JOHOR BARU: Four years after the initial proposal, the Johor Hockey Association (JHA) will unveil its own four-story building on Monday.
It is a big achievement, considering that all other state hockey associations as well as the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) are renting their premises.
Johor HA president Datuk Manjit Majid Abdullah said: "It is a dream come true because now we will have our own place to call home and further develop hockey in the state.
"The bottom three floors will be rented out since this area is a bustling business hub, while we will establish a hockey showroom and our office on the top floor.
"This initiative will allow us to generate our income from the rental revenue and become self-sufficient," said Manjit, who has been instrumental in organising the Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) from its first edition in 2011.
The prized building was handed over by UM Land Berhad after a four-year wait for paperwork to complete, and it's worth over RM2 million.
The building is situated at Fortuna Hub in Seri Alam on the outskirts of Johor Bahru city.
The SoJC stands out as the world's only International Under-21 invitational event, and this year, it has expanded to eight teams, up from the original six.
JHA is renowned for being superb hosts, as invited teams only need to cover flight costs, while accommodation, meals, and local transportation are provided free of charge.
Manjit highlighted the significant expenses incurred in hosting teams, estimating that it costs Johor more than a million for lodging, food, and transport every year.
" I am happy to say that with the help of MHC, this tournament is recognised as among the best age-group invitationals in the world and teams clamour to be invited.
"And now that the Junior World Cup will be held every two instead of four years, the SoJC will have a higher demand for teams to prepare for it," Manjit added.