SDH Daan Mogot Futsal Team's Historic Opportunity to Watch the U-17 World Cup

One of Indonesia's prides in 2023 is the trust bestowed by FIFA to host the U-17 World Cup. This historic opportunity is expected to boost the motivation of local football players to achieve greater success. Additionally, they have the chance to compete against high-quality international players.

One of the designated venues for the tournament is the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS). The good news is that Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH), a member of the Pelita Harapan Education Foundation (YPPH), contributed to the success of the U-17 World Cup by allowing the use of its world-class grass. The Manila grass (Zoysia matrella) was harvested from UPH and transferred to JIS to be used as the official turf. According to FIFA recommendations, this fine-textured grass possesses the right thickness, length, strength, and elasticity suitable for international standard football fields. It is also the type of grass used in UPH's international standard football field.

As a reciprocal collaboration, the foundation received dozens of free tickets (regular seats) for every match at JIS. The SDH DM futsal team also received the privilege of these complimentary tickets. They attended the matches on Friday, November 17, 2023, featuring the first group stage match between Argentina and Poland, followed by the second group stage match between England and Brazil.

"This is the first time I've come to a stadium to watch live football. I am truly impressed by the grandeur of the JIS stadium. On that day, I watched two matches. In the Argentina vs Poland match, Argentina played a beautiful game. Every pass had its own beauty and art. As for the England vs Brazil match, we saw many players with excellent skills. I only then realized the standard of world-class play. To my knowledge, many talent scouts attend these matches. Typically, these talented individuals are potential players for European leagues," reflected Matthew Lexius Chandra, a member of the school futsal team.