Nurturing Our Football Grassroots

The Indonesian national football team has once again failed to advance to the World Cup finals. The decision by PSSI to pursue naturalization and recruit diaspora players in order to enhance the chances of qualifying for the World Cup has not yielded results. Instead, this unwise policy has stifled the grassroots of our domestic football.

How could it not be so? Imagine yourself as a young local player striving to build a career in football with great difficulty. Starting from the sweat poured on the village field, football schools, and then domestic leagues. Just as you are about to enter the national team, the chances are almost nonexistent because the quota for local players is filled by naturalized players and those from the diaspora.

Similarly, local teams in the major league are now legitimately staffed by a majority of foreign players. There is almost no protection or space for the growth of local talent from across the archipelago. National football is now even suspected of becoming a platform for the political ambitions of certain federation officials.

Gaining votes through football has become a hidden agenda behind the mass recruitment of naturalized players and diaspora, as well as the allowance for major league teams to be dominated by foreign players. These two peculiar matters are evidently stifling national grassroots players.

It seems that Indonesia needs to be truly humble in reflecting on Japan and South Korea. These two Asian countries have long relied on grassroots football development to produce quality local players.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) or Japan's PSSI showcased Japan’s Way, a comprehensive roadmap aimed at creating 10 million football families and lifting the mundial trophy in 2050. It is a long-term roadmap that is measurable and realistic.

JFA promotes four approaches, namely strengthening the national team, developing young players, training coaches, and strengthening grassroots. Interestingly, Japan combines the joy of playing football with success in competition.

Japan offers various pathways for children and teenagers to embark on a football career. From the age of six, children have the opportunity to experience the joy of playing football in local teams, school teams, academies, campus teams, and so forth. At the earliest stage of grassroots football, Japan emphasizes the happiness of children playing the game with the support of their families and coaching teams.

Experiencing the joy of playing football with improved techniques becomes the target of the next stage, namely the young footballer stage. After this stage, there are two branches that can be chosen. First, football for mental and physical health. Second, football for achieving accomplishments. The culmination of this series of processes is two options: lifelong amateur football and professional football as an athlete.

Since 2000, Japan has organized a league for high school teams. Since 2008, Japan has held U-15 and U-12 leagues. Since 2022, Japan has regularly hosted U-18 competitions involving 24 teams. The result of this grassroots football development is the emergence of top local talents such as Kaoru Mitoma, the attacking winger for Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League.

On the other hand, South Korea has also been able to nurture grassroots football effectively. The landscape of junior football in South Korea includes school-based teams, private academies, and youth teams sponsored by clubs.

The journey of young players in South Korea begins in elementary school, where children are introduced to physical education programs, followed by more structured training and competitions in middle school. The Korea Football Association (KFA) ensures that the program adheres to national standards.

Learning from developed football nations, Indonesia needs to immediately design age-group competitions using a sports science approach. It also needs to detail the indicators of success for each age group, similar to what Japan has done with its Japan's Way.

Instead of pursuing instant achievements, Indonesian football should seriously nurture grassroots development. We do not lack potential star players. In terms of physique, Indonesian players can still be developed with proper nutrition and the application of sports science from an early age. Isn't the physique of Indonesian players not very different from that of Japanese players?

PSSI along with all stakeholders in national football need to establish a clear roadmap similar to Japan’s Way, which includes concrete long-term plans along with clear indicators. The culture of Indonesian football also holds a wealth of promising potential to create a joyful atmosphere in playing football for the younger generation, supported by families, schools, coaches, and supporters.

In the past, Indra Sjafri diligently traveled to the remote corners of the archipelago to monitor local talent. This should be undertaken by PSSI on a broader and more systematic scale. Why are there so few football training centers in Central and Eastern Indonesia? It is very difficult to expect the emergence of new local football stars when facilities are not evenly distributed.

Instead of providing free meals, it would be more appropriate to build sports facilities in schools and residential areas. The central and local governments could also collaborate with private sectors and the community to prepare adequate sports facilities, including football fields.

Football is a magnet for spectators and companies. Sponsorship funds are very much warranted to regularly roll out early age competitions. Kompas Gramedia serves as a good example by routinely organizing the Liga Kompas Gramedia (LKG) U-14.

In addition, we have the potential of talented players among the santri and students of boarding schools. The advantage of the santri and students in boarding schools is generally that they have a healthy and regular lifestyle. For example, we have the Santri League. One of its products is Muhammad Rafli Mursalim, who once strengthened the U-19 National Team. Rafli was the top scorer of the Santri League in 2016.

We must not forget the development of women's football in Indonesia. Without a regularly held league, our female players will find it difficult to hone their skills. Strangely, the naturalization project is also being carried out by PSSI in the women's football sector. However, naturalization cannot be a long-term solution. Organizing competitions and strengthening football academies as well as grassroots football coaching are the true solutions.

Success, as they say, is not the result of a single night. It is the outcome of hard work and smart effort over a relatively long period. Without a vision, reaching the final round of the World Cup will always remain a dream. Therefore, let us build a Roadmap for Indonesia towards the World Cup. Hopefully!

Bobby Steven, Football Observer, Lecturer at Sanata Dharma University