Soccer-mad Indonesia embraces women’s game with launch of national league, but female fans still face a fight for acceptance
- The development of women’s football in Indonesia has since seen significant progress, but there is still much to be done
- Despite the launch of a national women’s premier league, Liga 1 Putri, some women feel they are not taken seriously as football fans, let alone as pundits
Dhanielle Daphne has lost count of the number of times she has been met with incredulous looks and raised eyebrows when people learn she is a soccer player – and a successful one. The 19-year-old is a celebrated midfielder in the Indonesian women’s national soccer team, and a passionate fan who knew she wanted to play the game from an early age.
“My family and friends didn’t really support my decision at first, because nobody in my family plays football and it isn’t seen as a woman’s sport from most people’s perspective,” she says.
“My first experience was certainly disappointing, because so many people around me tried to put me down instead of encouraging me to play,” she says. “But it didn’t stop me from trying to prove that I [could]. I knew this was what I wanted to pursue, and I trained hard to show that I could do better than most of the boys on the field.”
Her parents soon changed their tune. “They now fully support me [in pursuing] my dreams,” Daphne says.