IO, JAKARTA – Biskuat, one of Mondelez International’s favorite biscuit products among Indonesian children for the past 20 years, is hosting a “Biskuat Academy 2019” program with the theme “Good Power from the Inside”. It takes the form of a soccer competition for 10- and 12-year old children, and is held across 8 cities jointly with the cooperation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the support of soccer athlete Evan Dimas.
Maggie Effendy, Head of Biscuit Mondelez Indonesia, explained that in order to grow “Good Power from the Inside”, Biskuat Academy 2019 is holding coaching clinics, directed by professional soccer athletes, in all eight cities. “We do this in order to direct the necessary character building that will help children become good soccer athletes, strengthening character with sportsmanship, cooperation and persistence,” she said.
Biskuat Academy 2019 is also sponsoring a special workshop to be directed by the Coach of the Indonesian National Team, Indra Sjafri. It is meant to help coaches and athletes before the final match, by providing deeper discussions on both character building for children and strategies in soccer.
Mona Ratuliu, a parenting activist and the author of the digital book ParenThink, expressed her support of the scheme. “As a mother, I see that the Biskuat Academy 2019 program is quite positive for Indonesian children. It does not merely focus on competition – it also considers character-building, in order to encourage Indonesian children now to become a strong generation in the future. By building good character from an early age, I believe that I can help my child achieve success in the future,” she said.
Biskuat Academy 2019 has held elimination rounds for 384 teams in 8 cities, i.e. Jakarta, Medan, Palembang, Malang, Surabaya, Semarang, Bandung, and Denpasar, from August to December 2019. The finals will be held on 11-12 January 2020 at Soemantri Sports Stadium, Kuningan, Jakarta. 16 teams will represent the eight cities, each of which is sending two best representatives, one for the 10-year and the other for the 12-year category. The finalists will obtain a certificate from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which they can use to register for national track.
Evan Dimas stated that having children compete in soccer is very beneficial, especially for their character development. “Through the Biskuat Academy 2019, Indonesian children learn to become supportive players who cooperate well with their teams, as well as a host of other good qualities. The program is also a good place to nurture good soccer athletes for our future,” he said.