U-17 Women's Asian Cup: from Asia to the World Stage

From the U-17 Women's Asian Cup, future world stars were born. It is not impossible that stars from Indonesia will also shine.

AFC

The Japanese women's national football team won their first Women's World Cup after defeating the United States in the final match held at Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany in July 2011.

For the past eight editions, the Asian Women's U-17 Cup has been a platform for showcasing and developing young football players from the Asian continent. Although it is only a continental competition for this age group, the Asian Women's U-17 Cup serves as a starting point for young players to go global. From the stage of the Asian Cup, future world stars are born.

Nineteen years ago, at the inaugural edition of the 2005 U-17 Women's Asian Cup, Asuna Tanaka led Japan to the championship podium. In the event held in Namhae, South Korea, Tanaka, who plays as a midfielder, scored a total of four goals.

Tanaka's performance in the U-17 Asia Cup was the starting point of his career with the Japanese team. In 2008, three years after his action in the Asia Cup, Tanaka was called up to strengthen the Japanese U-20 team that would compete in the World Cup. The player born in Sakai, Osaka, Japan, appeared four times and scored one goal.

Again, within three years, Tanaka achieved a new leap in his career. In 2011, Tanaka was selected to join the national team which at that time would take part in the 2011 Algarve Cup. In that event, Tanaka marked his debut with the Japanese national team. After that, Tanaka helped set a milestone in the history of Japanese women's football.

Also read: First Test of the Indonesian Women's Team from the Philippine Steel Mentality

JFA

Japanese female footballer, Asuna Tanaka.

Tanaka was part of the Japanese squad that surprisingly emerged as champions of the 2011 Women's World Cup. In the final, Japan beat the United States on penalties with a score of 3-1 after a 2-2 draw. -2.

Tanaka also played in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 World Cup. Japan achieved second place in both events. The former player of the German club, FFC Frankfurt, played a total of 39 matches and scored 3 goals for the Japanese national team until 2016.

In the U-17 Women's Asian Cup, so far Japan is the most successful team with eight champions, runner-up twice and third place three times. Japan also achieved success at the U-17 Women's World Cup by winning the title in the 2013 edition and twice finishing as runner-up in the 2010 and 2016 editions.

Apart from Asuna Tanaka, the U-17 Women's Asian Cup was a place to show off players North Korea, Ho Un-byol and Jon Myong-hwa. During the 2007 U-17 Women's Asian Cup, when North Korea won their first title, Ho scored a total of three goals and Jon two goals.

In 2011, Ho became part of the North Korean national team that appeared for the fourth time in the Women's World Cup. Meanwhile, Jon represented North Korea in the 2012 London Olympics.

Also read: Welcoming the Indonesian Women's Team to the Asian Stage

AFF

The Thailand women's national soccer team appeared in the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada. Thailand made history by becoming the first Southeast Asian country to qualify for the World Cup.

In Southeast Asia, there is Thailand which is a regular participant in the U-17 Women's Asian Cup. In the inaugural edition of 2005, Thailand was strengthened by Thanatta Chawong, who scored a total of three goals throughout the U-17 Women's Asian Cup.

Ten years later, Chawong became part of the Thai national team that made history on the world stage. Chawong joined the Thai squad that made their debut at the 2015 Women's World Cup and became the first Southeast Asian country to compete in the highest tournament.

For Indonesia, who will host the 2024 AFC Women's U-17 Championship, the event marks the beginning of efforts to develop women's football in the country. The PSSI Chairman, Erick Thohir, announced during the introduction of the new coach of the women's national team, Satoru Mochizuki, in February 2024, that the selected players for the AFC Women's U-17 Championship will become the foundation of the Indonesian national team.

Indonesia's main target, said Erick, is to reach the 2035 World Cup. For this reason, Satoru Mochizuki and PSSI will design a long-term strategy to prepare for this step, one of which is forming an U-17 team and take part in the Women's Asian Cup.

Also read: U-17 Women's National Football Team Squad Finally Formed

DOKUMENTASI PSSI

The new coach of the Indonesian women's national football team, Satoru Mochizuki from Japan (middle), in a press conference session in Jakarta on Tuesday (20/2/2024).

The ninth edition of the Women's U-17 Asia Cup is not just a competition to achieve excellence. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the organizer of the Women's U-17 Asia Cup, carries an important mission in the event. This competition is expected to be a platform for young talents to showcase their skills and compete at a high level.

The Women's Asian Cup serves as a platform for developing young female soccer players and promoting the development of women's soccer. In addition, this event also serves as a place to highlight the future stars of Asian women's soccer on an international stage. As some players have shown before, the Asian Cup can be the starting point to global recognition.

Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium and Bali United Training Center in Gianyar, Bali will bear witness to the competition of these young talents from May 6-19, 2024. These two venues will also witness the shining of Asian players. It is not impossible for this to also become a stage for the emergence of Indonesian players who will later compete in world-level events.