Penang Football Club (simply known as Penang FC) is a
Malaysian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
George Town,
Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
, that competes in
Malaysia Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...
, the top tier of Malaysian football.
Unofficially founded in 1920, officially as
Football Association of Penang on 21 October 1921, the club represents the state of Penang in football tournaments. The team has traditionally worn a blue home kit.
They have a long-standing rivalry with
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...
; the two teams from the northern region of Malaysia being engaged in what has been collectively known as the ''"Northern Region Derby"''.
The state football team play their home matches at the 20,000 capacity
City Stadium in
George Town.
Penang had established itself as a major force in Malaysian football between the 1950s to the 1970s. Domestically, Penang has won a record of 3
Malaysia Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...
titles, 1
Malaysia Premier League
The Malaysia Premier League () was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. It replaced the Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.
The Malaysia Premier League was contested by 12 clubs. The season usually ra ...
title, 4
Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup (), formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, i ...
, 5
Malaysia FAM League
The FAM Cup ( Malay: Piala FAM) was a knock-out football tournament for the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysia. From 2008 to 2018 it was held as a third-tier league and used the FAM League (Liga FAM) name.
The competit ...
titles, 1
Malaysia FA Cup
The Malaysia FA Cup () is an annual association football, football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP, Malaysian ...
title and 1
Malaysia Charity Shield
The Malaysian Charity Shield (English: Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah () or Piala Sumbangsih, is a Malaysian football super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pittin ...
. At present, it is one of the 12 teams competing in the
Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known ...
and the first club from Malaysia to win an Asian title,
Aga Khan Gold Cup
The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...
, which was the early version of
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
in 1976.
[Aga Khan Gold Cup]
Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (''RSSSF'') is an international organisation dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around ...
at Wayback Machine
The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...
.
On 16 February 2016,
Faiz Subri scored a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
in a 4–1 win over
Pahang FA
Sri Pahang Football Club () is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kuantan, Pahang. They currently play in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. Founded in 1959, it has traditionally worn a yellow home kit s ...
at the
City Stadium in
George Town. Videos of his free kick soon went viral on social media, and he was nominated by the
Football Association of Malaysia
The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; ) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) a ...
for the
FIFA Puskás Award later that year. In 2017, Faiz was awarded the
FIFA Puskás Award for the free kick goal, becoming the first-ever Asian to have won the international award for the best goal of the year.
History
The club was founded in 1920 unofficially, and officially as Football Association of Penang (FAP) in 1921. Penang is the oldest football club in Malaysia and one of the oldest clubs in
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. Penang is the fourth most successful team in Malaysian football history with 16 titles.
Early years (1920 – 1950s)
On 21 October 1921, the club was officially founded. Almost all the big matches were played at Victoria Green, home of the Chinese Recreation Club. They lost its first cup final in 1934 to
Singapore FA
Singapore FA was a representative team of the Football Association of Singapore in competitions run by the Football Association of Malaysia, separate from the Singapore national football team, Singapore national team. Despite dissolving in 19 ...
with a score of 1–2.
Glory days (1950s – 1970s)
The 1950s saw Penang producing players such as the country's first Olympian,
Yeap Cheng Eng, Yeang Kah Chong, Tan Swee Hock, Wong Kam Poh, Yap Hin Hean, Liew Fee Yuen, Lee Ah Loke, and the Pang brothers. Since the early 1950s,
Aziz Ahmad was Penang's top goal-scorer. He scored the winning goal as Penang defeated Singapore 3–2 in the 1953 Malaya Cup final in
Ipoh
Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...
. Penang won 3
Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup (), formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, i ...
s (1953, 1954 and 1958) and 4
FAM Cup champions (1952, 1955, 1956 and 1957). Some of the well-known FAP officials were Loh Hoot Yeang, who was president for many years, A. S. Mohamad Mydin, Tan Cheng Hoe, Yaakob Syed and Haris Hussain. David Choong was president in 1962 when Penang made the FAM Cup final, but lost 3–4 to
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
in a contest on May 12 at the City Stadium. In October 1963, Penang trounced
Perlis
Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...
13–0 in a Malaysia Cup tie. Aziz took over as captain when Cheng Eng retired. By 1965, veterans such as Siang Teik and Aziz made way as Penang rebuilt. M. Kuppan took over as captain with Yeap Kim Hock, James Raju and Ibrahim Mydin.
For the first time, Penang preferred the services of four British airmen based at the
RAF support unit at the
Butterworth base, which participated in the local league. They were John Leather, Clive Warren, Vic Probert and Alan Peacock.
The late 1960s saw the emergence of Aziz's nephews, the Abdullah brothers—
Namat and
Shaharuddin. At his peak, Shaharuddin was a goal-scorer together with
Isa Bakar. Penang made the Malaysia Cup final in 1968 to face mighty Selangor. Selangor romped home 8–1 in one of the most one-sided finals ever In 1974, Penang heroically knocked Singapore out in the semifinal to face northern rival
Perak
Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
in the final.
Namat Abdullah led Penang to a 2–1 victory in what was to be the state's last Malaysia Cup final victory. Penang stepped into the final of Malaysia Cup in 1977 as they lost the match to Singapore. In 1976, Penang became the first and only club from Malaysia to win the
Aga Khan Gold Cup
The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...
which was the early version of the
Asian Club Championship
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...
, beating
Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club 3–0 in the final at the
Bangabandhu National Stadium
National Stadium, Dhaka () is a multipurpose sports arena and the national stadium of Bangladesh. Located in the Motijheel area of Dhaka, it is predominantly used for Association football, football matches and serves as the home venue for the B ...
under the guidance of Lim Boon Kheng.
Stagnation (1980s – mid-1990s)
Football Association of Malaysia
The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; ) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) a ...
introduced the
Malaysia First Division League in 1982. Penang was one of the founding members of the league. The first edition saw Penang becoming the champion.
In 1983, Penang was the first runner-up of the league. After that, the team faced stagnation until the mid-1990s and failed to win any major trophy.
Resurgence (late 1990s – early 2000s)
The glory days came after more than 15 years. Penang entered into the FA Cup final in 1997 and lost to Selangor. After the disappointment, Penang won the
1998 Malaysia Super League. The team failed to defend the title as they were the runners-up in 1999. The 2000 FA Cup saw Penang lost to
Terengganu
Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...
after a nail-biting penalties. Penang was the runner-up of the top division in 2000. After two consecutive years as the runner-up, Penang become the champion in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
. Penang FA historically won the FA Cup for the first time in 2002 thanks to the goal scored by Gustavo Romero on the 65 minutes.
Walking downhill and financial crisis (2003 – 2009)
Although the team got a good start by winning the first
Charity Shield, they finished mid-table in the league and third in the group stage of the Malaysia Cup. In 2004, Penang ranked fifth out of 8 in the league and got eliminated in the second round of the FA Cup. The league performance in 2006 was a bit worse as they ranked sixth. Penang won the first round of the FA Cup, but failed to qualify for the third round. The next season saw Penang ranked sixth in the league and lost the first round match of the FA Cup. The team lost the quarter-final matches of the Malaysia Cup. In 2006–07 season, the team ranked tenth throughout the league. Penang finished the journey of the FA Cup in round one, as fifth out of six in the group stage. Mohd Bakar was appointed in the 2007–08 season. The Panthers finished 12th in the league, round two in FA Cup and last in the Malaysia Cup group stage. From then until 2012, the club was facing a critical financial condition. In 2009, Penang FA finished third from the last in the top division league. Penang was knocked out from the FA Cup in round two for two consecutive years. Penang was eliminated from the Malaysia Cup tournament after finished third in the group stage.
Darkest period (2010 – 2012)
In 2010, the darkest period ever in the team history came.
Reduan Abdullah squad had only collected 10 points and finished at the bottom of the league. Penang was relegated from the top flight after 18 consecutive spells. The club continued to decline and in 2011 they were relegated further, after the team struggled in the second division with only 4 points in 22 matches.
Janos Krecska was appointed as
head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
in 2012. The team finished mid-table in the third tier.
The comeback (2013 – 2015)
Penang FA's legend,
Merzagua Abderrazak, took over in
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
. The aim of the promotion was achieved successfully under the new tactician. Penang
won a silverware after an 11-year wait. The club appointed
K. Devan as the new head coach. Under his guidance Penang claimed the third spot of the Premier League and qualified in the Malaysia Cup after four years. Penang finished last in the group stage with four points after six matches. K. Devan's contract was not renewed and he was signed by
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan''), historically spelled as Negri Sembilan, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia which lies on the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, wes ...
.
Jacksen F. Tiago took over for the next season. Penang stepped into the quarter-final of the Malaysia FA Cup after 13 years. A dramatic finish in the
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
league campaign saw Penang FA as the runner-up and a ticket to the top flight.
In the top flight (2016 – 2017)
Penang beefed their squad with several youngsters from the Harimau Muda project and signed three new imports. The Panthers were hopeful of at least staying in the MSL, but found themselves stuck in the relegation zone. The appointment of the MSL winning coach
Bojan Hodak as chief executive officer and
Nenad Bacina as head coach offered some promise for the second half of the season, but Penang still struggled to find consistency. It wasn't until the final day of the season that Penang saved their top flight status, thanks to the goal from
Faizat Ghazli.
I-League
The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...
winning coach
Ashley Westwood signed a two years contract with the club in November 2016 to replace Nenad and Bojan. However, Penang FA terminated their contract under mutual consent due to poor results in March 2017, and he was replaced by
Zainal Abidin Hassan. Zairil Khir Johari, who took over from Nazir Ariff Mushir Ariff, has resigned as president of the Penang Football Association (FA). Former player
Reinaldo Lobo had reported PFA to
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
after the club failed to pay him for six months.
Relegated to the Malaysia Premier League (2018 – 2020)
After the relegation, Zainal Abidin Hassan remains the head coach. Players like
Mohd Faiz Subri,
Yong Kuong Yong,
Sanna Nyassi and
Mohd Azrul Ahmad were retained. The departures saw
Syamer Kutty Abba moving to Johor,
Jafri Firdaus Chew &
K. Reuben to
PKNS FC,
Rafiuddin Rodin to Perak. They finished in 10th position and avoided a successive drop.
Dr. Amar Pritpal Abdullah was elected as Penang FA president after edging out Datuk Seri Ho Kwee Cheng. Penang FA searched for stability ahead of the 2019 season under the helm of new management. The FA of Penang have set a modest target, to stay in the Premier League.
Manzoor Azwira bought new import player like
Casagrande and
Sergio Aguero and Penang FA climbed to the 2nd place, securing the Super League promotion. However, less than 24 hours later, Penang FA found themselves back in the Premier League after being docked six points due to Reinaldo Lobo case.
In 2020 the government stopped all sports activities due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Penang FA was on track of winning the league after being unbeaten in 8 matches. They secure promotion to the Super League after beating
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
2–1 at City Stadium. Penang celebrated their first ever MPL title after beating
Kelantan United 4-0 and got promoted to the
2021 Malaysia Super League
The 2021 Malaysia Super League (), was the 18th season of the Malaysia Super League, the top-tier professional football league in Malaysia.
The defending champions from the 2020 Malaysia Super League season, Johor Darul Ta'zim, have managed to def ...
.
Players
First-team squad
Development squads
''For further information:
Penang F.C. Reserves''
Management & coaching staff
Board of directors
Management
Coaching staff
Crest and colours
Since the club's foundation in 1921, the club have had two main crests. The first, adopted when the team was founded, its backgrounds colours of the club crest were navy blue and white. At the top left and bottom right of the crest are the capital letters of 'F' and 'A' in navy blue with white background, which are the abbreviation of 'Football Association'. At the bottom left of the crest is a leather ball, which was the early football ball. The
Prince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers are the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales, the heir to the British throne. The badge consists of three white ostrich feathers encircled by a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the German motto (, ...
and its motto, 'Ich Dien' which means 'I serve' were at top left of the crest, both elements were in white colour with navy blue background. The name of the state, 'Penang', is written in capital letter, white colour with navy blue background.
In the early 1990s, the crest underwent some variations as part of an attempt to modernise the previous crest. The capital letters of 'F' and 'A' were changed into three-dimensional form, with navy blue edges and white fill colour. The ball at the bottom left was changed into a modern ball with pentagonal and hexagonal patterns, and the Prince of Wales's feathers on the top left was also modernised with its motto was removed, fill colours for both elements were changed to blue, with white background.
Colours
Penang's traditional home colours are sky blue and yellow which are taken from the colours of the Penang state flag which stand for the sea surrounding the island and peace respectively. Navy blue and yellow have also been used severally. Traditional away kit colours have been either yellow or white. However, in recent years several different colours have been used, such as green, pink and orange.
The current home jersey sports a lighter shade of blue which is a better representation of the blue colour on the state flag. The current away jersey is white while the alternate jersey is black with yellow stripes.
Supporters
Penang's traditional fanbase comes from all over the George Town area including the other suburbs such as
Jelutong
Jelutong is a suburb of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, Jelutong has been inhabited since as early as th ...
,
Air Itam,
Tanjung Bungah
Tanjong Bungah is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located along the northern coast of Penang Island between Batu Ferringhi and Tanjong Tokong, about northwest of the city centre.
Tanjong Bungah is locally know ...
,
Bayan Lepas
Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as we ...
and even from the mainland. Penang's hardcore supporters are the so-called Ultras Panthers supporters, also known as Green Terrace Comrades UP11. Ultras Panthers was founded in 2011. In every match the Penang team played, they will be found in a group standing at the supporters area. The main colours for these supporters are usually in blue with a blue-yellow scarf and banners just like the Penang's team kits colours. These supporters always bring drums and large colorful flags to the stadiums.
Established in 2017, the Penang Football Fans Club (PFFC) is the official supporter club which is registered under the law of Malaysia. The main mission of PFFC is to unite football supporters in Penang. Besides it will also act as a channel between the fans and the team.
There are also numerous supporters clubs such as Demi Pulau Pinang, Penang Brotherhood, Penang FC Fan Club, Haria Penang 69, Nindia Bandaraya, Brigade 07, Boys Of North and more in the state. Penang had an average gate of 7,301 in the 2016 competitive campaign. Sometimes, tourists from foreign countries also attended the matches.
As of June 2020, Penang had 134,650 followers on social media, the ninth highest among football clubs in Malaysia.
At matches, Penang fanatic fans sing chants such as "Haria Penang Haria", "Sehati Sejiwa" which means "One Heart, One Soul" and the state anthem "Untuk Negeri Kita", which means "For our state", to boost their beloved players' morale. Fans also throw toilet rolls to the pitch before the match begins. The well-known and popular slogan among Penang FC supporters is "Haria Penang Haria". It is used as "words of spirit" during and off the game, and as the slogan among supporters.
Rivalries
Kedah Darul Aman is the biggest rival for Penang. Penang fans consider their main rivalries to be with (in order) Kedah,
Perak
Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
and
Perlis
Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...
. Matches against fellow northern region sides
Perlis United,
Kuala Muda Naza,
Kedah United,
Sungai Ara,
PBAPP,
SDMS Kepala Batas, Bukit Tambun, and
Perak YBU have only taken place intermittently, due to the clubs often being in separate divisions.
Derby
Northern Region Derby is the name given to football matches that involves Penang and Kedah. Both of them were located in the northern region of Malaysia.
City Stadium or
Penang State Stadium
State of Penang Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Negeri Pulau Pinang'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Batu Kawan, South Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 peopl ...
and
Darul Aman Stadium
The Darul Aman Stadium () is a multi-purpose all-seater stadium in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium was opened officially by the Sultan of Kedah in 1962 during Malaya's 1-0 victory aga ...
are packed by fans from Kedah and Penang during derby matches. The match usually creates a lively atmosphere, with numerous banners unfolded before the start of the game.
Friendships
Although Penang's main rivals mostly are from the northern region of Malaysia, especially Kedah, but there is also a strong supporter of friendship with Kedah and there are good relations with the fans of
Perak
Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
and
Perlis
Perlis (Kedah Malay language, Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect): ''Peghelih'') is a Negeri, state of Malaysia in the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. The state borders the Thai ...
. "This is the northern region", is a slogan which shows their good friendships.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Grounds
Home ground

Up to the late 1950s, almost all the big matches were played at Victoria Green, home of the Chinese Recreation Club, before the completion of the
City Stadium in the 1950s.
Penang State Stadium
State of Penang Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Negeri Pulau Pinang'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Batu Kawan, South Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 peopl ...
which located in
Batu Kawan
Batu Kawan is an island and suburb of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is geographically separated from the rest of Seberang Perai by the Jawi and Tengah rivers. , Batu Kawan contained a population of 11,409.
Long considered ...
was also the home ground of the club from 2000 to 2011 and 2016 to 2017. It was built in 2000 with a capacity of 40,000 to host the 8th Sukma Games (Malaysian Games). In 2007, this stadium hosted the Malaysian FA Cup Final.
The
City Stadium has a capacity of 20,000 people. The oldest stadium still in use in Malaysia, it was built in 1948 to provide a venue for sports activities in
George Town, especially as a football pitch. It is also well known for the vociferous home support, dubbed the "Keramat Roar". In 2019, the state football team then returned to the City Stadium after using the
Penang State Stadium
State of Penang Stadium ( Malay: ''Stadium Negeri Pulau Pinang'') is a multi-purpose stadium in Batu Kawan, South Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 peopl ...
. In 2018, this stadium hosted the inaugural
Asia Pacific Masters Games. On 16 February 2016,
Faiz Subri scored a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
in a 4–1 win over
Pahang FA
Sri Pahang Football Club () is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kuantan, Pahang. They currently play in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. Founded in 1959, it has traditionally worn a yellow home kit s ...
at the
City Stadium in
George Town. Videos of his free kick soon went viral on social media, and he was nominated by the
Football Association of Malaysia
The Football Association of Malaysia (commonly abbreviated as FAM; ) is the national governing body of football in Malaysia, headquartered at Wisma FAM. The FAM is also one of the founding members of both the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) a ...
for the
FIFA Puskás Award later that year. In 2017, Faiz was awarded the
FIFA Puskás Award for the free kick goal with a 59.46% vote percentage, becoming the first-ever Asian to have won the international award for the best goal of the year beating
Marlone (22.86%) and
Daniuska Rodríguez
Daniuska Isamar Rodríguez Pineda (born 4 January 1999) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a midfielder for S.C.U. Torreense, Torreense and the Venezuela women's national football team, Venezuela women's national team. She ranked third in ...
(10.01%).
Training ground
The Jawi Public Field is the training ground of Penang FC located in
South Seberang Perai District
The South Seberang Perai District is a district in Seberang Perai within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the southern third of Seberang Perai. It borders Central Seberang Perai to the north, Kedah to the east and Perak to the ...
,
Penang
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
.
Previously, The
USM Sports Centre was the training ground of Penang FC located in the campus of
University of Science, Malaysia
Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'University of Science Malaysia'; abbreviation, abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of hi ...
in Penang. The complex consists of several grass pitches. The stadium is also the home ground for the reserve team, as well as the home ground for
USM FC. The sports centre also consists of a gymnasium and swimming pool.
Sometimes, Penang also train at the
Penang Sports Club. It is located in the city of George Town covering a land area of about 16 acres.
Seasons
Since Professional Era
Updated on 16 January 2024.
''Note'':
*Pld = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, F = Goals for, A = Goals against, D = Goal difference, Pts= Points, Pos = Position
''
Notes:
:
2020 Season cancelled due to the
2020 Coronavirus Pandemic.
Source:
Records and statistics
Domestic records
Penang are the fifth most successful football club in Malaysia for having won a total of 15 Malaysian football titles.
Penang are the team who won first inaugural
Malaysia League 1982 and
FAM Cup 1952.
The club's highest ever league finish was 1st in the Super League in 1982, 1998 and 2001. Their lowest ever league finish was 6th in the
2012 Malaysia FAM League.
Penang biggest win in Malaysia Cup final was 3–0 against
Singapore FA
Singapore FA was a representative team of the Football Association of Singapore in competitions run by the Football Association of Malaysia, separate from the Singapore national football team, Singapore national team. Despite dissolving in 19 ...
in 1954. Penang heaviest lost in Malaysia Cup final was 1–8 against
Selangor FA
Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. ...
in 1968.
Asian record
0 due to
economic trouble in the country.
1 due to club financial problem.
Player records
Shukor Salleh is the player who played for the club for the longest time which is 20 years. He had only played for Penang in his career. He won the
National Sportsman Award in 1977. Furthermore, he was the second and the last football player after
Mokhtar Dahari to be given that award. He was also the first Penang player to be awarded the
AFC Century Club award in 1999 and included in the
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
Century Club for representing the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
at least
100 times in international tournaments.
Lutz Pfannenstiel, He holds the
record for the only footballer to play professionally in each of the
six
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
recognised continental associations by
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
.
In 2017,
Mohd Faiz Subri became the first Asian to win the
FIFA Puskás Award.
He was awarded for his physics-defying free kick that clinched a goal during the
Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known ...
match against
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
at the
City Stadium on 16 February 2016.
On 3 August 2021,
Rafael Vitor scored the fastest goal in the
Malaysia Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...
when he scored a goal just 9 seconds after the opening whistle against
Perak FC.
Club top scorer (since professional era)
''Players who scored 10 or more goals are listed.''
Club honours
Domestic
(*inaugural winners)
(**
Penang FA Reserves)
(***Persatuan Bolasepak Melayu Pulau Pinang (PBMPP))
Asian
Personal honours
Notable former players
This list of prominent former players, who played in this team includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is not complete or all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
*
Yeap Cheng Eng
*
Aziz Ahmad
*
Dave MacLaren
*
Namat Abdullah
*
Shaharuddin Abdullah
*
Mohammed Bakar
*
Shukor Salleh
*
Ali Bakar
*
Isa Bakar
*
Desmond David
*
Ahmad Yusof
*
Lutz Pfannenstiel
*
Azman Adnan
*
Wan Rohaimi
*
Mohd Hasmawi Hassan
*
Chee Wan Hoe
*
Merzagua Abderrazak
*
Kamarulzaman Hassan
*
Ooi Hoe Guan
*
Norizam Salaman
*
Faiz Subri
*
Yong Kuong Yong
*
Mafry Balang
*
R. Surendran
*
M.Yoges
*
Azmi Muslim
*
Syukur Saidin
*
Bobby Gonzales
Bobby Gonzales (born 15 February 1984) is a Malaysian footballer. He spent most of his career with Sabah and Sarawak where he played as a forward. He currently hold the all-time top scorer of Malaysia Premier League with 90 goals.
Personal ...
Finances and ownership
The club is owned by the
Penang Chief Minister Incorporated as one of the GLCs, under the chairmanship of
Soon Lip Chee, who is also the
Penang State Executive Councillor for Youth and Sports. Prior to the privatisation of Malaysian League, the club was owned by the Football Association of Penang (FAP), in which the association also runs the domestic leagues of the states, which is known as FAP League.
FAP was also troubled with debts and players' salary payments were reportedly delayed two to three months over the two years. The delayed salary payments were said to have led some players to take money from bookies to give away games. The poor performance of the Penang team, languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, also kicked up storm at the
Penang State Legislative Assembly
The Penang State Legislative Assembly is the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 40 elected lawmakers representing single-member constituencies throughout Penang. The state legis ...
in May 2011.
Head coaches
Head coaches since semi-pro era
Notes
References
External links
Penang FC official website
{{Malaysia football champions
Malaysia Super League clubs
Football clubs in Malaysia
Football clubs in Penang
Malaysia Cup winners