8 import players from Thailand to spice up STL this season
6 September 2019. Kuala Lumpur – The sixth season of the Sepak Takraw League (STL) brings new thrills and excitement to fans throughout the nation. For the first time, STL will travel to selected states where fans can catch top talents from Malaysia and Thailand displaying their skill LIVE.
STL kicks off in Klang Valley at MABA Stadium for the first three weeks, and then travels to Penang (Spice Arena), Kelantan (Dewan MPKB – BRI, Kota Bharu), Perak (Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh) and Johor Bahru (Iskandar Malaysia Studios).
President of the Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (PSM) Datuk Ahmad Ismail said with 8 players from Thailand, from only 2 in the previous season, STL 2019 will definitely be more exciting. This is one of PSM’s initiatives to increase competitiveness of STL this season.
“We’ve witness the rise of many young talents through STL. Some of them are even in the national team. With higher level of competition this season from the Thai players, we hope our Malaysian players will rise to the occasion and play their best game. STL is also the best platform for our national players to get ready for the upcoming SEA Games 2019 in the Philippines. We hope that STL will be a training ground for them to win the gold medal.”
Datuk Ahmad Ismail added that the nine weeks of STL this season will be thrilling for fans to see which team can challenge the dominance of the Penang Black Panthers in the STL Premier, a team who has won the Division One and STL Champions Cup.
Astro’s Head of Sports Lee Choong Khay said that Astro is always working to increase the excitement for STL among local and international audience, as well as enhancing its production value.
“We had an amazing season last year, achieving a record TV viewership of 5.6 million TV viewers and digital views of 19 million on Astro Arena’s and Stadium Astro’s website, and on our Astro GO app. The close partnership between Astro and PSM has taken the sport to the next level, reigniting the love for SepakTakraw among new and young fans.”
“That is why STL is having LIVE matches at venues throughout Malaysia so that more fans can watch the action in person. We also hope that fans from Singapore will be able to join us as the STL Champions Cup will be held at Iskandar Malaysia Studios, Johor Bahru later. We look forward to the STL Champions Cup, where we will invite 4 of the best teams around the region to compete with the top 4 teams of STL 2019. Fans can catch action on the court throughout this season for a small fee which will be announced in the following weeks on Astro Arena’s social media platforms and website.”
Lee also expresses gratitude for the support of fans and all parties who have joined the excitement of the growing sport, including the sponsors for STL 2019.
“We are grateful for STL 2019’s apparel sponsor Li-Ning, who shares the same belief in SepakTakraw, working together with us to build this sport and its fans. Players will be sporting Li-Ning jerseys with new designs. Fans can buy these jerseys at Li-Ning outlets, as well as at STL locations throughout this season. Additionally, we have partners NOKIA who are sponsoring prizes for fans who participate in our giveaways. While MROOF Hotels Ipoh and JAZZ Penang who are venue sponsors, together with the support of the state government, in support of STL at multiple states this season.”
Lee added that fans can also get more stories on the league through its media partners Sinar Daily as the official print media, Zayan FM as the official radio and SYOK’s entertainment app as the official content producer of STL 2019.
STL 2019 includes the STL Premier and STL Division One which features 10 teams in each league who will face each other. The top four teams from both leagues will then participate in the STL Champions Cup together with 4 invited teams from the region.
Last season, the Penang Black Panthers emerged as the champions of the STL Premier Division for the second consecutive year, after dismissing fierce competition from the Malaysian Armed forces (ATM) and also defending the STL Champions Cup trophy, while overcoming STL Division One rivals Negeri Sembilan.
Catch STL 2019 LIVE every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5pm daily, and Spike@STL every Wednesday at 10:30pm on Astro Arena CH802 HD / CH801. Tickets can be purchased at each location or visit www.tickethotline.com to purchase.
