Depok, July 4, 2024 – Football is a popular sport in Indonesia, yet its achievements still lag on the global stage. Various issues contribute to this situation, with governance being the primary concern. Youth football development is crucial for building a strong development pyramid to produce a robust national team. Institutionally, football involves multiple parties, both governmental and non-governmental.

“This research aims to answer questions about how collaboration in youth football development is conducted, identify its influencing factors, and build a sustainable collaboration model,” said Dr. Achmad Gunawan during his doctoral promotion session in Administrative Sciences at the Postgraduate Program of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, University of Indonesia (FIA UI), held on Wednesday (June 3, 2024) at the EDISI 2020 Auditorium, Building M, FIA UI. Dr. Achmad’s dissertation is titled Collaborative Governance in Youth Football Development.

In his presentation, Dr. Achmad revealed that his research found three critical factors for effective collaboration in youth football development: a strong initial condition, an open institutional design, and facilitative leadership. Additionally, new factors such as public interest in football, the role of parents, and the relationship between the Government and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) significantly influence the success of youth football development.

“Regarding the collaboration process, the research found that despite fulfilling all aspects of collaboration, there are challenges in maintaining commitment, especially from government institutions. The collaboration process tends to progress hierarchically from policy to technical levels, with program implementation being predominantly initiated by PSSI on the ground,” he added.

In his dissertation, Dr. Achmad proposed a collaborative governance model centered on three main strategies: the public service cluster through the provision of infrastructure and educational services, the community participation cluster through optimizing the roles of parents and local communities, and the sports industry cluster to ensure the sustainability of youth football development collaboration.

“Through this research, my first recommendation to the Government and PSSI is to integrate youth football development into the school system as a potential solution and to strengthen their commitment to providing public services, including education, sports infrastructure, and recreation. Additionally, PSSI and professional football clubs should promote the establishment of a solid football industry ecosystem, including club accreditation and tiered development up to the U-16 age group,” Dr. Achmad explained.

Dr. Achmad also recommended that businesses (state-owned and private) contribute more actively through competition sponsorships and school-based football training programs (SSB). Schools (both junior and senior high) should collaborate effectively to support football training programs under the technical guidance of PSSI. Football training programs (SSB) should focus on becoming school-based training centers with close coordination between schools and parents.

During this doctoral promotion session, Dr. Achmad became the 46th doctorate holder from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences and the 234th in Administrative Sciences, graduating with honors.

“Finally, parents are encouraged to provide intensive support by directly coordinating with schools and football training programs (SSB),” he concluded.

The doctoral promotion session of Achmad Gunawan was chaired by Prof. Dr. Irfan Ridwan Maksum, M.Si., with Prof. Dr. Chandra Wijaya, M.Si., M.M. as the main supervisor and Dr. Lina Miftahul Jannah, M.Si. as the co-supervisor. The examination committee included Prof. Dr. Zainudin Amali, S.E., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Amy Yayuk Sri Rahayu, M.Si.; Dr. Roy Valiant Salomo, M.Soc.Sc.; Dr. Fibria Indriati D. L., M.Si.; and Dr. Agung Firman Sampurna, M.Si.