Petaling Jaya Rangers Football Club or PJ Rangers is a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

Petaling Jaya ) , website = , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling J ...

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

.http://www.fourthofficial.com/2016/41082/airasia-fc-unveil-plans-for-2017-set-to-be-renamed-as-petaling-jaya-rangers/ AirAsia FC unveil plans for 2017, set to be renamed as Petaling Jaya Rangers Founded in 2011, the club's home ground has been in multiple different stadiums before moving to AirAsia Stadium in

.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/features/airasia-allstars-stand-what-we-believe-football-says-datuk-kamarudin AirAsia Allstars stand for what we believe in football, says Datuk Kamarudin In 2018, they played in the third division in Malaysian football, the

Malaysia FAM League The FAM Cup (Malay: Piala FAM) was a knock-out tournament for teams in both the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysian football league system, Malaysia. The tournament was a cup format, but from 2008 to 2018 was held as a thi ...

after being promoted as top four from Selangor Super League in 2014. The club was formerly known as AirAsia Allstars before being rebranded in December 2016 to Petaling Jaya Rangers F.C. which was used from the 2017 season onwards.http://www.hmetro.com.my/node/187319 Belum layak jadi Presiden FAMhttps://www.utusan.com.my/sukan/bola-sepak/tony-kekal-pendirian-enggan-tanding-presiden-fam-1.417064 Tony kekal pendirian enggan tanding Presiden FAM The initial uses the nickname ''Red Jets'', which signify the club's connection with the AirAsia Group. However, after the rebranding of the club name they were known as ''Rangers''. PJ Rangers regular kit colours are red and white for shirts, shorts and socks. The club's crest was rebranded along with the team name for the 2017 season.

History

Origins

Petaling Jaya Rangers Football Club was formed on 9 August 2011 as its former name AirAsia Allstars Football Club and the team competed in the Selangor state league.http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2016/12/07/airasia-fc-change-name-to-petaling-jaya-rangers/ AirAsia FC change name to Petaling Jaya Rangershttp://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2016/12/07/30228752/new-name-and-targets-petaling-jaya-rangers-fc-aims-to-build AirAsia FC revamps to Petaling Jaya Rangers FC as Tony Fernandes hopes to kickstart a community-based club followinghttp://www.bharian.com.my/node/220952 AirAsia FC kini dikenali Petaling Jaya Rangershttp://www.mstar.com.my/sukan/bola-sepak/2016/12/06/red-jets-ganti-aa-fc/ AirAsia FC Kini Dikenali Petaling Jaya Rangers FChttps://www.thesukan.com/air-asia-fc-kini-dengan-nama-barunya-petaling-jaya-rangers/ Air Asia FC Kini Dengan Nama Barunya, Petaling Jaya Rangershttp://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2017/01/01/31024822/pj-rangers-aim-to-grow-with-petaling-jaya-communitys-help PJ Rangers aim to grow with Petaling Jaya community's help According to AirAsia Allstars FC founder Datuk Kamarudin Meranun the initial purpose of the club was to "encourage AirAsia’s staff to excel in sports – football in particular – besides being committed to their daily work in keeping AirAsia as the best low cost airline in the world." The club won the league and were promoted to play in the national league, Malaysia FAM League.

Promotion to Malaysia FAM League

The club was promoted to the Malaysia FAM League for the 2015 season after moving up from Selangor Super League.http://www.bharian.com.my/node/45479 Liga FAM: Skuad AirAsia Allstars berhajat 'terbang tinggi' For their first season in the national league, the club appointed

Mohd Nidzam Jamil Mohd Nidzam bin Jamil (born 15 April 1980) is a former Malaysian footballer Selangor. He is also a former member of the Malaysian national team. His present position as assistant head coach of Malaysia Super League club Selangor. Playing car ...

as the new head coach.http://www.sinarharian.com.my/edisi/utara/mohd-nidzam-ketua-jurulatih-airasia-all-stars-1.358602 Mohd Nidzam ketua jurulatih AirAsia All Stars The club ended its first season in the national league in 7th place. After the first four matches of the 2016 season, the club replaced Nidzam Jamil with P. Maniam for the remainder of the season.http://www.duniasukan.com/air-asia-allstars-hilang-pengendali/ Air Asia AllStars Hilang Pengendalihttp://www.stadiumastro.com/ms/article/2016/12/23/air-asia-fc-diarah-bayar-baki-gaji-kepada-nidzam-jamil AirAsia FC diarah bayar baki gaji Nidzam Jamil The club managed to reach the playoff for the

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional Association football, football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The ...

after finishing the season in 3rd place although did not manage to be promoted.

Rebranded as Petaling Jaya Rangers

In November 2016, the club has announced the appointment of Mat Zan Mat Aris as the new head coach with a contract of two years as the club prepared for the new season.http://www.stadiumastro.com/ms/article/2016/11/05/matzan-mat-aris-sah-ke-airasia-fc Tak perlulah Melaka, Mat Zan Mat Aris sah ke AirAsia FChttp://english.astroawani.com/sports-news/mat-zan-wants-take-airasia-allstars-premier-league-2018-121633 Mat Zan wants to take AirAsia Allstars to Premier League in 2018https://www.malaysiakini.com/sukan/361773 Mat Zan kini kemudi AirAsia Allstars FChttp://www.bharian.com.my/node/209607 Mat Zan sasar bawa AirAsia Allstars ke Liga Perdana Mat Zan Mat Aris was the former head coach of

Melaka United Melaka United Football Club () was a defunct Malaysian professional football club based in Malacca that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd which is one of nitrile glove producer in Malaysia. Previously, th ...

who achieved a back-to-back promotion from the third division to the top division. This was the sort of quality which Petaling Jaya Rangers were looking for. As part of the club vision moving forwards, the club unveiled plans for the 2017 season with a rebranding from AirAsia F.C. to Petaling Jaya Rangers F.C. in order to bring more fans and promote local community support. The club also revealed its plans for 2017 with the focus on engaging communities.http://www.fourthofficial.com/2017/43418/pjrangers-tony-fernandes-plans-revolutionise-football-petaling-jaya/ PJRangers-How Tony Fernandes plans to revolutionise football in Petaling Jaya The club aimed to actively engage with and serve football fans in the area. In an effort to support football development in Malaysia and in the region, Petaling Jaya Rangers announced an exclusive partnership with

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

(QPR) to start a football academy. The academy aimed to nurture and train the next generation of renowned footballers to play in the top flight of Malaysian football. Working together with the team, QPR will lent their expertise in training the players, local coaches and staff. The club has also trained a professional groundsmen and stadium marshals too. PJ Rangers was put in Group B for the

2017 Malaysia FAM League The 2017 Malaysia FAM Cup (referred to as the FAM Cup or FAM League) is the 66th season of the Malaysia FAM League since its establishment in 1952. The league is currently the third level football league in Malaysia. MISC-MIFA are the previous cha ...

with seven other clubs.http://www.fam.org.my/news/keputusan-penuh-undian-piala-fam-piala-presiden-piala-belia-2017 Keputusan Penuh Undian Piala FAM, Piala Presiden & Piala Belia 2017 The club was knocked out from the

2017 Malaysia FA Cup The 2017 Malaysia FA Cup was the 28th season of the Malaysia FA Cup a knockout competition for Malaysia's state football association and clubs. The final was played between Pahang and Kedah at the Shah Alam Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor. Kedah bea ...

in the second round after a 2–1 defeat by

UiTM The MARA Technological University ( Malay: ''Universiti Teknologi MARA''; Jawi: اونيۏرسيتي تيكنولوڬي مارا; abbr. UiTM) is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Mala ...

. At the end of the season, PJ Rangers finished second in the league's Group B and were defeated by

Shahzan Muda FC Shahzan Muda Football Club is a Malaysian football club based in Kuantan, Pahang. The club currently plays at the Malaysia FAM League, the third tier of the Malaysian football league. Achievements Management and coaching staff * Manager: Wa ...

3–1 in the quarter-finals of the knock out stage. In the

2018 Malaysia FAM Cup The 2018 Malaysia FAM League was the 67th season of the Malaysia FAM League since its establishment in 1952. The season started on 25 February 2018 and concluded on 6 September 2018. Sime Darby were the defending champions. The season marked the c ...

season, the team again achieved second place in Group B, and qualified for the knock-out stage. PJ Rangers failed again at the penultimate stage, when they were defeated 4–3 on aggregate to

Selangor United Sarawak United Football Club or officially Sarawak United FC is a Malaysian professional football club based in Sarawak. The club currently plays in the first-tier division in Malaysian football, the Malaysia Super League for the first time in t ...

in the semi-finals. At the end of the season, the team's management announced on social media that they would not participate in the next FAM Cup season, instead rejoining the Selangor Super League state league beginning in 2019.

Stadium

PJ Rangers home stadium is the

Petaling Jaya Stadium The Petaling Jaya Stadium, also known as the MBPJ Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Kelana Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The stadium was opened in 1996 and has a capacity of 25,000. It was built in time for the 1998 ...

. The capacity of the stadium is 25,000. The club has previously played in various stadiums before moving to

for the 2017 season. Early in their first season in

FAM League The FAM Cup (Malay: Piala FAM) was a knock-out tournament for teams in both the Malaysia M3 League and the Malaysia M4 League in Malaysia. The tournament was a cup format, but from 2008 to 2018 was held as a third-tier league tournament and used ...

, the club played in MPSJ Stadium,

Subang Jaya Subang Jaya is a city in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third district of Petaling. It consists of the neighbourhoods from SS12 to SS19, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, Batu Tiga as well as PJS7, PJS9 ...

before moving to UPM Mini Stadium, Serdang for the remainder of the season. For the second season in FAM League, the club once again moved to a different stadium, the

Shah Alam Stadium The Shah Alam Stadium (Malay: ''Stadium Shah Alam'') is a multi-purpose stadium located in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It is used mostly for football matches but also has facilities for athletics. The stadium is the officially home of Red Gi ...

Shah Alam Shah Alam () is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in ...

where they played for the whole 2016 season. The club has planned to build a permanent stadium owned by them in near future as part of club expansion plan. It will be located in

Crest and colours

Crest

The original crest, adopted when the club was founded in 2011 features the logo of AirAsia as the main theme with the Allstars suffix. Despite the club being founded in 2011, the words "EST 2001" featured on the crest. This was reference to the establishment of the AirAsia low-cost carrier company after Tune Air, led by Tony Fernandes, bought AirAsia from a Malaysian government-owned company in September 2001.https://www.bbc.com/news/business-11647205 How Air Asia founder Tony Fernandes' dream came truehttp://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2001&dt=0907&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Korporat&pg=ko_01.htm DRB-HICOM jual AirAsia The crest was replaced with a new design to reflect the club's rebranding where the club adopted a colour theme of maroon and gold which was first used for the 2017 season.

Kit colours

Home Kit: Red and white shirts as it is an iconic colour for the club. Away Kit: Usually blue and white or various combination colours such as black.

Supporters

As part of the rebranding effort, the club changed its name to Petaling Jaya Rangers with the emphasis on engaging the Petaling Jaya community for local area support. , Petaling Jaya had a population of 619,925 which the club intended to engage via community programs.http://www.mbpj.gov.my/en/mbpj/profile/background Official Portal of Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) The club are established a youth football academy for the club with the support from

QPR Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus R ...

which was a landmark project among the local community.

Ownership and finances

The club was founded in 2011 and owned by the AirAsia Group, a Malaysian low-cost airline headquartered in Sepang, Malaysia which is spearhead by

Tony Fernandes Anthony Francis Fernandes (born 30 April 1964) is a Malaysian entrepreneur. He is the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd., which took over the first Malaysian budget airline, AirAsia. Fernandes turned AirAsia, a failing government-linked commerci ...

who is also the chairman of

. As part of ownership, the company provides all necessary budget and sponsorship for the club. The management is keen to move the club to be near their headquarters but the main focus is engaging with local community in Petaling Jaya to create a club with a local community support. The club also owns an amateur feeder team which is primarily made up of AirAsia staff. The club aims to be a sustainable self-funding football club in near future and reduce its dependency on AirAsia via financial funding through other methods of corporate sponsorship, gate receipt, and merchandise.

Sponsorship

In 2016 The PJ Rangers kit was supplied by Line 7. The club shirt sponsor has always been

AirAsia Capital A Berhad, () operating as AirAsia (stylized as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations. AirAsia operate ...

as part of ownership deal. The club also has had other shared shirt sponsors as they has been previously sponsored by

GE Aviation GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. GE Aviation is among the top aircraft engine suppliers, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the ...

in 2015 season.

Season by season record

Players

Current squad

Transfers

''For recent transfers, see

List of Malaysian football transfers 2018 This is a list of Malaysian football transfers for the ''2018 first transfer window''. Moves featuring Malaysia Super League, Malaysia Premier League and Malaysia FAM Cup club are listed. The first transfer window began once clubs had concluded ...

and

List of Malaysian football transfers 2017 The following is a list of transfers for 2017 Malaysian football. Malaysia Super League The 2017 Malaysia Super League (also known as Liga Super Malaysia 2017) is the 14th season of the highest Malaysian football league since its inception in 2004 ...

Head coaches

Management

:''Updated 7 December 2016.''

Current coaching staff

:''Updated 7 March 2019.''

References

External links

Official Website
{{Football in Malaysia Malaysia FAM League clubs Football clubs in Malaysia 2011 establishments in Malaysia Petaling Jaya Sport in Selangor