Written by Muhamad Fahrul Rozi, Research Analyst at Spartan Studies Society
The Indonesian women's volleyball team will participate in the 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup Tournament to be held in Manila, Philippines from the 22nd to the 29th of May.
This tournament is the debut of young players who took the challenge of the Indonesian national team this year after the replacement of players who used to represent the Indonesian women's national team in every women's volleyball competition. The Indonesian team brought only 11 players to the court for this tournament.
The national teams participating in the competition include Maradanti Namira (Jakarta Pertamina Enduro), Bela Sabrina Agustina (Gresik Petrokimia), Chelsea Berliana Nurtono (Jakarta Pertamina Enduro), Geofanny Eka Chayaningtyas (Gresik Petrokimia), Azzahra Dwi Febyane (Jakarta Pertamina Enduro), Latifa Nissa Az-Zahra (Jakarta Pertamina Enduro), Nita Sesanti (Jakarta Livin Mandiri), Putri Nur Hidayanti Agustin (Gresik Petrokimia), Junaida Santi (Jakarta Pertamina Enduro), Aridhania Risqamara (Gresik Petrokimia) were selected.
Last year, Indonesia was able to advance to the final of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Woman Challenge Cup tournament with a strong performance.
However, for this year, the Indonesian women's national team dare to bring the young players to challenge this competition. The average age of the players who will compete in this competition is 17 to 22 years old and almost all of the players are reserves from their clubs. The President General of the Indonesian Volleyball Federation (PBVSI), Imam Sudjarwo, admitted that this is part of the regeneration program.
He mentioned a few points as to why this happened, Imam Sudjarwo said.
"First, we give priority to youth development. We want there to be a second tier who will be able to replace the seniors later. Secondly, the arrival of information from the AVC was a bit late. Proliga is already running, the AVC Challenge notification just arrived, then the third, it is impossible to send Proliga participants, the time is very tight. That must have made the consideration of the clubs that if we took. So it is impossible to take what is still running in the Proliga," said Imam via Antara, Tuesday (5/21/2024).
The statement of the points conveyed has sparked controversy, because the development of young players does not have to go through big competitions like this AVC event. There are many other ways to improve the skill and experience of players. Most of the players who played last year and brought Indonesia to the final round were also very young and had better playing experience in league and national competitions and were in their prime condition.
This condition is seen as a mere excuse by the federation's management, who are unable to bring in the best Indonesian players because the schedule conflicts with the ongoing Proliga competition. The federation cannot intervene with the clubs to send players to this competition and dispute the delay in AVC information, even though the AVC competition is always held at the end of May or early June every year.
This highlights the Federation's performance in developing the women's national team and bringing the Indonesian women's national volleyball team to major world events. This less effective performance needs to be evaluated to ensure that player development and national team achievements can continue to improve.
Additionally, better transparency and communication between federations, clubs and players is essential to avoid similar problems in the future. The federation must be proactive in planning coaching and competition programs so that there are no more scheduling conflicts that are detrimental to the interests of the national team.
Success in managing young players and organizing their participation in international competitions will be the main key to improving the achievements of Indonesian women's volleyball on the global stage.
The federation also needs to strengthen the scouting and training system to discover and develop young talents from all corners of the country. This way, players who are ready for big events like the AVC are not only technically prepared, but also mentally prepared. Investing in the training of local coaches to bring their skills up to international standards is also essential.
Improved training facilities and opportunities to compete internationally will help young players gain valuable experience and increase their competitiveness. Player exchanges or training programs abroad could be a solution to accelerate the development of young Indonesian players' skills.
Lastly, the support of the government and sponsors is also really needed to finance these development programs. Synergy between the federation, government, sponsors and the volleyball community is very important to create an ecosystem that supports the progress of Indonesian women's volleyball. With well-planned and coordinated strategic steps, it is hoped that the Indonesian Women's National Volleyball Team can achieve higher achievements in the future and become the pride of the nation on the international stage.
Source:
- Annas, W. F. (2024, May 21). AVC Challenge Cup 2024 - Skuad Indonesia Makin Prihatin, 1 Pemain Penting Batal Ikut - Bolasport.com. Www.bolasport.com. https://www.bolasport.com/read/314091825/avc-challenge-cup-2024-skuad-indonesia-makin-prihatin-1-pemain-penting-batal-ikut
- Danartikanya, A. (2024, May 20). Tanpa Megawati Hangestri: Timnas Voli Putri Indonesia Rombak Susunan Pemain AVC Challenge Cup 2024. Bola.net. https://www.bola.net/voli/tanpa-megawati-hangestri-timnas-voli-putri-indonesia-rombak-susunan-pemain-avc-challenge-cup--572b4f.html
- Raya, M. (2024, May 21). AVC Challenge 2024: Berubah, Skuad Tim Voli Putri Kini Tanpa Megawati. Detiksport. https://sport.detik.com/sport-lain/d-7351735/avc-challenge-2024-berubah-skuad-tim-voli-putri-kini-tanpa-megawati
