Negeri Sembilan FC

Negeri Sembilan Football Club, commonly referred to as Negeri Sembilan or simply NS9, is a Malaysian professional football club based in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The club competes in the top division of Malaysian football, the Malaysia Super League.
Founded in 1923 as Negeri Sembilan Football Association, it has been chaired by Dato' Seri Utama Haji Aminuddin Harun after replacing Tunku Syed Razman ibni al-Marhum Tunku Syed 'Idrus al-Qadri on 12 June 2025. The club represented the state of Negeri Sembilan, and won their first major honour in the 1948 Malaysia Cup.
Since its establishment in 1923, Negeri Sembilan has won several domestic cups, such as the Malaysia Cup in 1948, 2009, and 2011, as well as the Malaysia FA Cup in 2003 and 2010. In addition, the club won the Malaysia Super League in 2005–06 and managed to qualify for the AFC Cup, a continental-level competition, in 2004 and 2007. The club also gave rise to many Malaysian football stars who brought success to both club and country, such as Kwan Soon Teck, Mok Wai Hong, B. Rajinikandh, N. Thanabalan, B. Sathianathan, Ching Hong Aik, Shukor Adan, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Aidil Zafuan, Zaquan Adha, Farizal Marlias, S. Kunanlan, Shahurain Abu Samah, Syihan Hazmi and many more. Head coach, K. Devan became the pinnacle of the club guiding Negeri Sembilan to win the 2005–06 Malaysia Super League, 2003 Malaysia FA Cup and also the 2021 Malaysia Premier League.
The club has won 1 Malaysia Super League title, 2 Malaysia Premier League titles, 3 Malaysia Cup, 2 Malaysia FA Cup and 1 Malaysia Charity Shield.

History

Early era

The club was established in 1923, according to an interview with Austin Senevirathe. He stated that the Malaya Cup match between Negeri Sembilan and Singapore took place in that particular year. In 1948, they won the first HMS Malaya Cup, led by Kwan Soon Teck.

Isa Samad era (1982–2004)

In 1982, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Mohd Isa bin Dato' Haji Abdul Samad was appointed president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association as well as the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan. 1991 was the year of the revival of the Negeri Sembilan team. That was also the last year before the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium. On 18 August 1991, the team met Sarawak in the final match of the Division 2 League. Negeri Sembilan, who was in first place at the time, only needed a draw while Sarawak needed a win to get the top spot. The match went to Negeri Sembilan favour with a result of 2–2. Among the star players were the Bozik Brothers, and Marian Vazquez. Local players included Richard Scully, Mansor Sulaiman, and Nazari Hussein. In the 1996 season, Negeri Sembilan became one of the contenders for the title. The team starring two import players from Argentina, Gus Cerro and Jose Iriarte, and locals Othman Katmon, Faizal Zainal, Khairil Zainal, Rosli Omar, B. Rajinikandh, A. Ganeson, V. Arumugham, Idris Kadir, Azmi Mohamed, and Ching Hong Aik, surprised many despite not winning eventually.
On 31 May 2003, Negeri Sembilan met Perlis in the FA Cup final. Played at Perak Stadium, the club was surprised by the opponent's early goal in the 11th minute. The club managed to close the gap in the 56th minute thanks to a goal by Effendi Malek. In the 95th minute, Everson Martinelli scored for the trophy.
Negeri Sembilan made its first appearance in the AFC Cup competition in the 2004 season. The club opened it against Island FC with a 6–0 win on 10 February. However, the club had to settle for being 3rd after losing all the remaining group stage matches, including Geylang United and East Bengal.

Mohamad Hasan era (2004–2018)

In March 2004, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was appointed as the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association. He held the position as the 10th Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
In the 2005–06 season, the team won the Malaysia Super League. The newly promoted team from the Malaysian Premier League in the 2005 season managed to become the league champion in their first appearance. On 7 November 2009, the team ended their 61-year drought in the Malaysia Cup after posting a convincing 3–1 victory over Kelantan in the final at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. The team also won all the matches in the Malaysia Cup tournament.
The repeated final happened again on 30 October 2010. However, this time the club lost 1–2 to Kelantan despite having taken an early lead through Shahurain Abu Samah. On April 10, 2010, Negeri Sembilan needed the luck of the penalty shootout to win the FA Cup championship again by beating Kedah 5–4.
In 2011, the club again qualified for the Cup final for the third consecutive time. They won the trophy after defeating Terengganu FA with an epic comeback. The first goal was scored by Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin for Terengganu in the 59th minute. S. Kunanlan equalised the score in the 81st minute before Hairuddin Omar hit the winning goal in the 85th minute.
Throughout the years 2003–2011, there was a "golden generation" for Negeri Sembilan, with the emergence of players like Ching Hong Aik, Shukor Adan, Norhafiz Zamani, Khairul Anuar Baharom, Bekamenga Bekamengo, Sani Anuar, Rezal Zambery, Zaquan Adha, Aidil Zafuan, Farizal Marlias, S. Kunanlan, and Shahurain. On 6 December 2014, the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association announced that the Negeri Sembilan team would be known as the Negeri Sembilan Matrix from 2015.

Razman al-Qadri era (2018–2025)

On September 10, 2018 Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri was elected as the new president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association for the period of 2018–2021. On 20 October 2020, the club officially made its privatisation as Negeri Sembilan Football Club. The club has been registered under a private limited company named Negeri Sembilan Football Club Sdn. Bhd.. The club became a subsidiary of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association.
In 2024, Faliq Firdaus was appointed as the new chief executive officer of Negeri Sembilan, becoming the youngest CEO in the Malaysia Super League history.

Aminuddin Harun era (2025–''present'')

On 12 June 2025, Negeri Sembilan appointed YAB Dato’ Seri Utama Hj Aminuddin bin Harun, the First Minister of Negeri Sembilan, as the club’s new chairman. The announcement was made by YTM Tunku Syed Razman, the Tunku Besar of Tampin and President of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association. The appointment reflects a strategic effort to strengthen football governance in the state, with PBNS focusing on grassroots development while Negeri Sembilan operates as a competitive professional entity. Dato’ Seri Aminuddin expressed his commitment to revitalising Negeri Sembilan and uniting the community through football.
On 13 June 2025, Negeri Sembilan appointed Mohd Nidzam Jamil as the head coach of their Malaysia Super League team for the 2025–26 season. The appointment was officially announced by the club's chairman, YAB Dato’ Seri Aminuddin bin Harun, as part of NSFC's long-term strategic plan to build a more competitive and sustainable team.

Team image

Names

Negeri Sembilan has used several names throughout its 100-year history.

Years	Name	References
1921–2005	Negeri Sembilan
2005–2008	Negeri Sembilan Naza
2009–2014	Negeri Sembilan
2015	Negeri Sembilan Matrix
2016–2018	Negeri Sembilan FA
2019–present	Negeri Sembilan

1923–2005: Negeri Sembilan

In tournaments the Negeri Sembilan Football Association only used Negeri Sembilan or Negri Sembilan as the team name. Negeri Sembilan is the name of one of the states in Malaysia, and the Negeri Sembilan Football Association is the governing body of football, founded to represent the state. The team used it from 1923 through 2004 before it was rebranded in 2005.

2005–2008: Negeri Sembilan Naza

Negeri Sembilan was rebranded in 2005. The team, sponsored by a motor company from Malaysia named Naza, started in 2005. This has caused Negeri Sembilan to be given a new name: Negeri Sembilan Naza, or simply NS Naza, to represent the name of the sponsoring company.

2009–2014: Negeri Sembilan

In 2009, Naza withdrew from sponsoring the Negeri Sembilan football team. The team later cancelled the name Negeri Sembilan Naza and changed it back to Negeri Sembilan for the 2009 league season. They have used it until season 2014.

2015: Negeri Sembilan Matrix

On 6 December 2014 the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association announced the team's new branding by changing it to Negeri Sembilan Matrix, or simply NS Matrix. With a larger amount of sponsorship from Matrix Concepts Holdings Berhad and a bigger investment for the team, they had a greater vision and mission to carry out. Unfortunately, on 25 August 2015, NS Matrix was disbanded for not meeting the expectations set by PBNS.

2016–2020: Negeri Sembilan FA

Due to the disbandment of NS Matrix in the previous year, the team used the Negeri Sembilan name again starting in 2016. The team used it for 5 years until 2020, when they started using the new name because they had registered as a private football club.

2020–present: Negeri Sembilan

To achieve the targeted standards and the campaign implemented by the Football Association of Malaysia, the Negeri Sembilan team has privatised their team to become a football club. Previously operating as a football association, the team has started a new chapter with the privatisation of their football team.

Crest and colours

Crest

Negeri Sembilan previously used the crest of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association. After being privatised in 2020, Negeri Sembilan FC started using the new crest. The competition was won by Azral Ramlay.
Rice Stalks: The main crest displays nine white rice stalks tied with red rope into one in the middle, symbolising the nine states in the old Negeri Sembilan: Jelai, Jelebu, Johol, Kelang, Naning, Rembau, Segamat-Pasir Besar, Sungei Ujong, and Ulu Pahang. Moreover, it is designed to resemble the crest on the state's coat of arms, which is the Changgai Puteri fronted by a sword and scabbard.
Circle: The basic shape, which is a golden yellow circle in the royal color, symbolises the strong unity between the team, players, supporters, and the people of Negeri Sembilan under the auspices of D.Y.M.M. Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.
Escutcheon: The escutcheon of the arms is depicted as an old French shield outlined in black. The three basic colours of Negeri Sembilan symbolise all the people, players, and supporters coming together to protect their team, along with the lyrics of the Negeri Sembilan song, "Musuhnya Habis Binasa".