Quantity Aligned with the Quality of Patriot City's Female Students

The MilkLife Soccer Challenge (MLSC) Bekasi Series 1 2025 - 2026, held at the Bekasi International Soccer Field and Yonif 202 Tajimalela Field from September 9th to 14th, 2025, was successfully completed. This women's soccer tournament, initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife, was participated in by 1,036 participants from 67 Elementary Schools (SD) and Islamic Elementary Schools (MI) in and around Bekasi. They were divided into 92 teams, consisting of 28 U10 teams and 64 U12 teams.

Satia Chandra Wiguna, a representative from the Djarum Foundation's Sports Service, appreciated the high enthusiasm of the participants and the support from various parties, including the education department, the religious affairs ministry, schools, and parents, toward the successful organization of the MLSC in the City of Patriots. Beside the large quantity, young female soccer players also show maximum performance on the field. Likewise, the team's supporters tirelessly cheered from the stands.

Although it's being held in Bekasi for the first time, the enthusiasm from young female soccer players is very high. We are also grateful to the relevant stakeholders who support MLSC. This makes us even more optimistic that the regeneration of Indonesian football athletes can be maintained. "All of this is thanks to the support of various parties," Chandra explained.

Bekasi is being considered as one of the host cities for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge 2025-2026, given its long history and the strong passion of the community for football. "That's why we are adding Bekasi to the MLSC tournament." Bekasi is also an alternative area for schools and madrasahs located in North and Central Jakarta, as it is easier for them to access than attending the MLSC Jakarta held in East Jakarta," Chandra added.

Head Coach of the MilkLife Soccer Challenge, Timo Scheunemann, 'tips his hat' to the fighting spirit and determination of the participants who have sweated throughout the tournament. The man, who has held a UEFA A coaching license in Germany since 2007, was also quite surprised by the performance of the players on each team, who already possessed basic football skills. In fact, according to him, the quality of participants in Bekasi was better than in other cities at the inaugural MLSC event.

What's interesting about this first series in Bekasi is that the quality is better than in other cities when the MilkLife Soccer Challenge first began. What's certain is that this is a very positive start, and I hope the teachers and school principal understand that what the Djarum Foundation's Sports Bakti and MilkLife are doing is a long-term commitment, and that requires the support of all parties. "Especially the training program for female students, please encourage it so their quality continues to improve," said Timo.

Timo continued that he and the talent scouting team had shortlisted 31 names from the MLSC Bekasi Series 1 2025-2026, which would later be re-selected for extra training. He hopes that there will be more football schools (SSB) in Bekasi, both those specifically for girls and those for boys that open classes for girls.

"We have 31 names who will be invited to be re-selected down to 25 players. In each city, we are preparing a total of 50 players, divided into 25 at the elementary school level and 25 at the junior high school level. So, in the future, there will be a total of 500 talents across the 10 MLSC host cities whose development we will monitor and encourage to practice diligently at local football academies." Moreover, we are also preparing the HYDROPLUS Soccer League U-14, which will be held regularly every two weeks, starting in four cities for now," concluded Timo.

SDN Pasar Baru 01 and SDN Padurenan IV are the champions.

Looking at the course of the match in the first quarter, SDN Pasar Baru 01 dominated the early minutes with a barrage of attacks on the heart of SDN Jatiwaringin 2's defense. However, the defensive wall remained strong enough to withstand the onslaught. The cheers and shouts of the audience from the stands, supporting both teams, added to the excitement of the final match and heated up the atmosphere of the game.

Despite facing relentless pressure, SDN Jatiwaringin 2 did not falter. They were only able to counterattack in the 8th minute. However, Earlyta Arsyfa Ayunindya, who ran fast to escape the shadow of the defender from SDN Pasar Baru 01, failed to score the opening goal of the match. This is because of the correct decision by goalkeeper Nadhifa Ferhania Sholeha to advance and leave her position to secure the ball.

Two minutes later, player number 7 from SDN Jatiwaringin 2, Khaira Sania Putri, broke the deadlock. He capitalized on the chaos in the penalty box after his team took a corner kick. The blunder created by the defender of SDN Pasar Baru 01 was capitalized on by Khaira with a shot that the goalkeeper failed to block. The 1-0 lead for SDN Jatiwaringin 2 held until the end of the first half.

Entering the second half, SDN Pasar Baru 01 tried to play more dominantly. Being down by one goal didn't make their fighting spirit falter. The whistle had just blown, and Tiffany Khairunnisa Riyadi almost scored a goal. Honey, the kick still went wide of the goal for SDN Jatiwaringin 2. Finally, Tiffany managed to equalize in the 21st minute after a defender from SDN Jatiwaringin 2, who was trying to clear the ball far from the defense, kicked it right to her inside the penalty box. Not wasting any time, Tiffany immediately launched a lobbing shot to the right side of the goal.

Two minutes later, SDN Pasar Baru 01 added another goal to their tally. It was Dinda Raya Rabbani who scored after a powerful shot from outside the penalty box into the left corner of the goal. The opposing goalkeeper's unprepared position caused him to fail to stop the ball's trajectory. One minute before the second half ended, Tiffany solidified the lead and secured victory for her team after being awarded a penalty. Confidently, he kicked the ball into the right corner of the goal. Until the final whistle blew, the score was 3-1 in favor of SDN Pasar Baru 01, who had a successful epic comeback.

"Yes, I'm very happy to have scored 2 goals in the final and a total of 9 goals during this MLSC." We were down 1-0 in the first half, but thanks to teamwork and not getting emotional, we were able to win 3-1 in the end. "Their defense was really good just now," Tiffany said enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, the coach of SDN Pasar Baru 01, Muhammad Oryza Sativo, said that his team's victory was due to their high fighting spirit and teamwork. "Yes, we were behind in the first half, but in the second half our team worked harder and finally managed to overcome the course of the match and secure victory for KU 10," Oryza added.

The U-12 match between SDN Sukaresmi 06 and SDN Padurenan IV was intense from the moment the whistle blew to start the game. Both teams played aggressively to score the first goal. Player number 6 from SDN Padurenan IV, Camelia Putri Arianti, was immediately awarded a free kick in the 3rd minute. Unfortunately, the powerful kick with a professional player's stance failed to convert into a goal, as the ball remained in the arms of the goalkeeper from SDN Sukaresmi 06, Shafa Al-zahra.

Entering the 6th minute, SDN Sukaresmi 06 launched an attack thru Khanza Shabria Nurghatfan. Trying to capitalize on the goalkeeper's blunder of throwing the ball toward her, Khanza's shot still sailed high above the crossbar. Shortly into the second half, a foul was committed by the SDN Padurenan IV squad. Saira Clara Devina, who took the free kick with three opposing players marking her, was still unable to score because the opposing goalkeeper managed to deflect her powerful shot.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 24th minute. Midfielder Najwa Hairunnisa from SDN Padurenan IV, who received a pass from a throw-in, successfully scored the only goal for her team. Slow but sure, the ball's trajectory toward the bottom right corner of the goal was unable to be stopped by the goalkeeper because it was blocked by a number of players gathered at the edge of the goal. The final score was 1-0 in favor of SDN Padurenan IV.

I really didn't expect my kick to go in just now. And happiness can be the deciding factor in the team's victory. I had never played soccer before, but after participating in this tournament, I became interested in pursuing soccer. Because I'm happy during the match, especially when I can score a goal. "Thank you to my friends, teachers, and parents for their support," said Najwa.

The coach of SDN Padurenan IV team, Erwin Akhmad Ramdani, revealed that the MilkLife Soccer Challenge is a positive platform for the potential of female footballers to showcase their abilities. Although many parents at her school still believe that soccer is only for boys, she believes that with the regular organization of this tournament and future achievements, that stigma will be broken.

This tournament is very good and positive for both us teachers and the students. In the future, we will also prepare participants starting from the U8, U10, and U12 age groups, so that there is regeneration in each age group. We will also direct students with more skills to join SSB so that their quality can further improve. For the next series, we are optimistic that we can become champions, both in the U-10 and U-12 age groups," Erwin stated firmly.

Here is the list of winners for the MilkLife Soccer Challenge Bekasi Series 1 2025 - 2026:

Age Category 10 Champion:
SDN Pasar Baru 01 Runner-up: SDN Jatiwaringin 2
Semifinalists: MIN Bekasi and SDN Kaliabang Tengah VII
Top Scorer: Fayza Kulla Azmina - SDN Kaliabang Tengah VII (10 goals)
Best Player: Adeeva Dzahin - SDN Harapan Jaya IX
Best Goalkeeper: Afifah Azahra - MIN
Bekasi Fairplay Team: SDN Cakung Barat 05

Age Category 12 Champion:
SDN Padurenan IV Runner-up: SDN Sukaresmi 06
Semifinalists: SDN Cideng 04 and SDN Cakung Timur 06
Top Scorer: Cantika Kirana Diah Fahrirah - SDN Cakung Timur 06 (23 goals)
Best Player: Siti Azahra - SDN Padurenan IV
Best Goalkeeper: Shafa Al-zahra - SDN Sukaresmi 06
Fairplay Team: SDN Cideng 04

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