Big boost for Razak Cup

RAZAK CUP received a big boost when 100Plus signed a three-year deal worth RM1.5 million with the Malaysian Hockey Federation at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
100Plus will sponsor RM500,000 per year with RM300,000 in cash and RM200,000 in kind starting from next year.
MHF president Tengku Abdullan Sultan Ahmad Shah and James Teo, the managing director of F&N beverages marketing Sdn Bhd, witnessed the signing ceremony.
With money in the pocket, Razak Cup is also set to undergo a huge transformation from next year.
The new format will see teams playing at zonal qualifying rounds before competing for the title in a final round.
Teams will be divided into five zones of four each. The five zones are North, Central, South, East and West. The qualifying rounds will be held on a home-and-away basis.
The West Zone will be mad eup of Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Armed Forces.
Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and National Under-16 will feature in Central zone.
The teams in Southern Zone are Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor and Singapore while Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and Police are in East zone.
Sabah, Sawarak, Labuan and Brunei will feature in Northern zone.
And at the end of the qualifying rounds, the top two teams from each group will feature in the Division One while the teams that finished third and fourth from each group will compete in Division Two.