Selangor United

Beginnings and breakthrough (1906–1936)

A Selangor state football association was founded on 6 May 1906 to establish and manage an internal state league, called the Selangor Association Football League (SAFL). SAFL was established by five founders, namely the Selangor Recreation Club, the Royal Selangor Club, the Selangor YMCA, and the Victoria Institution.

This establishment was the starting point for the organized football league system in the state of Selangor and laid the foundation for the development of modern football in this state. The first cup competition was sponsored by the British Resident of Selangor, R.G. Watson. There were also reports that the association was led by British Residents at that time.

On 20 August 1921, the Selangor made its first appearance in an official competitive competition at the national level through a Malaya Cup match against the Penang team. This date marked the birth of the Selangor's competitive identity on the official national stage.

On 3 September 1922, the Selangor won its first championship in the Malaya Cup competition. During this period, Selangor won their first ever piece of silverware in the form of the Malaya Cup in 1922, in a 3–2 win over Singapore FA (a rivalry that would come to define Malaysian football in future years) and going on to win the Malaya Cup a further five times in 1927, 1928, 1929, 1935 and 1936.

Due to an internal conflict, some officials left the organization in 1926 and founded the Selangor Football Association (SFA), a new organization. The dispute between the SAFL and the SFA continued for almost ten years before the two sides negotiated back on a deal for the betterment of the future of football in the state of Selangor. Finally, the two football entities officially merged on 22 February 1936, under the name of the Football Association of Selangor (FAS) (Malay: Persatuan Bola Sepak Selangor) and forming Selangor FA to represent the state of Selangor.

MAHA Stadium

The proposal to build a stadium that can accommodate 5,000 spectators was first voiced in 1927, and from the very beginning the venue was built in collaboration between MAHA (Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association) and the Selangor football association. Initially three sites were nominated for the venue; at Gaol Road (now Jalan Hang Tuah), at the intersection of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Circular Road (now Jalan Tun Razak, possibly on the site of where Prince Court Medical Centre now stands), and at Jalan Pudu. The site chosen was ultimately at the intersection of Circular Road and Jalan Ampang, and according to press reports of the time, it began construction in 1928 and was completed the following year. The specific location of the stadium is not known, it is only said in press reports to be behind a police station at this intersection, which is the current Jalan Tun Razak police station.

When it was completed, MAHA was sued by the surrounding residents because it was said that the football matches held there disturbed public order. Although the suit was in favor of the stadium owners, Selangor only began to make the stadium their official ‘home ground’ in 1931, in the Malaya Cup against Penang on July 18, a match that ended in a 5–3 victory for Selangor. The squad played a total of 20 times at this stadium between 1931 and 1940, and won 14 times. The eight finals of the Malaya Cup were held here with Selangor being finalists four times. However, the club won only one final, in a 2–0 win over Singapore FA in 1935. Their last match here was nine years later, against Kedah in the Malaya Cup on 20 July 1940.

In the aftermath of the Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945, the MAHA Stadium was damaged which made it unusable and was subsequently destroyed. The current site of the former MAHA Stadium has now become an area for car dealers, with a shopping mall right next to the Jalan Tun Razak police station, also included are residential and embassy areas. In this neighborhood there are several fields and open spaces owned by Kelab Aman, SJKC Chung Hwa (P), and a cricket association.