Kids' soccer dream needs PSSI support

Kids' soccer dream needs PSSI support

By Ivy Susanti

JAKARTA (JP): Ten-year-old Dimas practices soccer once a week
at a field near his home at Pamulang Permai 2 in Tangerang after
he spends a "draining" six days at Sarua 6 state elementary
school in Sarua village.

A fan of Italian soccer player Alessandro Del Piero from
Juventus and former Indonesian national player Ronny
Pattinasarani, Dimas sits glued before the TV screen with his
father when the Serie A is aired live on certain private TV
stations late at night.

He set a high goal for himself from an early age.

"I want to play for the big clubs one day. I will start from
an Indonesian club like Pelita Solo, Persita of Tangerang or
Persija Jakarta. When I am popular enough, I want to play in
Italy. I like Italian soccer because it boasts fair play," he
said on the sidelines of the Under-13 Aspirin Cup soccer
tournament in Senayan on Saturday.

His parents registered him in Pamper 2, the shortened form of
Pamulang Permai 2, a small soccer club which was set up two years
ago. The club now has 125 members, and each child pays a monthly
fee of Rp 3,500 (US 40 cents).

"I'm sure I can sharpen my soccer skills at the school. I want
to be a good player. I want to be just like Oom (uncle) Ronny,"
said the youngest of two siblings.

Dimas may not realize that the road to becoming a top player
in Indonesia is a long and winding one. And neither do many
parents.

Hajjah Ruminah, a resident of Ciracas district in East
Jakarta, has given her full support to son Mohammad to become a
soccer player. Mohammad, a student at SMP 257 state junior high
school in Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta, another fan of Del
Piero, joined the AS-IOP Apacinti soccer school.

"I hope, and I'm sure he can be a national soccer player if he
improves his skills. My son is a soccer maniac. From an early age
he has enjoyed collecting soccer balls and sport T-shirts
displaying soccer balls," she said enthusiastically of the
youngest of her four children.

At AS-IOP, children pay Rp 40,000 a month. There are 200
children registered in the schools which were set up in 1997.

The mushrooming of soccer schools for children under 13 has
been a good sign for the continuity of Indonesia's most popular
sport. Unfortunately, the competitions for juniors to measure
their skills are very limited.

The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) stages under-16 and
under-19 competitions, but there are none to gauge the
development of players in the under-14 and above 19-year age
brackets before they move to a senior team.

Recruitment problem

The association has found it difficult to recruit the best
quality players. If they are successful in setting up a national
team, the public would assume the move was based more on
preferences, and not players' skills.

After a series of failures in various international
tournaments over the past few years, PSSI has been blamed for
neglecting the development of junior players.

Former national player Ricky Yacobi, who owns a soccer school
bearing his name, called on PSSI to initiate an under-13
competition.

"PSSI should stage age group competitions twice a year so it
can spot new talent. We used to have National Games for Students
(POPSI) and the Suratin Cup tournament for the under-19 teams as
a means to scout for new talent, but the events have stopped for
a long time."

He said PSSI had no intention of developing soccer schools,
particularly those for children who decide to pursue a future on
the soccer field.

"Almost all soccer schools are independent. We don't know what
the children will be when they grow up. I hope they can
continue," he said.

Ronny, the PSSI official in charge of technical affairs and
also the head coach at AS-IOP Apacinti soccer school, said
competitions should be initiated because at the age of 13,
children start to develop consistency in plays.

He also admitted that PSSI had thought of including junior
competitions in next year's agenda. "We want to make a regular
tournament but that requires hard work."

He said he was sure many companies would be interested in
sponsoring the tournament. "Without the help from private
institutions, we wouldn't be able to go on."

Regarding the schools' curriculum, Ricky urged PSSI to
standardize the curriculum for all soccer schools.

"I asked PSSI a long time ago to create a standard curriculum,
so each coach could give the same knowledge and skills to their
players."

Ronny said PSSI was taking the suggestion into consideration.
He said PSSI would issue guidelines on coaching methods for
soccer schools. "Hopefully, the guidelines will be completed
early next year."

He said he was also concerned about educating coaches who
would be training children.

"Our main concern is how to improve the quality of coaches. We
want to standardize their skills. Unfortunately, not all
available coaches are willing to train children."

He said he wanted to see his juniors emerge as top players
five to ten years from now. "If we are serious in dealing with
the development of juniors, we will see the results in five to
ten years."