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Indonesian Sports Minister Champions Youth Football at Grassroots Festival

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir attended a national U-10 and U-12 grassroots football festival in Yogyakarta.
  • The event aims to build a foundation for future Indonesian national football teams by nurturing young talent.
  • Thohir emphasized the importance of grassroots development, especially with FIFA introducing U-15 championships.

Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports, who also serves as the General Chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Erick Thohir, attended the national U-10 and U-12 President's Cup Grassroots Festival in Yogyakarta. His presence underscored the government's commitment to developing Indonesian football from its earliest stages, laying the groundwork for future national team players.

The festival, running from July 6-11, 2026, brings together provincial representative teams from across Indonesia. It serves as a crucial platform for talent identification and development, aiming to discover promising young footballers at a very young age. Thohir expressed his gratitude to the DIY Regional Government and the DIY Provincial PSSI for their dedication to building football from the ground up.

I am thankful to the regional government, the Yogyakarta Provincial PSSI, who believe that creating players must start from the bottom. Because of that, I am here with the Exco members... to see firsthand how this U-10, U-12 championship becomes the foundation for finding new seeds for future national team players.

— Erick ThohirExplaining the importance of grassroots development at the U-10 and U-12 festival.

"I am thankful to the regional government, the Yogyakarta Provincial PSSI, who believe that creating players must start from the bottom. That's why I am here with the Exco members... to see firsthand how this U-10, U-12 championship becomes the foundation for finding new seeds for future national team players," Thohir stated at the Jogja Expo Center.

Thohir highlighted the increasing significance of youth development, particularly with FIFA's introduction of U-15 championships this year. He stressed that Indonesia must prepare player regeneration starting from younger age groups. He noted that while FIFA has U-15 tournaments, Indonesia's focus on U-10 and U-12 ensures a robust pipeline. Thohir also mentioned that other countries, like the Netherlands, are adapting their youth structures, aiming to fast-track players from U-15 to U-17, illustrating the diverse strategies nations employ in player development.

Especially now that FIFA has started the U-15 championship, which begins this year in October. Well, we must also prepare for this.

— Erick ThohirHighlighting the need for early player development in light of FIFA's new tournaments.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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