Governing body of football in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) |
| Abbreviation | KLFA |
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| Formation | 1975; 49 years ago (1975) |
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| Purpose | Football association |
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| Headquarters | Tingkat 1, Stadium Bolasepak Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur[1] |
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| Location | |
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President | Khalid Abdul Samad[2] |
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General Secretary | Nokman Mustaffa[1] |
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| Website | Official website |
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Kuala Lumpur Football Association, also known as Kuala Lumpur FA or simply KLFA (Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur), is a state football association that supervises the football activities in the Federal Territory of Malaysia of Kuala Lumpur. The association was formed in 1975.
History
Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) was formed in 1975[3] as Federal Territory Football Association (FTFA) with Hamzah Abu Samah elected as their first president. The association was actually a breakaway group from the FA Selangor. Led by former FA of Selangor, secretary K. Rasalingam, together with Goh Ah Chai, Hamzah Muhammad, M.J. Vincent, Shariff Mustafa, Jeswant Singh and Manickarajah, they saw the need for another association in the Klang Valley due to the growing numbers of clubs.[4] Hamzah went on to become the F.A. of Malaysia president in 1977 and FTFA deputy president Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen took over at the helm. It was that year too that FTFA organised their first league with thirty clubs. Then it was just one division with the clubs being divided into the Dunhill League, Bandaraya (City) League, First Division, Second Division, Third Division, Reserve League and Government Departments and Business House League.
The following year, FTFA was represented at the national level for the first time when they competed in the Razak Cup (under-18). It was in 1979 that the Federal Territory made their debut in the Malaysia Cup. In 1984, Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen stepped down as president and the Lord Mayor, Elyas Omar was elected the third president of the association.
FTFA officially changed its name to Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) in 1987 to better identify itself with the city.
Leadership in the KLFA kept changing after Elyas bin Omar stepped down with Megat Junid Megat Ayub taking over. At the 2014 congress, Astaman Abdul Aziz stepped down and the Federal Territories Ministry secretary general Adnan Md Ikhsan was elected the president while Astaman and Izudin Ishak became the deputy presidents.
Kuala Lumpur Association is also known internationally for having hosted the Inter-City Tournament for several years. Among the participating countries were Czechoslovakia, England, Austria, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Indonesia.
At present about 70 clubs are affiliated members of the KLFA and are currently competing in the KL League and FA Cup. These clubs are divided into three divisions namely the Premier, Division 1, and Division 2.[5]
