Courtesy: Jakarta Globe


Indoor Game Struggles To Lure Fans to the Stands

Futsal is gaining popularity as a leisure sport in Indonesia, with many futsal fields being built in big cities, but its league is still struggling to lure fans to watch the matches in person.

The Indonesian Futsal League’s third series was a prime example. Only 591 spectators came to the 12 matches at the 15,000-seat Jatadiri Sports Complex in Semarang, Central Java, from Friday through Sunday.

“We had a target of at least 500 spectators per day, but, as you’ve seen for yourselves, the stadium was almost empty,” IFL chairman Agus Muliawan said in Semarang on Monday. “Each day, the number of spectators decreased. We sold 207 tickets on Friday, but only 197 on Saturday and down to 187 on the last day.”

Solo, Central Java, was originally supposed to host the third series on June 19-21, but it was moved because Solo Police refused to issue match permits so close to the July 8 presidential election. Organizers tried to play at Solo’s Manahan Sports Complex on July 17-19, but the facility was booked, forcing the matches to be relocated.

Semarang organizers had just one week to prepare, Agus said.

“I think it’s quite normal because the IFL is only in its second season, so the league is still in a process to introduce itself to the people,” he said. “I’m still optimistic it will get better in time.”

Defending league champion Electric PLN leads the standings despite suffering its first defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss to Jaya Kencana on Sunday.

Electric has 21 points from 10 matches, followed by Biangbola and Pelindo II with 18 points each.

“This was the worst series for us so far,” Electric coach Andi Irawan said. “I’m very disappointed with the players. They didn’t play according to my instructions.”

The fourth series is scheduled for July 25-28 at the Yogyakarta University Sports Center.

Third Series results:

Friday
Dupiad KNPI 4-2 SWAP; Mutiara Hitam 9-7 Biangbola; Jaya Kencana 3-4 Pelindo II; Hanggar IBM 2-2 Electric PLN

Saturday
Biangbola 2-4 Jaya Kencana; SWAP 1-7 Hanggar; Electric 6-1 Mutiara Hitam; Pelindo II 4-4 Dupiad

Sunday
Jaya Kencana 3-2 Electric; SWAP 2-4 Pelindo II; Dupiad 2-6 Biangbola; Hanggar 5-5 Mutiara Hitam






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com