The Bright Prospects of "Garuda Pertiwi," Proof of the Importance of Believing in the Process

The Indonesian U-16 women's football team indeed did not succeed in making history at the Southeast Asian inter-country tournament, the ASEAN U-16 Championship 2025, held from August 20 to 29, despite being just one step away. Although they ultimately returned empty-handed after finishing in fourth place, there are positive notes to be recorded.

There was no deep disappointment evident during the press conference following the third-place match last week. The coach of the Indonesian U-16 women's team, Timo Scheunemann, even joked as he had in previous press conferences. The goal scorer for the U-16 team, Nafeeza Ayasha Nori, also appeared resilient.

In fact, the defeat to Vietnam in the third-place playoff resulted in Indonesia not securing any medals. Nevertheless, this outcome actually met the team's minimum target to compete four times in the tournament held in Surakarta, Central Java.

Two matches were played in the group stage, one match in the semifinals, and the remaining match was for the third-place playoff. Their desire, of course, was that the final match would be the championship match. However, their progress was halted by Australia with a 0-3 defeat in the semifinals. Australia ultimately advanced to the final and emerged as the champion.

In the match for third place, Nafeeza Ayasha Nori and her teammates fought until the very end. After Vietnam took the lead with an own goal by Nazwa Bilbina in the second minute, Indonesia equalized through Nafeeza's action in the 15th minute. The score remained tied until the end of the regular time.

The winner had to be determined through a penalty shootout that was equally intense. Each of the six kickers from Indonesia and Vietnam executed their tasks perfectly. Until finally, the seventh kicker, Vivi Vera, sent the ball crashing into the goalpost. Meanwhile, Thi Minh Anh Nguyen, who was the decisive kicker for Vietnam, did not waste this opportunity to lead her team to secure third place with a score of 7-6.

Although ultimately defeated, Indonesia should take pride as Vietnam is not an ordinary opponent. In the tournament, Vietnam has finished in third place four times. In fact, the title in this 2025 edition marks their third consecutive third-place finish following the 2018 and 2019 editions.

It's no wonder Timo called Indonesia's result a milestone. He believes holding Vietnam to a draw and forcing a penalty shootout with more than five penalty takers is an achievement. This signifies that Indonesia has reached parity with Vietnam, one of Southeast Asia's powerhouses.

"We have never been able to draw, to be on par with Vietnam. Okay, with Australia, we still lose, with Thailand we still lose, but with Vietnam, we are already equal, 50-50," said Timo.

"I believe the result is fair. I am proud of my players; they have given their best, although their style of play and the quality of their passes are still not as good as I know they can be," he added.

For Indonesia, finishing in fourth place is the best achievement in its four participations out of a total of five editions of the ASEAN Championship. In the inaugural editions of 2009, 2017, and 2018, Indonesia's journey always came to a halt in the group stage. In 2018, when Indonesia also hosted the event in Palembang, the "Garuda Pertiwi" team managed to win only once, defeating Cambodia 2-0.

This ASEAN Championship serves as a benchmark for the quality of the Indonesian squad. The results demonstrate this reality. Indonesia finished behind third-place Vietnam, runner-up Thailand, and champion Australia.

These three countries must be acknowledged as superior in terms of the development system for women's football. Vietnam, for instance, actively organizes age group tournaments, ranging from U-16 to U-19.

"If you want to win against Vietnam, you have to be superb, you have to be good, and your passing has to be absolutely on point. But this is the first time we've managed a draw against Vietnam. If you look at history, the last time the senior national team lost was 0-7," he said, referring to the senior women's national team's result in the group stage match of the 2025 ASEAN Championship in Vietnam on August 9.

By observing the capabilities of the U-16 women's team, Timo is optimistic that a bright future awaits "Garuda Pertiwi." Moreover, the players are still very young. They, according to Timo, already know what to do to protect themselves from injuries and have begun to evaluate their own performances.

"I am optimistic that many will join the senior national team. I cannot mention any names. However, there will be many who can make it to the senior national team as long as they continue to develop. This is because, for girls, their development continues until the age of 18," said Timo.

According to Timo, the U-16 players must also develop as the competition will become increasingly intense. This is because players younger than them, aged 10 to 12 years, are also continuously improving.

In the U-16 team squad, Timo actually brought three players aged 12 years because they possess the skills needed by the squad. However, they were unable to represent the team due to the AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) regulations regarding age limits.

What the U-16 team achieved at the 2025 ASEAN Championship is also evidence of the importance of believing in the process. The squad that was formed is the result of a long process throughout this year. They were systematically developed through various stages, driven by the presence of the tournament.

All players called for the first selection, for instance, are footballers competing in the Hydroplus Pertiwi Cup U-14 and U-16 tournaments from April to July 2025. They represent their respective cities and regions to compete in the national level tournament, the Pertiwi All Star Cup.

These players were selected through tournaments in Banten, Jakarta, Bandung, Cirebon, Semarang, Solo, Kudus, Surabaya, and Malang. They were also the result of selections from Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara and Bali, Sulawesi, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, and Papua.

Thus, the formed team is the best squad with layered filters. The squad is also "diverse," especially in terms of regional origins. This is because the players come from various places, not just concentrated in Java.

Not only is the squad formed from systematic selection with a wide reach across various regions, but it also includes players who have experience playing with Indonesian teams at higher age groups, namely U-20. In addition, there are players like Nafeeza who regularly compete in women's football in the Philippines with Makati.

Nafeeza stated that her experience competing has strengthened her mentality. There is no longer any nervousness when competing. On the other hand, her skills continue to be honed due to regular training. The results of this training are then tested in matches.

The process undertaken by the U-16 team, with results that do not betray their efforts, should also be applicable to other age groups or even the senior women's national team. The problem is that the competition has been in a state of dormancy since 2019. Furthermore, tournaments such as the Piala Pertiwi are not held regularly. Meanwhile, if relying on the PON, the coaching team must wait every four years to discover potential players.

Ideally, together with clubs and through competitive pathways, football players of all ages can hone their techniques, stamina, and competitive mentality. Without a platform, the national team will struggle to find great players to call up.

Most of the national team players currently have no opportunity to compete except when representing their country. Some of them even have to "borrow" opportunities from neighboring countries that are also developing their women's football, such as Malaysia. Indonesian players are flocking to seize the chance to play with Kelana United, the champions of the Malaysia National Women’s League 2024, in order to gain experience for the 2025-2026 Asian Champions League.

In fact, with the presence of domestic competition, the national team coach should not have to deal with fundamental matters anymore, as was the case with Satoru Mochizuki when he was still handling the senior women's national team. The material provided by Mochizuki always revolved around basic football skills, such as passing, controlling, and kicking the ball.

In addition to long-term training camps, naturalization has also become a path taken by the senior national team due to the deterioration of development. Recently, the women's national team has naturalized Isabel Kopp, Isabelle Nottet, and Pauline Jeannette van de Pol.

The process, not an instant method. The Indonesian U-16 women's football team was formed with that principle. The same pattern should also be applied to other age groups, including seniors. Moreover, if the dream is indeed to develop and revive women's football as a whole.