Was Opposed, Desy Becomes Persib Player, National Team, and Referee

"Choosing football was because of the call of the heart," said Desy when he was met on the sidelines of his break as a referee in the Bandung Mayor's women's soccer tournament at the Jabar Arcamanik Sport Stadium, Saturday, July 30, 2022.

Even though he likes other sports, for him, playing football is a moment when he can feel happier and not have a burden.

"There was actually opposition from parents, 'Why do women play soccer'. But after I was 'trapped' into entering the national team (national team) in 2016, parents saw what the results were, so they believed that their child was capable and had potential. ," he said.

She said that the opportunity to enter the women's soccer team started with the head of the RT at her home who suddenly registered her in a local tournament. Until finally he got the opportunity to enter the West Java team until he was called to join the national team.

Although initially surprised and confused, Desy felt grateful to be 'trapped' into the women's soccer team.

"Starting from the 'trap' of Mr. RT, I finally got an offer to enter the national team. Although I was surprised, but yes it was fun to be trapped like this. I was able to meet new people, even young people," he said.

Meeting a new environment builds a different perspective in Desy's mind.

He admitted, usually where he trains and plays soccer, it is dominated by senior players. While in the national team, many fresh players who are still very young.

"So there are new perspectives and passions that can be learned from the people at the center. They are young, but very talented," he admits.

Not only that, Desy also tried out other roles, namely being a licensed soccer referee.

He has been in this job for five years. Even so, she remains active as a soccer athlete as well as a female futsal athlete.

For Desy, being a footballer must be ready to be positioned anywhere according to the coach's instructions. Especially if he is playing in the futsal league, he must be able to carry out all the roles well.

"I was originally in the middle position. But because of the team's needs, the coach sometimes appointed me to libero, wing back, and even became a goalkeeper. Whichever position the coach chooses, I am ready," he said.

Even though Desy is an athlete in two relatively similar sports, for her the biggest challenge is when she plays in futsal matches.

"The change is very fast, the rotation of the players is also very flexible, so we must be ready to be placed in any position. Unlike football, which can still backup each other, the flow is also different," he explained.

According to him, not many people know how the role of women in the world of football. So, for Desy, the Mayor's Cup tournament is a good momentum to convey to the public that there are many potential female athletes in the city of Bandung.

"Moreover, it is open to the public, so there will be a lot of regeneration for the future. This can also increase enthusiasm for women's soccer players because it cannot be denied that women's soccer cannot be equal to men's football," he said.

She hopes that this tournament can be a trigger so that in the future there will be more match events that will be held for women's soccer athletes in the city of Bandung. So that there will be many young people whose enthusiasm is increasing.

"Because with the tournament they have a purpose and that can also increase the number of our national team. If many young people are enthusiastic, then there will be many choices of players in the future," he added.

In contrast to the past, where there were very few tournament events, so many people did not know the potential of female athletes. Even if there is a tournament, the information is not as massive as it is now.

The high enthusiasm of the tournaments this time, which 352 athletes from 30 sub-districts in Bandung participated in, became a breath of fresh air for the world of women's football.

However, for Desy, these young athletes still need to be accompanied to be honed even more through training and tournament competitions.

"There are more than 300 athletes participating and there are certainly many excellent seeds, but these athletes are still raw. With this tournament, it is possible to bring up teams and sponsors who want to accommodate women's soccer so that in the future they can be even more advanced," she said.

"Because it's a shame if there are a lot of athletes but they don't have a platform, there's no event, it won't run. So everything has to go hand in hand," he added.

Because, if there is no forum that welcomes the enthusiasm of these athletes, over time their enthusiasm can dampen because they don't know where to practice and what for.

For him, it is undeniable that the process will not betray the results.

"We have to nurture these younger siblings from below, there must be a process so that the results will also follow positively. Of the many young people in Indonesia, there will definitely be athletes who can defend their homeland," he hoped.

He also advised young athletes to get out of their comfort zone by trying new roles and positions in order to maximize their potential.

"Not all soccer athletes can play futsal, and vice versa. So, these young and young prospective athletes, maximize our potential so that they can be placed anywhere in the future," he said. (din)**

Head of the Bandung City Communication and Information Technology

Yayan A. Brilyana