Indonesia introduces national youth leagues

An amateur U-21 youth competition, based on provinces, will be a feature of Indonesian football in 2007. "It will be a development parameter in each region,” Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) president Nurdin Halid told the PSSI website. Organised by the FA's Amateur League Committee (BLA), the new competition will be formalised at the 19-21 November PSSI Plenary Meeting in Malang, East Java. The BLA itself is a new unit of the PSSI Development Committee led by Subardi which has already successful arranged an U-23 competition.

Teams representing twelve of Indonesia's 33 provinces (North Sumatera, Bangka Belitung, Bali, West Java, Banten, West Sumatera, DKI Jakarta, Maluku, Cemtral Kalimantan, East Java, Gorontalo and Yogyakarta) are participating in the national U-15 youth competition final round on 11-18 November. Competition chairman Ronny Pattinasarani told PSSI website the event is one of way to select talented young players to join the Football Association's football school in Sawangan, Bogor, West Java, as part of long-term preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The event, played in West Java, is sponsored by Medco Group.