Diza a Makassar 'soccer mother'

Diza a Makassar 'soccer mother'

Andi Hajramurti, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Soccer is generally considered a male pursuit, with few women taking an interest in the sport.

For fashion designer Diza Ali, however, soccer has kept her spirit alive.

"These two areas (fashion design and soccer) have allowed by spirit and creativity to thrive," said Diza -- Siti Diza Rasyid Ali -- when The Jakarta Post met her recently at Kerebosi Soccer Field in Makassar.

So in love is she with the sport that she is actively involved as a member of the managing board of two major soccer clubs, the Jakarta Soccer Association (Persija) and the Makassar Soccer Association (PSM).

Recently she also launched her own Makassar Football School (MFS) 2000, proof of her love for the game and her desire to raise the standard of soccer in Indonesia, so that Indonesia can emerge on the world stage.

"It is my dream and ambition that some day South Sulawesi will again be home to a lot of tough football players. I still remember the time when we had our legendary soccer player Ramang," she noted.

Today, her dreams are beginning to be realized. Several soccer clubs at home have recruited students from her football school. One of them, Syamsul Haeruddin, who joined PSM for two seasons, is now a member of the national team.

This year, MFS 2000 made a great achievement as it won the Danone National Cup in the national soccer league championship for twelve-year-olds. In the grand final, it defeated Jakarta's SSB Pelita Bakrie with a convincing score of 4-0.

MFS 2000 and two clubs from the region therefore qualify to play in the international soccer league tournament for twelve- year-olds to be held in Paris, France, on Sept. 5, 2004.

Three Asian countries, including Indonesia, are to represent the region in this tournament, which is participated in by 32 countries the world over.

Diza thanks God because her hard work has been fruitful. "I don't expect much from this tournament and I don't burden the boys with any target, either. I know their ability and their achievement is something to be proud of. I simply hope that they will get some experience from this international competition so that they can improve their performance," she said.

Diza began to get seriously involved in football when she was made a member of the executive board of the Jakarta Soccer Association (Persija) and at the same time also its manager during the 1997/1998 Indonesian League Championship V.

She agreed to take up the position because she was deeply concerned to see Persija, once one of the country's best soccer teams, deteriorating in its performance.

Persija did not become a champion when Diza was at the helm because the championship was cancelled due to the May 1998 riots in Jakarta. However, she succeeded in waking up the club, dubbed "the tiger from Kemayoran" from its deep slumber, preparing it to dominate the national soccer league again.

Her experience in managing Persija encouraged her to set up a football school. "I realized how expensive it was to transfer a footballer. Finally, I thought we have to make our own players. Our country has a good supply of young players and if they are properly trained, they will be excellent players later. So, I returned to Makassar and established MFS," said Diza, the mother of sons Rio and Audi.

Then, when she was busy taking care of her football school, she was again asked to serve as manager of PSM for the 2000 Indonesian League Championship VIII. At that time, PSM was facing serious financial trouble, so Diza and her brother, Reza Rasyid Ali, did everything they could to keep the club afloat. She spent a lot of money and energy to do this and was willing to face criticism and condemnation from PSM supporters.

MFS has taken up a lot of Diza's time and energy. She has not only strived to ensure that the school progresses, but also has had to find ways to cover the operating cost of the school, which averages some Rp 15 million a month. She has to raise more when there are competitions. For the participation in the recent Danone soccer championship, for example, she had to fork out over Rp 100 million.

MSF is fully funded by Diza. Since its establishment in 2000, Diza has spent some Rp 2 billion. Most of her earnings from her garment business, interior designing and other businesses have been spent funding MFS.

"Whatever the risk may be, I won't back down. MFS must move forward. I will spend my time, money and energy to ensure that MSF makes progress," stressed Diza, who now has some 300 students.

Soccer first attracted her when she was still a child. Back then, she did not have even the slightest inkling that she would devote herself to soccer. When she was a high school student, she joined Anging Mammiri, a women's soccer club in Makassar.

As a graduate of law at Hasanuddin University, Diza has decided to discontinue her dream of becoming a lawyer, and switched to modeling and fashion design instead.

After she won a fashion design competition held by Femina biweekly magazine in 1992, she gained increasing popularity as a fashion designer. She then produced dresses under her own label.

Diza's designs are rarely found in the market because most of her designs are for uniforms made to order. Only once in a while does she design evening gowns for limited sales.

At present, she is making preparations to revive Makassar Utama, a soccer club in Makassar that once won the Galatama Professional Soccer competition. All the members of the club will come from MFS and will be registered in the second division of the All-Indonesia Soccer Association (PSSI) in 2005. As a businesswoman, she is now expanding her businesses to include computerized parking and the restaurant business.

Despite her busy activities taking care of her football school and her businesses, Diza has never neglected her duties as a mother. She is a single parent of her two teenage children.

"Rio and Audi remain the most important people to me. No matter how busy I am, I will always take care of them. I have tried to introduce independence and responsibility to them at an early age. With all my activities, they are the first to support me."