The Puzzle of Megawati Hangestri's Future

Indonesian women's volleyball player Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi has decided to end her two seasons with the Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks after the 2024-2025 season. Megawati is still silent about where she will go next, but at least two options could be her career choices in the future.

Megawati parted ways with the Red Sparks after leading the club to a runner-up position in the 2024-2025 Korean Volleyball League or V League. This achievement was better than her first season which saw the Red Sparks finish in third place.

"I have been away from my parents (in Indonesia) for two years, my only parent is my mother, so I have to care," said Megawati about the reason for her decision to separate from Red Sparks to South Korean media, KBS Sports.

Regardless, Megawati admitted that she was grateful for the opportunity to play in the Red Sparks and to gain the trust of coach Ko Hee-jin. With that opportunity, the player from Jember, East Java, was able to bring out her talent.

The opportunity to play and show off that talent, Megawati said, also proved that Indonesian volleyball players can compete in other countries. "There are Indonesians who can play volleyball, who can compete with people abroad. So I am grateful to be able to open the way for my friends," she said again.

Meanwhile, Megawati's decision not to continue her career in South Korea has eliminated an option that had previously emerged and was widely discussed in the "Land of Ginseng". That option was for Megawati to register for next season's draft as a general foreign player, not an Asian foreign player.

According to V League regulations, general foreign players have a maximum salary limit of US$250,000, which is higher than Megawati's maximum salary this season as an Asian foreign player, which is US$150,000. This option also allows Megawati to extend her direct cooperation with the Red Sparks, without having to go through a lottery with reverse ranking probability.

However, there is another option, which was also put forward by the CEO of Vision Internasional who is Megawati's domestic agent, Kim Seong-hoon. That option is for Megawati to leave the V League and pursue a career in another country. South Korean media, Yonhap, even claimed that Megawati is attracting interest from clubs from Japan and Türkiye.

Megawati still chooses to remain silent regarding her future. "It's still a secret. Just wait for further news," said Megawati who has returned to Indonesia since Friday (11/4/2025).

One option that also emerged was Megawati returning to her career in Indonesia with the Proliga team, the highest caste volleyball competition in the country. Megawati's name was indeed linked to one of the Proliga participating teams, Gresik Petrokimia Pupuk Indonesia.

Megawati is said to be strengthening Petrokimia which will compete in the final four of the 2025 Proliga starting Thursday (17/4/2025). Petrokimia is filled with many players from Bank Jatim, Megawati's home club.

However, Petrokimia is still unmoved about the news. Similar attitudes were also shown by other Proliga teams when asked about additional local or foreign players ahead of the final four.

If Megawati decides to play in Proliga again, this option does not negate other options for a career abroad. This season's Proliga will finish on May 11, 2025, while foreign leagues such as Japan and Turkey usually only start in October.

This option will allow Megawati to play both domestically and abroad, like last season. After leading Jakarta BIN to win the 2024 Proliga, Megawati immediately left for Korea to join the Red Sparks.

Deputy Chairman of the Development and Achievement Division of the Indonesian Volleyball Association, Loudry Maspaitella, once said that the experience of working in South Korea was a valuable asset for Megawati to improve her abilities. The experience will also be a provision for her next adventure.

According to Loudry, one option Megawati could take is to play in Japan. Referring to the Asian rankings, the Japanese women's national team is in second place, below China. As for the world rankings, Japan is in seventh place.

Loudry assessed that a career in Japan would further enhance Megawati's abilities. Moreover, Japan is like a showcase for players, which makes volleyball players better known and their abilities seen, thus increasing the chances of being noticed by clubs from Europe.

Currently, Italy is the country with the best women's volleyball team in the world and the champion of the 2024 Volleyball National League or VNL inter-country competition. Italy is followed by Brazil, America, and Turkey in the world rankings. Meanwhile, China and Japan are the two Asian countries that have been able to penetrate the world's top 10.

In her silence, Megawati seemed to be writing a riddle for volleyball fans about her future.

However, wherever she ends up—to Japan, Türkiye, another country or returning to her homeland—she has proven that Indonesian women's volleyball deserves a place on the international stage.