Helme Panjang

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Panjang is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Helme.
Helme Panjang
Helme in 2024
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Helme bin Panjang
Date of birth (1983-05-24) 24 May 1983
Place of birth Brunei
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 DPMM (Assistant Coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2008 DPMM
2015–2016 Kasuka (2)
2017–2019 Lun Bawang (3)
International career‡
2001 Brunei 4 (0)
2002 Brunei U20
2005 Brunei U21
Managerial career
2022 DPMM
2023–2025 DPMM II
2025– DPMM (assistant)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 September 2020
‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 January 2023

Mohammad Helme bin Panjang (born 24 May 1983) is a Bruneian retired footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently the assistant coach of Malaysia Super League club DPMM. [1] He made four appearances for the Brunei national football team in 2001.[2]

Club career

Helme was one of the first players signed to DPMM, the club founded by Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, even before the Brunei Premier League was created.[3] He exclusively played for DPMM throughout their four-year local stint, winning two B-League championships, one FA Cup and two Super Cups, and in addition becoming the B-League Young Player of the Year in 2002.[4][5] He also briefly captained the side in the absence of Ali Momin before later relinquishing it to Rosmin Kamis.[3]

DPMM replaced the Brunei national representative team that competed in the Malaysian Premier League starting from the 2005–06 season. With former Brunei coach Ranko Buketa favouring the likes of Rosmin Kamis and Yussof Salleh over Helme, he found limited opportunities under the Croatian head coach, mostly appearing from the substitutes' bench.[6] His side gained promotion and was even placed third in their top-flight debut, but Helme had minimal input.[3] It was only when Yordan Stoykov took over in the 2007–08 season that Helme saw more game time.[7][8] Ultimately, in a tumultuous period for DPMM which saw them move to the Singaporean league and then subject to a FIFA ban, Helme was not retained for the 2009 season, instead being replaced by namesake Helmi Zambin.

After a few years away from the game, Helme joined Kasuka, a reformed team that were to compete in the Brunei Premier League in 2015.[9] He gained promotion with Kasuka and played with them for another season in the Brunei Super League until transferring to Temburong-based side Lun Bawang in 2017.[1]

International career

Due to eye-catching performances for DPMM in local tournaments, Zainuddin Kassim drafted Helme into the national squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches to be held in April–May 2001.[10] Helme was in the starting lineup for four of the games, all ending in defeats.[2]

Helme also played for the Brunei U20 at the 2002 AFC Youth Championship qualification matches in South Korea in March 2002,[11] as well as Brunei U21 at the 2005 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy.[12]

Coaching career

In July 2022, Helme was appointed head coach of DPMM for the 2022 Brunei FA Cup, occupying the seat made vacant by Adrian Pennock becoming the first local to take charge of the club in their history.[13] He coached DPMM all the way to the final of the competition on 4 December.[14] His team were victorious against Kasuka in that final, bringing DPMM's second FA Cup triumph which Helme first won as a player in 2004.[15]

Helme was assigned to coach the DPMM under-20s playing in the Brunei Youth League U20 from 2023. He managed to take the youngsters to become the competition's champions in March 2024, while also winning the Best Coach of the League award.[16]

At the start of the 2024–25 Brunei Super League, it was announced that DPMM would be entering a second team to the league, which was composed of mostly the under-20 team that was led by Helme. His team played 12 games without dropping a single point, and led the table in their final fixture against Kasuka, where they were beaten 2–3 to surrender the title to the defending champions.[17] Later in the season, Helme took DPMM II to domestic cup glory, beating Indera SC 1–0 in the final on 18 May.[18]

At the start of the 2025–26 season, Helme became assistant to first-team head coach Jamie McAllister in their Malaysia Super League campaign.[19]

Honours

As player

DPMM

As head coach

DPMM

Individual

  • B-League Young Player of the Year: 2002
  • Brunei Youth League U20 Best Coach of the League: 2023–24

References

  1. ^ a b "MS PDB's search for first win in Super League continues". Borneo Bulletin. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Mohd Helme Panjang (Player) | National Football Teams". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "DPMM FC:My Site News". DPMM FC. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Brunei 2002". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 January 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Young Helme promises an exciting fight from his bunch of part-timers". TODAY. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Brunei DPMM FC Take On Kedah". Borneo Bulletin. 16 December 2006. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Brunei DPMM FC, Terengganu sekadar berkongsi mata 1 - 1". Pelita Brunei. 19 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 January 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Selangor Down Brunei DPMM FC 2-1". Borneo Bulletin. 27 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. ^ "KASUKA FOOTBALL CLUB". National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Football - Brunei soccer teams unveiled". Borneo Bulletin. 4 April 2001. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Brunei for Qatar date". Borneo Bulletin. 3 February 2002. Archived from the original on 8 February 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  12. ^ "ASEAN U-21 Championship 2005 (Piala Hassanal Bolkiah)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 22 June 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. ^ @bruneiansoccer; (18 August 2022). "Brunei FA Cup - Best Coach Helme Panjang has been choosen [sic] as the Best Coach of Week 2, are you happy with it? Who's gonna be the best coach for this week? #bruneiansoccer". Retrieved 6 December 2022 – via Instagram.
  14. ^ "Anticipation builds over FA Cup battle". Borneo Bulletin. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  15. ^ "DPMM FC sink Kasuka FC to win Brunei FA Cup". Borneo Bulletin. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. ^ "DPMM FC triumph in Brunei U-20 Youth League". Borneo Bulletin. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Kasuka FC down DPMM FC II for BSL title". BruSports News. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  18. ^ "DPMM FC beat Indera SC to lift FA Cup". Borneo Bulletin. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  19. ^ "FAM - Competition Management System". Football Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
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