A Case Study
The Development of Indonesia Women’s Football
Operational Management – Women’s Football Management in Indonesia
General Overview
Women’s football is a sport that has developed based on knowledge and experience from generation to generation. For example, a coach teaches his/her students based on his/her knowledge as taught by his/her experience which he/she did not acquire it as a result of the learning she/he acquired from a licensed course.
This hereditary knowledge has formed a women’s football club in Indonesia with conventional management. A decision is made through a discussion, which is weighed based on bibit, bebet and bobot (means quality, origin and rank). The culture of respecting seniors is also the basis for making decisions. An educated person may not be able to contribute his/her opinion if he/she is not a respected person based on his/her years of experience (read, sacrifice in football).
Operations within women’s football clubs, then, are usually handled by coaches. A coach can also be a manager, financial staff, or even a kitman. This makes the operational area only done by a few persons, or even just one person – the coach.
There is no database, Standard Operation Procedure, or other indicators that make a club merit to be called as club with professional management.
However, some of these clubs with conventional management able to survive for decades before it finally ends.
It’s not just about how a coach who also functions as a manager cannot delegate his duties. But also, because there are not many human resources, especially those who are qualified in their fields, who are willing to work and strive for women’s football.
So, the question is, who should be delegated, if there is no one?
As Warren St. John said that “No one person can do everything . . . but we can all do something.”
This situation also becomes a circle that seems to have no end. Until it seems to support and solidify the 11 (eleven) challenges below that really exist in women’s football in Indonesia:
- Culture
- Association Program
- Human Resources
- Stakeholder support
- Financial
- Participation
- Biology
- Futsal, and
- Religion Challenge
Meanwhile, it is a common agreement that effective operations management is vital for the success of a business. It needs a good operations manager. The same goes for football. This effective management will not only ensures that it will continue to run smoothly, or manageable, but also can make sure the revenue. (Vincent Mastrovito)
Therefore, the first challenge that needs to be answered is to bring more people to women’s football.
Bringing More People to Women’s Football
Bringing together a crowd to watch bands sing, dance and have fun together is easier than bringing together a few people to work together to make progress for women’s football.
That was one of the concerns when Indonesia women’s football stakeholders came together in late 2017. They then, decided to only focus on one goal, the ‘change the image’ – it is changing the image of women’s football, and women in football.
Women have a myriad of abilities, advantages if we want to be more proud. Women have the magic of empathy that is enchanting, allowing them to dive into and understand the emotions of others deeply. This privilege not only strengthens interpersonal relationships, but also enriches women’s leadership abilities with gentleness and sincere attention.*(Dr Gia Pratama)
However, a strategic plan is also important to simultaneously presented together with showing that Women in football who are tough, beautiful, and educated. A package of positive image is built.
Without a doubt, to be able to have a reliable and recognized National Team, have a selling point, of course we need to have strategic planning. Mature and comprehensive planning. Not in a hurry, but sure.
Program Development
Ensuring that every individual in women’s football is able to deliver their duty, the program must be implemented. More clubs, more players, more officials are part of the program.
Until today, Indonesia has had more than 150 women’s football clubs, precisely 171 women’s football clubs, with more than 3,000 players registered on the database system.
Enough? not yet.
More and more women also feel safe to pursue a career in football, many feel that this has become part of their lives. Even women are now also at the top level of management in men’s football.
In this stage, means that this is the time for operational management to be encouraged. Clubs need to know more about how they carry out their activities so that they can become professional clubs that produce not only achievements but also revenue for their clubs, and the professions within them.
Below, are six main focus of the operational management area that need to be understand, and implemented for the club:
- Development of Women in Football;
Not just numbers, but the quality and achievements of women in football. Start from age 8 years old.
- Competition;
Amateur and Professional, start from U14, U15, U17, and Senior.
- Education
Workshop for match official, coaching course, referee education, management workshop.
- Media;
Media exposure and how to develop media in football match.
- Marketing and Sponsorship
Women’s football is a career, and a business, an industry.
- Organisation & technology
Professional Management, accountable financial management and database implementation of players, clubs, and other women’s football actors
As what David Threlfall-Sykes on his piece at htafc.com stated that in football, operations need management day to day including areas like organisation, planning and financial control, in a co-ordinated way.
Well, there is no success for a system without competent planners.
The Current Situation of Women’s Football in Indonesia
Since 2017, when the ‘change the image’ program took on the overall role of changing the identity of women’s football, then slowly, the managerial quality and governance of women’s football began to change.
The clubs, began to recognize the existence of various positions in football such as media officer, manager, and other. Management has become more organized.
In 2019, when PSSI decided to hold a Women’s League 1 competition, a competition that was participated by men’s football clubs, although it was not a professional competition yet, made the women’s football community aware of the presence of a new era of football management.
From 2023 to now, PSSI also has many varied programs. ASBWI also received the mandate. Starting from grassroots, age group competitions, to the maturation of the Women’s National Team which has now started playing against middle-class (and then top-class) teams from various countries.
Operational needs of the club are becoming more complex. Planning, personnel placement, financial management, meet the needs of the team – training facilities, accommodation, transportation, player status, to the need to develop the club value.
Now, several clubs have stated that they are able to become a professional entity.
The next stage is to ensuring that more clubs are undergoing day to day activities more professionally is something that needs to be done. This needs to be supported by individuals who understand their profession in women’s football, the presence of women’s football competitions, and the opening of more opportunities for women in this sport is our homework that needs to be carried out properly.
Souraiya Farina Alhaddar, 2024
Through my eyes 