The successful collaboration between a major cooking oil brand and the country’s biggest sport continues in the latest season of Liga Malaysia! ALIF, Malaysia’s premier sustainably-produced cooking oil, proudly announced today that it is co-sponsoring the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for 2023, the 2nd consecutive year the brand will feature as one of the main supporters of the event.

The special announcement was made during the launch event attended by MFL Board of Director, Mohd Joehari Ayub, and MFL Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Ramalingam, where the new ALIF EcoPaX was also unveiled. The brand new 3kg packaging for ALIF comes in an easy-to-handle stand-up pouch with a resealable spout, slim enough to fit into the modern pantry without taking up much space.

According to Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, Managing Director of SD Guthrie International, the partnership between ALIF and the MFL last year resonated strongly with local football fans, with close to 30,000 visitors engaging in exciting activities carried out in the ALIF Zone activation at the stadiums during 22 selected matches. Leveraging on the huge digital following of football fans, ALIF’s presence on social media received a tremendous boost, achieving a new high of 3 million viewers for MFL-related postings.

“The ALIF brand represents the very best features of sustainably produced Malaysian palm oil. Pairing the brand again with a tremendously dynamic platform like MFL is going to help us share the goodness of ALIF even further with the diverse audience of Malaysian football. We are truly excited to continue supporting Malaysia’s favourite sport by bringing ALIF, Malaysian football teams, and their fans closer together,” said Mohd Haris.

According to Mohd Haris, the introduction of the new ‘ALIF EcoPaX’ is also in line with the company’s commitment to delivering quality products for a diverse range of Malaysian consumers and lifestyles, including the modern lifestyle of urban households.

“With the brand’s continuing involvement in Liga Malaysia, we expect the new packaging to add to ALIF’s appeal to more local football fans, beyond ALIF’s key consumer segment of Malaysian women,” added Mohd Haris. Fortified with Vitamin D3 which helps to boost the immune system, ALIF EcoPaX is now available at leading retail outlets, in addition to ALIF’s current packaging of 5kg, 2kg, and 1kg.

Liga Malaysia has an estimated 21 million fans across the country (40% of whom are female fans), 371 games in a season, over 1.6 million attendances in stadiums and over 10 million digital followers. For MFL 2023, a new format of competition pitting 14 teams in Liga Super and the introduction of a new competition – the Piala MFL for Under-23 team – are expected to create more excitement and action among the competing teams.

For the new season of Liga Malaysia, ALIF has planned several engagements and lifestyle-driven activities in collaboration with retail partners. With the participation of retail chains, such as AEON Big, being a sponsor for the Malaysian Football League, ALIF is looking forward to bringing more excitement into the retail scene, and a wider audience beyond the stadiums.

MFL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Stuart Ramalingam shared that ALIF has been an exciting addition to the local football scene, as proven by its sponsorship activations during the 2022 season, which was well-received by football fans in the stadiums and online.

“Representing the MFL President Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan, the Board of Directors and the football community, we are proud to be able to continue this wonderful partnership with ALIF Cooking Oil, as part of the 2023 Malaysian Football League family.”

“ALIF's continuing partnership with MFL signals the positive involvement of yet another top local brand that values and supports the local football industry as a platform that can uplift its presence and awareness. Continuing this strategic partnership, we thank ALIF for its long-term belief in us and we will do our best to provide a great experience for all.”