TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsWomen’s soccer finds fresh hope as Indonesia’s league returns
After seven years without a regular domestic competition, Indonesia’s women’s game is gaining momentum, with the national team’s recent success contrasting sharply with the struggles of the country’s more established men’s side.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Set as preferred source
League launch: Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir (center), flanked by Indonesia Women's League CEO Teddy Tjahjono (left), PSSI secretary general Yunus Nusi, president director Ferry Paulus and PSSI executive committee member Vivin Cahyani Sungkono, speaks on Aug. 11, 2026, during a press conference launching the Indonesia Women's League in Jakarta. The league will kick off on Oct. 17 with six clubs competing in its inaugural season. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
Having played soccer since she was five, 23-year-old Hanipa Halimatusyadiah chose to build her life around the sport.
It was her late father, Iwan Suandi, a coach at Bintang Timur Soccer School in Nagrak, Sukabumi, West Java, who first introduced her to soccer by taking her to a field near their home.
That early exposure paved the way for a professional career. In 2019, she played for PS Tira Persikabo in Indonesia’s women’s league. The team finished as runner-up after losing 6-1 on aggregate to Persib Bandung. The league was discontinued after that inaugural season.
With no regular league to play in, Hanipa competed in several national tournaments, including the 2021 National Sports Week (PON) in Jayapura, the 2024 PON in Aceh and North Sumatra and the 2024 Pertiwi Cup.
Her career took another hit in 2023 when Persis Solo Women, the club she was playing for, disbanded.
At one point, she considered walking away from soccer altogether.
“I thought, maybe I should stop playing because, first, I’m a woman, and second, we need money to live,” Hanipa said.
