And Bandung Proves, Women's Football is a Continuous Process

The players of the Bandung team collectively lifted and threw their coach, Dian Nadia Mutiara, into the air. At the Supersoccer Arena Stadium in Kudus, Central Java, on Sunday (13/7/2025), they expressed their joy after successfully clinching the championship title in the national level youth women's football tournament, the Piala Pertiwi U-14 and U-16 2025 All Stars.

Bandung emerged as the champion after defeating Tangerang with a score of 1-0 in the final match. This victory capped off Bandung's impressive performance since the group stage. No one was able to defeat this representative from West Java, not even the host Kudus, who succumbed with a resounding score of 5-1 in the quarter-finals.

"In the group stage, the children's performance was actually less sharp. However, after evaluation and being given understanding, they began to show their true performance, including in the final earlier," said Dian, who is also a former player of the women's national football team.

Bandung's victory in the tournament, which involved 16 teams from 16 cities and regions in Indonesia, is not surprising. This is because women's football and Bandung are like two inseparable entities.

Women's football in Bandung has been flourishing for more than five decades. Its presence has indeed experienced ups and downs, but it has never disappeared. This is because efforts to sustain it continue through clubs and various tournaments.

In 1969, Bandung was the birthplace of the women's football club, Putri Priangan. This club is a pioneer and one of the best women's football clubs in the country.

According to Kompas records, Putri Priangan once represented Indonesia in the 1969 Singapore Games. Hong Kong, Australia, and the states of Malaysia were also invited to the tournament.

Putri Priangan returned home as runner-up. In 15 domestic matches, Putri Priangan was undefeated.

Putri Priangan also won several tournaments in Indonesia, such as the Kartini II Cup and the Women's Football Tournament for the ABRI Anniversary in 1983. This club also created a fierce rivalry with the Jakarta team, Buana Putri. The two teams consistently competed in the finals of several tournaments.

Fifty years later, when the Priangan Princess was no longer heard of, Persib Bandung Putri emerged and successfully made history. This team won the 2019 Women's League 1, which was held for the first time and remains the only women's football competition organized by PSSI to date.

Dian stated that the momentum of women's football in Bandung is still maintained to this day. In fact, recently, the situation has become increasingly vibrant with the emergence of many clubs or football schools specifically for women and women's football tournaments.

Each club always holds internal leagues, sometimes also inviting other clubs in rotation. In addition, there are also tournaments such as the Mayor's Cup held between sub-districts, the Regional Sports Week (Porda), and the U-17 Bandung Women's League.

Most of her foster children who competed in the U-14 and U-16 All Stars Piala Pertiwi have also experienced playing in the inaugural Bandung Women's U-17 League held in 2024. As a result, Dian stated, her players are no longer surprised by the match atmosphere.

Dian admitted that preparing a team with players from various clubs was not difficult. This was because the players already possessed basic skills, having been trained by their respective clubs. He focused more on building chemistry between players and providing tactical insight.

"I believe that if the development structure is good and functioning, there are many tournaments, and the process is indeed ongoing, the results will not betray. This victory for Bandung is the proof," said Dian.

The news about women's football that continues to thrive in Bandung is what prompted Dian Aprilia Pary (14) to decide to migrate to the capital of West Java. Pary hails from Ternate, North Maluku, and often played football with male players there. However, Pary's coach in Ternate believed that his protégé should also play and experience tournaments with fellow female players, thus offering her the opportunity to move to Bandung.

Upon hearing that there are many women's football clubs and tournaments in Bandung, Pary did not hesitate to follow her coach's advice to move there less than a year ago. Pary, who eventually joined the Goal Aksis club, believes that Bandung could be the starting point for her to realize her dream of becoming a professional football player who plays abroad.

At the Piala Pertiwi U-14 and U-16 All Stars, Pary emerged as one of the standout players. He became a key player for Bandung in the attacking line, scoring a total of five goals throughout the tournament.

"Hopefully Bandung, as well as West Java in general, will become increasingly consistent in organizing tournaments so that the potential of children can emerge, and their skills and stamina are maintained through continuous competition. I hope this is followed by other regions as well, not only for the youth but also extending to seniors, so that these tournaments and competitions have a structured and comprehensive progression," said Dian.

Like Bandung, Tangerang's success in advancing to the finals did not come from a vacuum. In recent years, many girls' football schools (SSB) have emerged there, such as Raga Negeri Women, Putri Tangsel City, and BMIFA Putri.

Tangerang coach, Saronih, stated that tournaments are often held even though they are still at the regional level or in the form of internal leagues. This way, the players become familiar with matches and can test the results of their training.

Bandung and Tangerang are the teams that select their best players from each edition of the U-14 and U-16 Piala Pertiwi held from April to June 2025. In addition to Tangerang and Bandung, there are Jakarta, Cirebon, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Kudus, Malang, and Surabaya.

The six other teams competing in the Piala Pertiwi are from regions outside of Java Island, selecting players through PSSI and their respective Provincial Associations. These six teams are North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali-Nusa Tenggara, and Papua.

In addition to the tournament to find the best teams at the national level, the U-14 and U-16 All Stars Pertiwi Cup also serves as a selection event for the national team for the U-16 AFF Women's Cup in Surakarta, Central Java, next August. Therefore, the national women's team coach, Satoru Mochizuki, was present to witness the matches directly.

"There are many potential players participating in the Pertiwi Cup. Certainly, there are many aspects that need improvement, but what is important is that these players are willing to continue training and developing. Therefore, it is essential for them to have a training facility and for the coaches to be able to guide them in the future," said Mochizuki.

Vivin Cahyani, a member of the Executive Committee of PSSI responsible for the women's national team, stated that there are 43 names that will be called to participate in the training camp in Kudus. From these 43 names, the number will be further narrowed down to 21 players for the final squad for the AFF Cup.

Vivin also hopes that the Piala Pertiwi U-14 and U-16, organized by PSSI in collaboration with Djarum Foundation and Hydroplus, can reach more female football talents with an increasingly wider regional coverage. "We hope that in the coming years, the Piala Pertiwi will expand its reach, potentially covering the entire country so that all talents from remote islands and small towns can participate," said Vivin.

Timo Scheunemann, who was mentioned by PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir as responsible for coaching the Indonesia U-16 women's team, stated that with the Piala Pertiwi tournament, the player selection pathway for the national team has become more systematic. Players first compete representing their respective clubs at the regional level, then they are curated to represent their cities and regions at the national level, after which the best players at the national level are selected to represent the national team.

"The players performed above my expectations, better than I anticipated. The organization of the Piala Pertiwi in the region still has many shortcomings, but the main positive aspect is that from nothing, it has become something. The pathway to the national team is clear; the selection is not done through a coach's choice followed by calls to various parties, it is now more systematic," he stated.

From the Piala Pertiwi, Bandung demonstrates that women's football cannot be built overnight, but rather through a process that transforms into champions. The pathway to the national team will also be clearer and more structured when regional development is continuous and consistently maintained.