AMPANG: Every evening, some 20 residents from the neighbourhood of Kuala Ampang Village head for the Ulu Klang Recreational Club (UKRC) to play football as well as upkeep the field and its surroundings.

UKRC is a hub to host events and the football field is the main attraction for people of all ages. According to UKRC president Andrew Gopal, the club is the only one of its kind in the country which is run by its club members living nearby.

The group, consisting of the UKRC veteran and junior football club members and some retirees, can be seen mowing the field, laying new turf, sweeping and cleaning the area in the gotong-royong spirit.

UKRC was registered under the Registrar of Societies on Sept 20,1957. Since then, the club has been under the care of its club members and neighbouring residents.

Andrew said the neighbourhood, which consists of almost 3,000 residents, was known as the Ulu Klang Village in the past, but is now called the Kuala Ampang Village.

The club has 1,300 registered members and is facing a land status dispute with the Selangor government.

Sustained by Love: The Ulu Klang Recreational Club, which is facing a land dispute, is probably the only club in the country run by its members living nearby.

"The club members and those who live in the neighbourhood are passionate about UKRC. Some of them come here daily to just mow the grass," he said.

Besides the football field , there is a hall on the premises where other activities such as line dance, yoga, taekwondo and tai chi take place.

In the weekends, about 60 residents come to the UKRC to enjoy the activities.

Many football matches have taken place at the field.

The UKRC football field is well maintained and well used by members and residents.

Mohd Parwez Abdul Maroof, 36, said he lives five minutes away from the field and has been going to the club for 20 years. His father introduced the club to him when he was a teenager.

Parwez said the weather does not deter him or his friends from visiting the club. Each day, they spends about two hours cleaning the place and then play football.

"There is camaraderie among the residents here. We are a close knit community," said Parwez.

He added that for the past 11 years, UKRC has hosted the International Soccer 9's with teams from Southeast Asian countries.

Unlike the regular football matches which has 11 players in a team, the International Soccer 9's has only nine players in each team. The tournament also sees the participation of veterans in their forties.

"Every year, we have about 12 teams from Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore and also local teams from Penang, Johor, Perak and Sabah," said Parwez.

Phua Chee Wah, 48, said UKRC is an affordable club which accepts veterans.

He said he has made many friends, especially among the veterans in the neighbourhood. He goes to the club almost every day and his family encourages his evening activities.

"My wife prefers that I play football at the club to going elsewhere.

"There are activities for all ages and when there is a function, all our families gather here.

"We have friends of all races and ages here," said Phua.

Ng Weng Soon, 49, said he came to know of the club through his friend and has been coming to the club regularly over the past 20 years.

He said the yearly membership fee of RM24 was merely a commitment fee. The club gets it funds from the rental of its hall.

Ng hoped the UKRC land title issue will soon be settled as it would help with the progress of the club. He said in early 2000, the club raised about RM60,000 for the late former national goalkeeper Ong Yu Tiang who had leukaemia.

"We want to refurbish the club and promote football but for the land problem," said Ng.

He said a veteran club member Lee Paw Koi, 61, or better known as Uncle Lee was among the oldest members of the club. Lee is a retiree who visits the club every morning to ensure that everything at the club is fine. In the evenings, he turns up again to help clean the place.

On July 9, 1960, UKRC was officially launched by the then Health and Social Welfare Minister Datuk Ong Yoke Lin. The club has had other prominent visitors such as the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, and former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

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Control, status of land in dispute

AMPANG: Ulu Klang Recreational Club (UKRC) president Andrew Gopal is urging the state government to keep its promise to solve the club's land status dispute soon.

He claimed it was among the promises made by the state government to approve the club's application as a recreational land pursuant to its original land approval obtained in 1958.

Andrew said UKRC is the only club in the country managed by its 1,300 club members, consisting of residents from the Kuala Ampang Village since its establishment in 1957.

On July 12, 1958, the state issued a letter to UKRC with the status of recreational land for the purpose of football field and clubhouse.

The club paid a surveyor's fee of RM680 for the purpose. However, the land was not gazetted to be under the UKRC's control.

In April 2002, residents discovered that the field was earmarked for a squatter relocation project.

However, in August 2003, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decided to allow green areas to remain. The club was spared and was put under the jurisdiction of Ampang Jaya Municipal Council.

Andrew said the former state government gazetted the UKRC land as an open space under the control of the Selangor State Secretary in December 2004.

The club is urging the state government to amend the open space gazette issued in 2004 and ensure that UKRC has control of its recreational land.

Otherwise, he said, the state government should issue a new land title to UKRC with the condition that it will be for recreational purpose, not transferable or be sold. He also urged that they revoke the gazette issued in 2004.

Andrew added that UKRC had submitted a new application through the Hulu Klang assemblyman Saari Sungib to bring the issue to the attention of Selangor Menteri Besar.

He said UKRC has asked Saari to table a motion at the coming State Assembly to be held between March 28 and 31 to resolve the UKRC land title dispute.

A club member, Ng Weng Soon, 49, said if the land title is resolved, the club plans to build more facilities, including a swimming pool.