Banten Governor Andra Soni emphasized that Banten International Stadium (BIS) will continue to be developed as an international-standard sports center and sports tourism destination.
This follows the success of the BRI Super League match between Dewa United Banten FC and Malut United FC, Serang City, Saturday (9/8) evening.
"Thank God, the Banten International Stadium can finally be used for league matches, or the BRI Super League. This is a source of pride for the people of Banten, that we have an international-standard stadium," said Andra after watching the match, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Malut United.
According to him, the inaugural match served as an opportunity to evaluate the stadium's supporting facilities. "The lights are working properly, as tested three years ago. But there are still things we need to improve, such as the perimeter fence, parking area, lighting, and access to prevent congestion on the Serang-Pandeglang Highway," he said.
He also believes BIS has the potential to boost the regional economy through sports tourism. "I'm grateful that a League 1 team is willing to use our field. The spectators are enthusiastic, although they are still limited due to match standards," he said.
Andra said community involvement was already evident, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "I see the involvement of the community, MSMEs, and others. This is only 2,000 spectators. We can imagine that if the event were at full capacity, the economic impact would be significant," he said.
To that end, he encouraged collaboration between various parties to optimize stadium utilization. "This is a challenge for all of us, from supporters to the city government, the district government, and the Banten provincial government. We will develop this together," said Andra.
The Governor also emphasized the importance of maintaining the quality of the match. "Today, we saw that all aspects of the match went well, from the spectators and supporters to the match officials," he said.
