Timika – 18 students from Papua Football Academy (PFA), an initiative by PT Freeport Indonesia, have departed from Timika, Central Papua, and are ready to compete in the “Gothia Cup 2025,” the world’s largest youth football tournament, set to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from July 13 to 19, 2025.
“They will undergo centralized training and trial matches in Jakarta before departure. The team is scheduled to fly to Sweden on Friday, July 11, 2025,” said Ardiles Rumbiak, Head Coach of PFA.
Ardiles explained that the team consists of 16 players born in 2011 and 2 players born in 2010. To prepare for Sweden, the players have received special briefings on international cultures and languages, communication etiquette, building global friendships, and the values of sportsmanship and fair play.
“In line with the PFA Children Safeguarding guidelines, the players have also been introduced to details about the trip, accommodations, culture, language, and even the food in Sweden. This helps ensure they feel safe, better prepared, and more adaptable once they arrive,” Ardiles added.
Meanwhile, Claus Wamafma, Director and EVP of Sustainable Development at PT Freeport Indonesia, stated that this tournament is a golden opportunity for PFA players to gain experience on the international stage.
“In addition to competing, they will experience firsthand the atmosphere of football in Europe and around the world, which has long been the benchmark of modern football,” he said.
Claus affirmed that PT Freeport Indonesia, as the founder of PFA, fully supports the academy’s participation in the Gothia Cup 2025 as part of its ongoing commitment to developing young talent in Papua.
“PTFI will continue to support opportunities for PFA players not only at the national level but also internationally. The Gothia Cup 2025 marks PFA’s second international tournament this year. In the future, we hope PFA will become one of the best football academies in Indonesia,” he added.
PFA is the first team representing Papua to compete in the Gothia Cup. The students selected to represent Papua and Indonesia had previously gone through the Papua Selection Camp under the Meet the World with SKF program.
Meet the World with SKF is a global CSR initiative by SKF that hosts qualifying tournaments to earn a ticket to the Gothia Cup — the largest youth football competition in the world.
All program expenses, from accommodation to tournament participation, are fully covered by SKF. The initiative aims to empower youth through sports, serving as a platform for talent development, character building, and fostering unity among young Indonesians.
SKF Industrial Indonesia (SKF) is the main sponsor supporting PFA’s journey to the Gothia Cup 2025. PT SKF and PTFI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to back PFA’s participation, signed by PT SKF Industrial Indonesia President Director Satheswaran Mayachandran and PTFI President Director Tony Wenas in Jakarta on Monday, May 26, 2025.
PFA’s participation in the Gothia Cup 2025 represents a shared commitment from both companies to lay a strong foundation for youth football development in Indonesia, particularly in Papua. This is also PFA’s second time visiting Europe — previously competing at the Junior World Cup in Antalya, Türkiye, on April 16–20, 2025.
