The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) plans to build training centers for youth national teams in several regions, as part of a long-term strategy to develop quality football players.
PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir in Yogyakarta, Wednesday, said that the initial efforts that have been made are coaching players in the under-13 (U-13) and under-15 (U-15) age groups under the direction of PSSI Technical Director Alex Zwiers and the ranks of age group coaches.
"Later, under technical director Alex and the structure below him, the U-17 and U-15 coaching staff will have their own formula," said Erick.
According to him, early childhood development is necessary to provide Indonesia with a strong foundation for preparing players to compete at the international level in the future. "Because if we only focus on the U-20 and U-23 teams, it'll be too late," said Erick.
He said that countries that are able to compete in the World Cup have started developing players from a young age, so Indonesia needs to implement a similar strategy to keep up.
"We can see the ages of the Asian players participating in the World Cup, and we can see the dominance of young players in Europe," said Erick.
He believes that player development from the U-13 and U-15 age groups is expected to produce quality players who have the opportunity to pursue careers in European competitions, as is done by a number of developed countries in Asia.
"This means that if we can produce good talent from the U-13 and U-15 age groups and play in Europe, this could be a form of insurance, like the Japanese team, whose players often play in Europe," said Erick.
According to him, the program is part of a long-term plan whose results are expected to start to be seen in around 10 years.
However, in the short term, PSSI is targeting the construction of training centers for the U-13 and U-15 national teams in a number of regions, which can be realized within the next one to two years.
"In the next 1-2 years, we at PSSI will begin building national team training centers in areas for U-13 and U-15 players," he said.
Erick believes the plan aligns with FIFA's decision to hold a U-15 World Cup, necessitating Indonesia's immediate strengthening of its youth development system.
"This means that if all countries are investing in younger age groups, while we continue to focus on the senior age group, we will be left behind," he said.
