24-Year-Old Becomes 1st Malaysian To Play In US Women's Premiere Soccer League
"I hope this will become a game changer for women's football in Malaysia," she wrote.
By Parvinsivam Thirunamakarasu — 14 Jun 2023, 12:46 PM
National football player Intan Sarah Anisah Zulgafli has become the first Malaysian to play in the US Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) after being accepted into a professional football club
In an Instagram post, the Kuala Lumpur-born wrote that she was given an opportunity to play with the New York Dutch Lions Football Club as a try out for 60 days.
"I hope this is gonna be a game changer for women's football in Malaysia, and inspire a lot of young girls to become better football players by setting their goals high. InsyaAllah," she wrote.
The 24-year-old, who recently competed in the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia, also shared a photo of herself flying off to New York on Tuesday, 13 June.
The New York Dutch Lions Football Club has also welcomed Intan to the Big Apple via an Instagram post
"Malaysian international @intanserah will play for NYDLFC! The forward was a bit delayed because of the visa that she needed from the embassy, but now that is all sorted out, she is able to start her journey with us!" the club wrote.
"Welcome to New York and we are excited to have you Intan!" they added.
At the time of writing, the football club ranks seventh in the WPSL under the Metropolitan Conference in the East region.
The WPSL is an amateur women's soccer league, below only the National Women's Soccer League, in the US and Canada.
Intan credited her acceptance into the New York football club to Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) head coach, Soleen Al-Zoubi
Soleen told New Straits Times that Intan deserves it and she is very proud of her.
"I wish her the best of luck. It's just the start and the best is yet to come," she said.
"It's a great opportunity to gain international experience within a high-performance environment. I expect another few players to have the same opportunity soon," she added.
