TPCA looks to build a new home for sport, culture and community

Guests gathering for the Tamilian Physical Cultural Association's silver jubilee dinner in 1940, part of a history spanning more than a century of sport, culture and community life. (TPCA pic) KAJANG: For more than a century, the Tamilian Physical Cultural Association (TPCA) has helped shape athletes, stage sporting contests and bring communities together.

Now, more than four decades after losing the stadium it once called home, members are hoping to write a new chapter by building a permanent clubhouse at TPCA’s grounds in Saujana Impian here.

The association is aiming to raise RM600,000 through a fundraising dinner at Fui Chuai Restaurant in Sungai Chua on Dec 12. Together with RM1.5 million already in its coffers, the money would give TPCA the RM2.1 million it needs to begin the redevelopment.

Organising committee secretary Vivehananthan Vairakkannu said the response from members, supporters and the wider public has so far been encouraging.

“God willing, we will be able to achieve our targeted budget to make the redevelopment a reality within a year, for the benefit of the community and public in this region - especially the youth,” he said.

The project is about more than finally having a proper building - it is also about reviving an organisation that once produced a steady stream of state and national athletes across several sports.

“We wish to revive the glory days of TPCA, which helped contribute a regular supply of local and national athletes in various sports at the SEA Games, Asian Games, Olympics and world championships," Vivehananthan said.

“Our aim is to continue unearthing and nurturing talent for the country, without burdening the government.”

Vivehananthan Vairakkannu (standing, second right), Edward Victor (seated, far right) and Rajendra Nadeson (seated, far left) with members of the committee working to give TPCA a permanent clubhouse in Kajang. (Adrian David pic) In 2000, TPCA purchased five acres (2.02ha) of land in Kajang, close to a golf club, and has since established sporting activities there. It hopes eventually to acquire an adjoining two acres (0.81ha), estimated at RM4 million, to accommodate a multipurpose hall.

For now, however, its facilities remain modest: the club operates from a makeshift tent while hosting activities such as pickleball, netball, football, hockey and cricket.

A permanent clubhouse would provide changing rooms, food and beverage outlets, a fitness centre and recreational facilities, among other amenities, Vivehananthan explained.

“We need a proper clubhouse,” he stressed, adding that the larger ambition is to create a place where young athletes can train, families can gather, and TPCA’s cultural traditions can continue.

That ambition draws heavily on a past that stretches back to 1914, decades before Malaya achieved independence.

The association eventually built what Vivehananthan describes as one of the country’s earliest privately owned stadiums. Constructed between 1953 and 1955 on swampy land beside Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, the 7,000-capacity TPCA Stadium cost RM85,000.

For now, TPCA runs many of its activities from this makeshift tent at Saujana Impian, while members work towards building a permanent clubhouse. (TPCA pic) For members of that generation, it became much more than a sporting venue. “TPCA stood as a cornerstone of its community, athletic distinction and cultural pride,” Vivehananthan noted.

But in 1982, the association was required to vacate the site following a government acquisition, for which it received RM1.36 million. The former TPCA Stadium subsequently became Stadium Raja Muda.

Losing that home left a wound that members have carried for decades - which is why the Kajang redevelopment carries such significance.

“We stand at a pivotal milestone: financing and constructing our new TPCA clubhouse to serve future generations,” Vivehananthan added.

“This project reflects a long-awaited homecoming. This is more than bricks and mortar; it is an investment in continuity and excellence in sports and youth talent.”

He said TPCA hopes the new facilities will provide infrastructure, equipment and mentorship for emerging athletes, while also creating room for arts, music, vernacular-language classes, festive celebrations and the preservation of its own history.

A visiting Sri Lankan cricket team at TPCA’s Saujana Impian grounds, where sport has continued despite the club operating without a permanent clubhouse. (TPCA pic) Retired Royal Malaysian Air Force warrant officer Edward Victor remembers TPCA’s contribution to Malaysian sport being recognised at the highest levels.

During the association’s 50th anniversary in 1964, he recalled, then Selangor ruler Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah and Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman both paid tribute to its achievements.

Victor said Tunku singled out TPCA’s contribution to football, crediting the association with nurturing numerous state and national players and helping grow the sport’s popularity.

The stadium itself hosted many notable matches, including the 1956 Malaya Cup final between Selangor and Singapore. It would later stage matches during the 1975 Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

Victor also highlighted another part of TPCA’s legacy: its decision to open membership to people of all races as early as 1923.

He said that commitment reflected a belief that sport should have no barriers of race or creed - a principle TPCA continues to uphold in its teams today.

Members of TPCA's cultural troupe performing during the association’s early years, reflecting a tradition beyond sports that it hopes to preserve for future generations. (TPCA pic) For members such as Victor, that history is precisely why the present fundraising effort matters.

He hopes the public will help create not merely another building, but a home where TPCA can continue producing athletes, preserving its heritage and bringing people together for decades to come.

After more than a century of adapting, rebuilding and carrying on, TPCA is now hoping its next generation will finally have a roof of its own under which to do the same.