BUKIT JALIL: Australia coach Jay Stacy was a little relieved after their Junior World Cup (JWC) match against Malaysia on Dec 8 was moved from the "prime crowd time" of 8.30pm to 2pm at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The match was rescheduled because of a clash with the Malaysia Cup final between Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Terengganu at the adjacent football stadium.
But the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has planned a surprise for Stacy and his boys. They will ask JDT and Terengganu for help by informing their fans to show up early at Bukit Jalil to watch the Australia vs Malaysia match.
And the "football-cum-hockey" fans can expect a mouthwatering time as there will be plenty of food trucks around the hockey stadium, and entrance is free.
"Since the Australia-Malaysia match was moved from prime time to 2pm to accommodate traffic for the Malaysia Cup final, we will be writing to JDT and Terengganu to help inform their fans that entrance is free, and they are welcome to watch a World Cup hockey match while waiting for the Malaysia Cup later at night," said MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal.
Stacy said: "No group is easy, and we will not be taking Malaysia, Chile and defending champions Argentina lightly as in a junior tournament, it's difficult to predict the outcome.
"We had watched Malaysia play at the SoJC, and they improved from match to match, and I'm sure the (Malaysia) coaches have also trained them to face all three teams in Group A."