Cruyff Court Felda Teloi Timur is located in the village of Kedah in northern Malaysia, surrounded by kilometers of palm trees. This Cruyff Court is the 8th court in Malaysia and was festively opened in 2023. Many children and youngsters live around the Cruyff Court and play sports on the court every day. One of them is 9-year-old Syafa, and her brother, 11-year-old Syukur.
Syafa is often at the Cruyff Court and practices different sports: "On the court, I play football, but also netball with my friends from school. It's fun to play sports with them." Her elder brother, Syukur, likes that the Cruyff Court is made of soft artificial grass. Syukur has a great goal in mind. He says: "I come here twice a week to play football because I want to be a professional football player when I grow up!".
Children from the neighborhood are encouraged to go to the Cruyff Court and participate in the sports activities to prevent them from hanging out on the streets and getting on the wrong track. Cruyff Courts are safe places where everyone can play. Unlike other countries, there is always someone present at all Cruyff Courts to keep an eye on the field. The caretaker always locks the gate around the court at night.
Cruyff Court FELDA Trolak Selatan in Perak
About a three-hour drive from Kedah, Adam lives in the city of Perak. He is 12 years old and plays on the Cruyff Court every day. "I play here with friends from school, but I have also made new friends from the village next door," he says. The Cruyff Court creates pride among local residents. As Adam also says: "I like playing here because the field is so beautiful." Around the world, a Cruyff Court looks the same: the pitch is made of artificial grass with a yellow center circle, blue fencing and the orange goals.
A grandstand has been built next to this Cruyff Court. This is a place where locals often cheer on the children and youngsters playing on the Cruyff Court. The grandstand is covered, because the temperature can rise considerably in the Malaysian summers.
Projects in Malaysia
When Johan Cruyff visited Malaysia in 2012, he officiated the first Cruyff Court of the country in the city of Johor Bahru - funded by Yayasan Hasanah, a leading impact-based foundation in Malaysia. Today, the collaboration with Yayasan Hasanah throughout the years has successfully brought a total of eight Cruyff Courts in Malaysia. Kickstarting work in 2024, we are excited to continue working with Yayasan Hasanah to open another four courts throughout the country.
Our aim? To reach out to those children who don’t have easy access to sport facilities and to stimulate them to discover their talents.
Do you want to know more about the projects in Malaysia? Let us know!
