Female Footballers Transform with Competition

The turmoil in the penalty box. The final moments of the match between the Kudus and Surakarta teams were marked by tension. Kudus' narrow 1-0 lead was on the line, awaiting a decisive save.

When the ball slipped from the goalkeeper's grasp, Della Citra Ayu Anggraeni (12) dashed like lightning. Her foot arrived just in time to block the ball that was nearly crossing the goal line. Surakarta failed to equalize, and Kudus soon secured the victory.

If it were not for Della's rescue, Kudus might never have won the intercity women's soccer tournament title, MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2025, with a perfect result. They would not have achieved five victories from five matches.

However, what Della did was much more than just a rescue action. It was a representation of the transformation of a child, who one and a half years ago, never even imagined herself becoming a strong female soccer player.

"It is more enjoyable to play now, maybe I can already (play soccer) and my friends also help," said Della, who is now in the 7th grade at SMP 3 Kudus. The sentence is simple, but full of meaning. Della was talking about the significant changes she has experienced.

Della has indeed changed a lot. The Della who performed at the Supersoccer Arena Stadium, Kudus, Central Java, on Friday (January 24, 2025) is a different Della. Her long hair that used to flow down almost touching her shoulders is now cut shorter and tied up.

The change, he said, was his mother's request. At first he refused, but now he said he was comfortable with the new look.

In the field, Della's transformation is more apparent. From a child who was just getting to know soccer at the end of elementary school, she has now become an irreplaceable center-back.

Kudus team coach Yayat Hidayat praised his ability. "He can distribute the ball well, control the game, and defend calmly. That is a rare quality," said Yayat.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, nothing in the universe is fixed or permanent. Everything changes, everything flows. Panta rei kai uden menei.

If Kudus is like a flowing river, we cannot go down the same river twice. Because, Kudus and the women's soccer ecosystem in it are slowly changing starting in 2023. Della is no longer the same person, and in Kudus, Asyifa Sholawa Farizi is no longer the only girl who plays soccer.

Della’s transformation and the changing ecosystem of girls’ soccer in her city did not happen in a vacuum. Tournaments like the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, first held in Kudus for elementary school and Islamic elementary school girls in the 10- and 12-year-old age group, became catalysts that paved the way for girls like Della. The competition gave them a place to train, compete, and dream.

Della is a player who emerged along with the holding of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge which will be held in eight cities until 2024. After participating in the tournament, Della joined a soccer school (SSB). With SSB, Della then joined the Hydroplus Soccer League 2024, a girls' soccer league for the 14-year-old age group in the Kudus area and surroundings. This competition lasts for 10 weeks.

Thus, Della's training also increased, not only at school to prepare for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, but also at SSB to prepare for the Hydroplus Soccer League.

MilkLife Soccer Challenge Head Coach and former women's national soccer team coach, Timo Scheunemann, has long said that Della is a potential player. Seeing Della's performance more than half a year later has made Timo even more convinced of the importance of mature and long-term coaching.

"With the tournament, they have a place to show their talents and potential. Kudus, which has hosted the tournament since 2023, then trained for more than a year, has proven to be able to emerge as champions. Mature and long-term training will not betray the results. " said Timo.

Della is just one of many players who have developed from zero along with the competition. There is also Alya Putri Ariyanto (11), the goalkeeper for the Kudus team, who initially did not even know about football. Alya only knew what it was like to play volleyball. So when her school teacher was looking for a goalkeeper, Alya was invited because she was used to holding the ball.

Timo mentioned other names who also transformed with the competition. Two of them are Zahra Izzati Naila Alkhaliqi (11) and Regina Mikaela Lintang Putri (12) who defend the Yogyakarta team. These two players were not very prominent during the MilkLife Soccer Challenge Yogyakarta series, but were able to show rapid development when playing in Kudus.

According to the Yogyakarta team coach, Geovani Akbar, these two players are indeed potential. In addition to having good technical skills, Lintang has calmness and Zahra has high discipline. So, Geovani is not surprised if both of them are able to develop rapidly and even steal the attention at the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars.

The women's national team coach, Satoru Mochizuki, said that the women's soccer tournament is part of marketing. Unlike men's soccer, which has already been created as an ecosystem, women's soccer must start with marketing so that many women are interested in soccer and eventually try to play it.

In Indonesia, at the age level of 10 to 12 years, women's soccer development has only begun to be encouraged in the last three years. The Indonesian Women's Football Association (ASBWI), for example, held the 2023 ASBWI U-15 National Cup. ASBWI also held several women's soccer festivals.

Since 2023, the Djarum Foundation has also initiated the MilkLife Soccer Challenge women's soccer tournament. This event was held in eight cities twice each, except Kudus six times. Then, 112 of the best talents emerged, including Della and Alya, who competed in the peak tournament, the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars at the end of January.

At the youth level, women's soccer development has so far relied on tournaments such as the Pertiwi Cup held by PSSI. However, this event has not been fully focused on youth soccer players or players under 17 years old. Not all provinces have held this tournament.

In addition to the Pertiwi Cup, there is actually also a U-17 women's league. However, so far only the Bandung City Association PSSI has held it through the Bandung Women League U-17 or the Bandung U-17 Women's League.

The “hole” in the women’s soccer competition is what Djarum Foundation will try to patch through an event similar to the MilkLife Soccer Challenge starting in 2025. In addition to continuing the Hydroplus Soccer League U-14 competition, Djarum Foundation plans to work together to hold the Hydroplus Piala Pertiwi U-14 and U-16 in 10 cities.

"To develop the potential of players, there must be an environment that allows them to play anywhere, anytime and with anyone. Competition gives them a target, and targets motivate them to practice," Mochizuki said.

"If they continue to train seriously, they will improve. It's like a certainty," said the coach who was part of the Japanese coaching team that won the 2011 Women's World Cup.

As the tournament grows, more and more girls are dreaming of becoming professional footballers. Those who used to practice on school fields now have bigger goals.

Della and her friends are proof that transformation does not happen overnight, but through a long process built by shared dreams, competition, and environmental support.

In Kudus and other cities in Indonesia, women's soccer may still be like a slow-flowing river. However, with each tiered and routine tournament held, the current becomes stronger, carrying the dreams of young female soccer players to further places.