Kuching City Football Club or simply known as Kuching City is a professional football club based in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia that participates in the Malaysia Super League. It is also the youngest club ever to join the highest level of the Malaysian football league system, having been founded in 2015 as a small club.[2] It is the third professional football club based in the state of Sarawak.
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| Full name | Kuching City Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Il Gatto (The Cats) |
| Short name | KCC |
| Founded | 2015, as Kuching FA 2021, as Kuching City |
| Ground | Sarawak State Stadium |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Co-owner | Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman Kamaludin Akil |
| CEO | Iswandi Ali Hassan[1] |
| Head coach | Aidil Sharin Sahak |
| League | Malaysia Super League |
| 2023 | 13th of 14 |
| Website | Club website |
History edit
In 2015, with the commencement of the People Football League introduced by the Football Association of Malaysia, the purpose of the league was to transform lower leagues in Malaysia and promote amateur football in all districts and states across Malaysia.[3][4] Consequently, Kuching F.A. was founded alongside it to represent the district of Kuching in Sarawak.
FAM Cup edit
In the 2015–16 Liga Bolasepak Rakyat, Kuching won the inaugural edition[5] after beating Padang Besar 3–1 at the Selayang Stadium. With the championship, Kuching got an automatic promotion into the 2017 Piala FAM.
In their first season in FAM League, Kuching achieved 4th place in Group B, qualifying the team for the play-offs. They were knocked out in the quarter-final stage by UKM F.C., which later gained promotion to 2018 Malaysia Premier League as finalist of the play-offs. Kuching's second season in the FAM League saw them in the 4th place in Group A, the same as previous season. Unfortunately, changes in the play-off qualifying saw them miss out on the knock-out stage as only top two teams of each group chosen. Kuching were registered to play in the 2019 Malaysia FAM Cup, but were also invited by FAM to play in the 2019 Malaysia Premier League, as a number of teams pull out from the league.[6]
After announcing their promotion to the 2020 Malaysia Premier League, Kuching changed their kit to a new one to kick start their new journey, the colours are green with white stripes and "City of Unity" is written in the middle of the kit. The following season, they added ''City'' to back of Kuching.
First cup final edit
Kuching City reach promotion to 2023 Malaysia Super League for the first time in history after the MFL License have been approved for the 2023 season. On 2 August 2023, former Singaporean legend, Aidil Sharin Sahak was announced as the new head coach of the club signing Namibia captain, Petrus Shitembi and Tajikistani midfielder Nuriddin Davronov. Aidil Sharin guided the club to a great run in the 2023 MFL Challenge Cup winning 4–0 on aggregate against his former club, Kedah Darul Aman in the quarter-finals, a 3–1 on aggregate against Kelantan United in the semi-finals which saw the club first ever cup final in their history.
Crest and colours edit
Kuching's Crest has a Yellow shield and on it is the flag of Sarawak where the club originated from, and a Green White stripped Tiger on it. "City of Unity" is written in the middle of the crest.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors edit
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2023 | Starsport | LSC & Kuching City of Unity |
| LSC, Yakult & Kuching City of Unity | ||
| Serba Dinamik, LSC & Yakult |
Players edit
First-team squad edit
- As of 8 March 2024.[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Other players under contract edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Development squads edit
Kuching City B (U23) edit
Head Coach: 
Oleg Kuzmianok
- As of 6 April 2024.[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Season by season record edit
Updated on 1 November 2022.
| Season | Division | Position | Malaysia Cup | Malaysian FA Cup | Malaysian Charity Shield | Regional | Top Scorer (All Competitions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Liga LBR | Champions | DNQ | – | – | – | |
| 2017 | FAM League | 4th of 7 Group B | DNQ | – | – | – | |
| 2018 | FAM League | 4th of 7 Group A | DNQ | Second round | – | – |  Shafitri Salim (4)
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| 2019 | Liga M3 | 2nd | DNQ | Second round | – | – | Joseph Kalang Tie (18)
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| 2020 | Premier League | 4th | Cancelled | Cancelled | – | – |  Bryan Jones (4)
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| 2021 | Premier League | 5th | 3rd of 4th Group stage B | Not held | – | – | |
| 2022 | Premier League | 3rd | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | – |  Abu Kamara (12)
| |
| 2023 | Super League | – | – |
Foreign players (Since 2019 Era) edit
| Season | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 | Player 8 | Player 9 | Former Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Malaysia M3 League |  Yuta Suzuki
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| 2020 Malaysia Premier League | Hudson Jesus
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Bryan Jones Anicézio
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Yuta Suzuki
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Yuki Tanigawa
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| 2021 Malaysia Premier League | Hudson Jesus
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Aylton Alemão
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 Ijezie Michael
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Yuta Suzuki
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Bryan Jones
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| 2022 Malaysia Premier League | Gabryel
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Aylton Alemão
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Abu Kamara
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Yuki Tanigawa
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 Keanu Marsh-Brown
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| 2023 Malaysia Super League | Célio Santos
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Aylton Alemão
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Bruno Dybal
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Yuki Tanigawa
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 Mihailo Jovanović
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Abu Kamara
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 Dechi Marcel
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 Petrus Shitembi
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 Pedro Henrique
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 Sudi Abdallah
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Club staff edit
As of 3 April 2024[update].[9]
| Team Management | |
|---|---|
| Role | Person |
| President | vacant |
| Technical Director | Wan Jamak Wan Hassan
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| Manager | Irwanshah Mohamad[10]
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| Assistant Manager | Iswandi Ali Hassan
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| Head Coach |  Aidil Sharin Sahak[11]
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| Assistant Coach | Firdaus Morshidi
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| GK Coach | Khairul Azman Mohamed[12]
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| Fitness Coach | Edward Jamid Unting
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| Team Doctor | Abang Mohd Nurfarhan Abang Samatan
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| Physiotherapist | Mohd Khairul Nizam Suhaimi
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| Media Officer | Darul Imran Azmi
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| Masseur | Mohamed Zawawi Ali Hassan
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| Kitman | Mohammad Hysham Adenan
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| Manager (U23) |
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| Asst. Manager (U23) | Awang Azami Awang Idris
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| Head Coach (U23) | Oleg Kuzmianok[14]
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| Asst. Coach (U23) | Joseph Kalang Tie[15]
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| GK Coach (U23) | Abdul Gani Anuar[16]
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| Fitness Coach (U23) |
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| Team Admin (U23) |
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| Media Officer (U23) |
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| Physio (U23) | Gary Nyelang[20]
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| Masseur (U23) | Padil Abet
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| Kitman (U23) | Saiful Abdullah[21]
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Honours edit
League edit
- Malaysia M3 League
- Liga Bolasepak Rakyat
- Winners: 2015–16
Cup edit
- MFL Challenge Cup
- Runner-up (1): 2023
References edit
- ^ "New imports set to bolster Kuching City's Super League 2023 campaign". The Borneo Post. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "Kuching Joins Liga FAM". SarawakCrocs.com – Sarawak's No.1 Football Site. 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Liga Bola Sepak Rakyat (LBR) to revive interest at district level". SPORTS247.MY – The Ultimate Malaysian Sports Channel. 13 June 2015.
- ^ http://www.fourthofficial.com/2015/20837/liga-bolasepak-rakyat-will-unearth-more-talent-najib-razak/ Liga Bolasepak Rakyat will unearth more talent – Najib Razak
- ^ "Kuching FA Juara Sulung Liga Bolasepak Rakyat". SarawakCrocs.com – Sarawak's No.1 Football Site. 28 May 2016.
- ^ "Liga Premier: Kuching FA masih tunggu lampu hijau daripada FAM". 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Terima Kasih & Selamat Maju Jaya". Facebook Kuching City FC. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 team squad for 2024/2025 season announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City FC Team Staff for 2024/2025 Season". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Former Sarawak footballer to be appointed as team manager". Facebook Kuching City FC. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City FC melantik Aidil Shahrin menggantikan Irfan Bakti". Facebook HarimauMalaya. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Former Malaysian legendary appointed as goalkeeping coach". Facebook Kuching City FC. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "New head coach for U23 team appointed". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Kuching City Under-23 Team announced". Facebook Kuching City FC. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.