Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) plans to prioritize female referees for matches in the Indonesia Women’s League (IWL) 2026/2027, which is scheduled to begin in October.
“In principle, we want Women’s League matches to be fully officiated by female referees and assistant referees,” PSSI Refereeing Committee Chair Yoshimi Ogawa remarked on Thursday (Sept. 3).
Speaking at the Refereeing Workshop for the Media in Jakarta, he acknowledged that Indonesia still lacks qualified female officials for national-level competitions, noting that PSSI currently has only six referees and nine assistant referees with such credentials.
Ogawa assured that the female referees would be appointed to officiate upcoming IWL matches without compromising the quality of competition. However, he said PSSI also intends to field male referees to support the league.
The association plans to form mixed officiating teams comprising male and female referees, he added.
In light of the challenge, he said, the PSSI Refereeing Department has made increasing the number of qualified female match officials a priority.
He emphasized the importance of capacity-building programs for referees at the provincial level to provide an adequate pool of officials for national recruitment.
“This is one of our responsibilities,” Ogawa concluded.
The Indonesia Women’s League is set to resume next month following a seven-year hiatus, having held only its inaugural season in 2019.
Persita Tangerang is scheduled to face Persija Jakarta in the opening match of the 2026/2027 season of the top-flight women’s league on October 17 at Soemantri Brodjonegoro Stadium in South Jakarta.
The stadium has been designated as the only venue for the entire competition, which will also feature Dewa United FC, FC Bekasi City, Persikad Depok, and Garudayaksa FC.
The upcoming league will use a triple round-robin format, with each team playing at least 15 matches to collect points and compete for a top-four finish, which will qualify them for the semi-finals and final.
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Translator: A. Lewokeda, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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