National soccer team gets new training ground

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian soccer team will have its own training field, the Senayan 'C' field in the Senayan complex, which will allow the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to save the money it would normally spend hiring the field.

PSSI chairman Agum Gumelar expressed his hope Tuesday that the national team would be able to improve its performance by having the new facility for training.

"Our main problem is we don't have any training field. The national team has also had difficulties finding a suitable field for practicing. Insya Allah (With God's blessings), if we have this field we can overcome some of our problems," Agum said in his speech.

In the past, the PSSI always had to rent the Senayan stadium or others, including Bea Cukai stadium in East Jakarta or Menteng stadium in Central Jakarta for some two hours daily to train for a regional or international event.

PT Bukit Sentul Indah provided Rp 1.5 billion (US$174,000) for the construction of the one-hectare ground which is set up as a mini stadium.

It will include a 8,250 square meter soccer field, a 150-seats tribune which will have 30 lockers, a massage room, changing room and bathroom. A shooting box to practice shooting into the net will also be set up at the other side of the field.

The stadium will also have lighting for evening training sessions as it is equipped with a total of 60,000 watts of lights.

The project manager, Sartomo, said the Gelora Senayan Management Board has authorized PSSI to manage the mini stadium for 20 years.

"We are still negotiating the legal status of PSSI after the construction," he said. But he refused to comment when journalists asked why the construction had begun before the status had been settled.

He also said that PSSI was still considering allowing soccer clubs to practice at the mini stadium. (ivy)