Badminton

3 things Tze Yong must immediately look into after leaving BAM

Henry Larsson

26/06/2026 | 17:42 MYT

Ng Tze Yong has confirmed he will continue his career as a professional shuttler when he leaves the national body on June 30.

But the big question is, how different is life going to be for Ng as an independent shuttler? Stadium Astro breaks down three key factors he needs to sort out if he intends to make a success of his new career path.

Securing sponsorship

This will be Ng’s first task, to secure funding for his career.

Once ranked as high as 14, the Johor-born currently does not have a ranking after being out of contention since late 2024.

So he will need to start from scratch and play in the lowest-tier tournaments.

To find a sponsor who believes in his talent will be key, and it is something the shuttler must start thinking about already.

Managing his logistics

For all his life, Ng has had all his flight, hotel and competition travel arrangements taken care of by the national association.

Now as a pro athlete, he will have to do it on his own.

This has been one of the biggest challenges faced by pro athletes who suddenly find themselves having to work on administrative matters, and sometimes it has even resulted in them missing their flights because of wrong bookings.

Ng will need to hire someone to be on top of this matter, so he can focus solely on his badminton.

Training base & sparring partner

Ng has stated he will train with former national shuttler Soong Joo Ven, but that may not be the ideal situation for him long-term.

Soong has retired from the competitive circuit in 2024, and he will not offer Ng competitive sparring on a regular basis.

Ng needs to find players who can challenge him, so when he is back to full fitness, he can return to the World Tour circuit with confidence and hopefully accelerate his progress.

To do that, he will also need a comprehensive training base where he can also access the gym and other facilities.

Above everything else, Ng must have the discipline and absolute determination that he can succeed as a professional shuttler.