The Chairman of the All Indonesia Football Association , Erick Thohir, has requested that the Women's League be held in line with the agenda of the Indonesian women's national team and that competition integrity and player protection be maintained.
Erick conveyed this after meeting with the I.League management and the owners of the participating clubs in the upcoming Women's League, namely Persita, Persija, Bekasi FC, Persikad, Garudayaksa, and Dewa United.
"The Women's League will be the foundation for the revival of Indonesian women's football," Erick said in a post on his personal Instagram account on Tuesday.
He stated that the Women's League is a crucial part of building a national women's soccer development ecosystem. Therefore, the competition schedule should not conflict with the Indonesian Women's National Team's schedule.
"I urge the Women's League to run in line with the schedule of the Indonesian Women's National Team so that development and achievement can go hand in hand," said Erick.
In addition to the coaching aspect, Erick also emphasized the importance of maintaining a professional, clean, and safe competition for all players.
"We also want to ensure that the Women's League maintains the integrity of the competition, with no room for match-fixing , and zero tolerance for any form of sexual harassment . We must protect our children and ensure that the Women's League remains a safe, professional, and respectful environment for all players," he said.
The Indonesian Football Association had previously targeted the Women's League to begin in October 2026, with six clubs as the initial phase. The competition was designed to create a more structured playing environment for female players, following the national women's football system's existing age groups of U-17, U-20, and seniors.
Erick also previously stated that PSSI has had around 50,000 female players in its coaching database over the past three years. With this base, the presence of competitions is considered crucial to providing a pathway from the grassroots to the elite level.
The Women's League is also part of PSSI's efforts to revive the national women's football competition after the last Women's League 1 was held in 2019. At that time, Persib Putri won the championship after defeating Tira-Persikabo Kartini with an aggregate score of 6-1 in the final.
Erick hopes the Women's League will not only produce new talent but also maintain sportsmanship and encourage Indonesian women's football to progress further.
"The Women's League will be a competition that will develop talent, maintain sportsmanship, and take Indonesian women's football to the next level," said Erick.
