SERIAN: The Women’s Football Championship for the YB Dato’ Sri Richard Riot Jaem Cup has emerged as a key platform to strengthen grassroots sports development and empower women athletes in Sarawak, while positioning Serian as a growing hub for community-based sports activities.
The two-week tournament, which kicked off today at the SK St Dominic Pichin football field, was officiated by Member of Parliament for Serian, Dato’ Sri Richard Riot Jaem.
The championship brings together 16 women’s football teams from across Sarawak, including participation from outside the state.
In his opening remarks, Dato’ Sri Richard highlighted the importance of creating more competitive and inclusive sporting opportunities for women, particularly at the community level, as part of long-term efforts to nurture local talent and encourage healthy lifestyles among youth and women.
Beyond competition, the tournament also serves as a platform to strengthen ties among teams from different districts, fostering unity, sportsmanship and cross-community interaction through football.
The championship offers total prize money of RM5,000, with RM2,000 for the champion, RM1,500 for the runner-up, RM1,000 for third place and RM500 for fourth place, along with trophies and medals.
In today’s opening matches, defending champions D’Samarahan FT opened their campaign on a strong note by securing a victory in the first round to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
The participation of teams from various regions is also expected to contribute to the promotion of sports tourism ahead of 2026, as community and state-level sporting events continue to draw visitors and boost local economic activity.
The tournament final is scheduled to take place on December 21, 2025, at 2.00 pm at the SK St Dominic Pichin football field. -UKASnews
