KUALA LUMPUR – Sri Pahang FC has confirmed Temerloh Stadium as its main home venue for this season’s Malaysia Super League campaign.
The club opted for the 10,000-capacity Temerloh Stadium as a replacement since its main homefield, the 40,000-capacity Darul Makmur Stadium, is undergoing a pitch upgrade to Bermuda Princess 77, a high-quality hybrid grass akin to that of Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin, Johor.
The Temerloh stadium, also well-known as “Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Termerloh”, is a multi-purpose stadium that was constructed in 1997 and also comes with a running track.
The stadium was also the temporary home ground for Sri Pahang FC for the 2012 season when the Darul Makmur Stadium was unavailable due to major renovations.
Aside from Sri Pahang FC, the Temerloh stadium was also previously the home ground for clubs like Felda United FC and Shahzan Muda FC.
The stadium, now equipped with the video assistant referee (VAR) system, was also the venue where Harimau Malaya last won the Pestabola Merdeka tournament in 2013.
Speaking to Scoop, Sri Pahang FC chief executive officer Datuk Mohammed Suffian Awang said the Temerloh stadium would be a perfect venue for fans to watch the games due to its strategic location.
“The Temerloh stadium is an iconic venue, and we are excited to kick off our Super League campaign in this stadium, especially with the implementation of VAR by the Malaysia Football League (MFL).
“We thank the Temerloh City Council for coming on board and helping us out at the time when we needed them the most.
“The Darul Makmur Stadium will be missed for this season, but we still have to make way for the pitch upgrade taking place at the stadium for the betterment of the game.
“Despite the small capacity of the Temerloh stadium, I see it as a golden opportunity for fans from Termerloh, Raub, Bentong, Lipis, Jerantut, Maran, and Bera to easily come and watch due to its strategic location,” said Suffian when contacted.
The introduction and implementation of the VAR system this season is estimated to have cost the MFL a whopping RM9.7 million.
At the same time, Suffian said that the club, affectionately known as “the Elephants,” will also be taking part in a friendly tournament organised by the MFL involving the participation of east coast clubs.
“We will be participating in the tournament organised by the MFL, and the objective is to test the VAR system implemented in our stadiums.
“We will be participating in the friendly tournament alongside Kelantan Darul Naim FC and Terengganu FC, and the tournament will be held in a home-and-away format after Hari Raya,” Suffian added.
Last season, Pahang finished fifth in the Super League with 46 points. – April 3, 2024