The timing of the 2019 Women's World Cup taking place at the same time as the Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup (PTSR) could not be better, according to Suraya Yaacob, chairman of the women's football committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

The month-long Women's World Cup concludes on Sunday as title holders United States and European champions Netherlands face off in the final.



Due to the hype and publicity surrounding the tournament, Suraya believes it had an indirect impact on the ongoing Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup, the Malaysian women's football competition being held for the 32nd time in 43 years.

"For me, I am happy that both tournaments are happening at the same time.

"At the start of the Women's World Cup, not many were aware of [the Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup], but halfway through it we began to see the interest picking up, so it has more or less has helped us.

"It has also motivated our players because it is a reflection of them.

"We are not playing at their level yet, but a reflection of women playing football [at the highest level] sends out [a message] that regular men might not understand.

"[If not mistaken] 50,000 people were watching the match between France and the United States at the stadium and cheering them on.

"The players thought it was a wonderful feeling and felt the adrenaline flowing because of the spectators.

"We would like to receive a similar [level of support] for the Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup in the future," she said during a press conference at the Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya on Friday.

The 2019 Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup, which kicked off with the group stage in April, enters the knockout stage on Saturday at the MMU Stadium in Cyberjaya, with the top four vying for the trophy.

Defending champions Kedah take on Selangor, while last season's runners-up Melaka United face PDRM.

The winners of each tie progress to the final on July 14, which is scheduled to be broadcast live on Astro Arena.

"This tournament is an important platform for the Malaysian women's football team.

"Without it, we will not be able to select the best players to represent the country.

"Thanks to the 22 [group stage] matches, coach Jacob [Joseph] has been able to identify 30 players for a centralised training camp to prepare for the AFF Women's Championship in Chonburi, Thailand, and the SEA Games in the Philippines.

"There are many challenges faced by the national team, so we are thankful to the teams participating in the tournament for having the players to train and be selected for international duty," Suraya added.