he told Scoop when contacted.
Kim Swee, whose career has always revolved around youth football, said the focus now is on progress rather than blame.
“I’m not here to blame anyone – the National Sports Council (NSC), the state football associations, FAM, or anyone else. My main objective is to ensure we produce enough players for the national team. Relying on heritage and naturalised players is a short-term solution,” he added.
He also highlighted past challenges, including coordination with state football associations and funding constraints.
Under NFDP, grassroots development is structured through Akademi Tunas for younger players, Pusat Latihan Daerah district training centres for older youths, and Ketua Jurulatih Remaja Negeri coaches overseeing state-level programmes.
Expanding scouting networks will be Kim Swee’s key priority as domestic tournaments resume in the new year. He also stressed that clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for coaches will be essential.
“Anyone working in football needs KPIs to take their roles seriously,” Kim Swee said.
“Some coaches have been in positions for years without measurable targets, and that affects results. Every coach I appoint will have clear objectives to achieve over the next two years.”
Under his three-year contract, one of his main KPIs is guiding Malaysia’s youth sides toward qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
While the immediate focus will be on scouting and improving technical management, Kim Swee said the ultimate goal is a sustainable pipeline of talent that will produce quality national team players over the next decade.
The 55-year-old Melaka-born coach, who led the national Under-23 side to a SEA Games gold medal in 2011, has coached in the M-League and the Indonesian League with Persis Solo and Persik Kediri.
Kim Swee takes over from Oscar Francisco Gonzalez Diaz, who had headed the NFDP since May last year. – December 24, 2025