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Rob Friend Named Malaysia National Team CEO
By It’s fair to say Rob Friend is deeply involved in quite a lot of football at the executive level.
The Vancouver FC President has just been named to the Malaysian football association as the organization’s chief executive officer.
The Saskatchewan native has made big moves following playing career that saw him make 32 national team appearances, with Friend helping launch Pacific FC as its co-founder and CEO before crossing over to the mainland to plant a flag with Vancouver FC instead.
During his tenure with the former, Pacific laid claim to a Canadian Premier League title in 2021.
Betwixt all this, Friend launched SixFive Sports And Entertainment, which continues to operate on a multi-club ownership model that also has a stake on stadium construction and the development of training facilities, too.
He previously founded Toca Football Canada, leaving in 2021 after the company had raised some $150 million in capital. He was also a managing partner with DRG Investment Group and remains with the company ten years on.
The Malaysian FA reports that Friend’s role as a CPL startup investor has seen the league valued at $300 million, though we could not confirm those numbers.
Vancouver FC’s sophomore season in the CPL got off to a hot start but finished with the club outside of a playoff spot for the second straight year, with the team now making a bold shift to a majority general admission ticket structure.
Elsewhere, Pacific reached playoffs but haven’t confirmed a long-term lease in Langford’s Starlight Stadium. This season the team told us the club was not for sale amidst rumours that it was.
Friend’s new Malaysian business venture will see him tasked with overseeing the football organization’s structure, including staffing manpower and putting a platform of stability in place for the Harimau Malaya, who just announced Australia’s Peter Cklamovski as its new head coach.
Friend’s chapter with the Malaysian federation begins on January 1, 2025.
