642 Female Students Make Their Debut in Samarinda, A Breath of Fresh Air for Women's Football

MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Samarinda Series 2 2025 – 2026 organized by Bayan Peduli at the Borneo FC Training Center from April 23 to 26, 2026, was successfully held. The girls' football tournament initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife was participated by 642 female students from 44 Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) and Sekolah Dasar (SD) originating from Samarinda and its surroundings. They were grouped into 62 teams consisting of 30 teams in the U10 category and 32 teams in the U12 category.

Full support for the organization of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge in Samarinda comes from Bayan Peduli. The Director of PT Bayan Resources Tbk, Merlin, expressed pride in the success of the tournament, which was able to bring enthusiasm and high fighting spirit from the participants. According to him, this tournament brings a new color and an important momentum in the development of early childhood girls' football in Samarinda.

"We are proud to see the female students compete with great enthusiasm, sweating to win the championship title." This is not just about competition, but also about building character, discipline, and courage in the younger generation. Bayan Group is committed to continuing 'Creating Real Works, Building the Nation' by creating an inclusive platform for local talents to shine on both national and international stages," said Merlin.

Program Director of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, Teddy Tjahjono, appreciated the spirit of the participants who performed with full energy throughout the tournament. Although it is a debut city, he believes Samarinda immediately showed great potential. The high enthusiasm from the female students and schools in Samarinda and its surroundings is a strong indicator that the women's football ecosystem in this region is ready to develop. Not only in terms of the competitive number of participants, but the quality of the gameplay displayed is also quite promising.

"The enthusiasm of the students in Samarinda is extraordinary, especially since this is the first time MLSC is being held here." We see a very high spirit of competition, courage, and willingness to learn. This becomes an important asset for the long-term development of women's football in East Kalimantan," said Teddy.

He added that the presence of Samarinda as a new city in Series 2 is a strategic step to expand the reach of development beyond Java Island. With an initial foundation that has already shown positive signs, Teddy is optimistic that the quality of players will continue to improve thru ongoing competition and structured training programs.

Not only stopping at the city level, the best talents from Samarinda are being prepared to represent the city in the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2026, scheduled to take place from June 24 to 28, 2026, in Kudus, Central Java, facing representatives from 11 other cities. The best players from Samarinda will undergo an additional training program that is more intensive, both in terms of technique and competitive mentality, in the MilkLife Soccer Extra Training, to enhance their competitiveness at the national level.

The important role in developing player quality is directly overseen by Jacksen Ferreira Tiago as the Head Coach of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge. Coach Jacksen has shortlisted 25 names to undergo MilkLife Soccer Extra Training in the near future, which will then be further selected to 16 players about two weeks before competing in the MLSC All-Stars.

"We have to be selective, but also give the children as much space as possible to adapt." In other regions, extra training might be sufficient once a week, but in Samarinda, we have to do it at least three times because we are truly starting from scratch. "Of course, for now, we are still lagging behind compared to other cities, but we have to catch up as much as possible and work harder," said Jacksen.

Coach Jacksen continued, stating that the presence of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge brings a glimmer of new hope for the development and nurturing of early-age girls' soccer in Samarinda. Because, until now, there has been no competition specifically for girls, nor for SSB.

"In areas like Samarinda, activities for children and teenagers are still very limited." So when MLSC came here, it became a great opportunity and brought a breath of fresh air for the future of our daughters. At Borneo FC Academy, there hasn't been a special class for girls because our focus has been on boys. But after I got involved in the MLSC project, I spoke with the owner and management, and we will open a class for girls. The plan is to launch on May 17," concluded Jacksen.

Inaugural Champion

The excitement of the matches reached its peak in the final matches of the under-10 and under-12 age groups. The games were thrilling, and the cheers from the spectators added to the competitive atmosphere, proving that women's football is starting to find its place in the hearts of the people of Samarinda.

In the KU 10 final match, SDN 008 Palaran emerged as the champion after securing a narrow 1-0 victory against SDN 009 Samarinda Seberang. In the first half, SDN 009 Samarinda's performance was actually more dominant, managing to create at least four golden opportunities. However, the heroic actions of Adelia Zahra in goal saved SDN 008 Palaran. The team coached by Muhammad Andhika, who were often busy fending off attacks, actually managed to seize a golden opportunity and converted it into a goal from a free-kick situation in the second half. The solitary goal that was created in that match came from the feet of Girana Natasha in the 22nd minute.

"I am very happy because I was able to score a goal and bring the school to victory in the MilkLife Soccer Challenge in Samarinda. In fact, the opposing team played really well and we almost conceded several times." I hope MLSC will be held again in Samarinda so that I can keep being motivated to train and become a champion again," said Girana.

A different atmosphere was evident in the KU 12 final match, which pitted SDN 002 Kota Samarinda against SDN 018 Samarinda Ulu. The aggressive play from both teams resulted in a total of seven goals. SDN Kota Samarinda managed to score five goals and emerged as the champion, while SDN 018 Samarinda Ulu could only muster two goals in response.

The victory of the team commanded by coach Oky Molvindo Satria was achieved thanks to a brace scored by Azizah Diana Putri in the 3rd and 8th minutes, while the star player, Adiba Sanas Primayuga, contributed a hat-trick (18', 24', 26'). On the other hand, two goals from SDN 018 Samarinda Ulu striker, Asiah Nur Fatimah (22', 28') were not enough to save her team from defeat.

"I am very proud because I was able to score a hat-trick in the final match and lead our school to victory in the MLSC, which is being held for the first time in Samarinda." I really enjoy playing soccer and will continue to practice so I can become even better than I am now. I also hope to be selected as one of the players to represent Samarinda in the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars this year," said Adiba.

List of Winners of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge Samarinda Series 2 2025 - 2026:

Age Category 10
Champion : SDN 008 Palaran
Runner-up : SDN 009 Samarinda Seberang
Semifinalists : MI MA Arif NU 003 and SDN 007 Samarinda Ulu
Top Scorer : Martina Satriani Kolin - SDN 008 Palaran (9 goals)
Best Player : Lovelyna Sua - SDN 009 Samarinda Seberang
Best Goalkeeper : Edelways Cassandra - SDN 009 Samarinda Seberang
Fairplay Team : SD Muhammadiyah 1 Samarinda

Under-12 Category
Champion: SDN 002 Samarinda Kota
Runner-up: SDN 018 Samarinda Ulu
Semifinalists: SDN 019 Samarinda Utara and SDN 009 Sungai Kunjang
Top Scorer: Asiah Nur Fatimah - SDN 018 Samarinda Ulu (15 goals)
Best Player: Adiba Sanas Primayuga - SDN 002 Samarinda Kota
Best Goalkeeper: Ayla Putri Al Zahra - SDN 019 Samarinda Utara
Fairplay Team: MI At - Taqwa Samarinda

Visit www.milklifesoccer.com to see the schedule, match results, standings, and the list of goal scorers for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge. And follow the MilkLife Soccer Challenge social media accounts (Instagram @milklifesoccer, TikTok @milklifesoccer, YouTube @milklifesoccer) to get interesting information about the development of women's soccer.