Indonesia Takes Crucial Step Toward Football Development with U-17 World Cup

Jakarta, 20 November 2023 – The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia is a crucial turning point for the development of national football.

Although the Indonesian U-17 National Team under Bima Sakti's guidance failed to advance to the round of 16, their performances against tough teams like Ecuador and Panama were widely appreciated.

Surono, the Deputy for Sports Performance Improvement at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs (Kemenpora), emphasized that the U-17 National Team has been well-developed, but needs to improve the quality of coaches and more competitive competitions.

“The development of the Indonesian U-17 National Team has been going well. However, we need to improve the quality of coaches and more competitive competitions,” Surono said in a discussion at the Forum Merdeka Barat 9 (FMB9).

Surono also highlighted the importance of football development from early childhood to adolescence, covering technical, tactical, physical, mental, and psychological aspects.

“Development must be carried out on an ongoing basis so that superior seedlings continue to develop and improve their abilities,” he added.

In an effort to improve the quality of players, Surono emphasized the important role of competitive youth football competitions.

“Competition must encourage players to play football with high spirit and motivation,” he said.

A similar view was expressed by sports observer Sapto Haryo Rajasa, who highlighted the need for synchronization of football development from an early age. He emphasized the differences in the development systems between Indonesia and Thailand, where Thailand has regular and sustainable junior competitions.

“At that time I asked the Thai players, where do they play. It turned out that they had joined professional clubs since the age of 12-13 years. While Indonesian players are still playing at SSB or school,” said Sapto.

To achieve success at the senior level, recommendations are made to improve the quality of coaches, synchronize development, and develop more structured youth competitions.

With these steps, Indonesia is expected to achieve excellence in the international football arena in the future.