Football West hosts Papua Football Academy
Football West recently had the pleasure of hosting members of the Papua Football Academy in Indonesia.
The exchange trip aligns with Football West’s Asian Engagement Strategy and provided high-performance training, coach development and sporting and cultural experiences.
Football West Asian Engagement Advisor Robbie Gaspar said: “It was a delight to host the Papua Football Academy and give them an insight into what we are doing in Perth.
“Football West is committed to leading football diplomacy in the region, and this program is a great example of football's power to connect people, build relationships and create genuine pathways. It's all about the people-to-people connections.”
During their 11 days in WA, the Papua players trained with the Football West Academy and at other local clubs including Perth Azzurri and Perth Glory. They took in A-League and New Balance NPL WA games, received a guided tour of Optus Stadium, and visited the WA Institute of Sport, ECU Joondalup and John Curtin College of Arts. They also went to the Indonesian Consulate General in Perth.
Mr Gaspar added: “The Papua Football Academy is an elite youth football development program that aims to identify and develop talented young players from the Papua province.
“It provides high-performance training, education and welfare support, as well as creating pathways into professional football and national team representation.
“It has quickly become one of the leading youth development initiatives in Indonesia, with ambitions to connect internationally through training camps, matches, and partnerships.”
The Papua Football Academy was established in 2022 and is funded through a partnership between the PT Freeport Indonesia mining company and the Football Association of Indonesia, the PSSI.
There are 60 children aged 13-15 in the program, all of whom come from across the province of Papua.
Papua Football Academy Director Wolfgang Pikal said: “This trip has been a really good experience, especially the opportunity to see facilities such as the Sam Kerr Football Centre. We have nothing like this in Papua.
“It has allowed the coaches to learn something new and for the kids to measure themselves against young players in Perth.
“Ideally, we would like to bring two or three players to come and play in Perth in the future. The standard is good here, and in Papua, we do not have a provincial or national competition, which is important in player development. It is just friendly matches or perhaps a tournament. And if you have to fly to Jakarta, it is just the same for us as flying to Perth.”
Football West would like to thank the WA Government for its support of the Asian Engagement Strategy.
