Papua Football Academy U15 Are Prestigious Champion at Garuda International Cup 2025
Bogor, August 24, 2025 — Papua Football Academy (PFA) closed its participation in the prestigious Garuda International Cup 2025 with a very brilliant achievement. The PFA U-15 team not only came out as Tournament Champion, but also proved their dominance by becoming the team with the strongest defense (only conceding 1 goal in normal time) and a productive attack (scoring 14 goals from 6 matches).
Welcoming this success, PFA Head Coach Ardiles Rumbiak gave thanks to God for giving strength and health, as well as the hard work of the entire PFA team. “This good result is the fruit of hard work, discipline, and commitment of all players, coaching staff, and all parties involved. The results of this competition show that individual progress is on the right track. We invite the players to be happy with the achievements made today, but after that, we must return to focus on preparations for the upcoming competition,” said Ardiles.
On their way to the top, the team coached by Ardiles Rumbiak successfully defeated representatives of ASEAN countries, including GUAMMS FC (Malaysia) and Apuesto Bueno (Philippines). One of the memorable moments was when they defeated a strong academy team coached by the Singapore League champions, Lion City Sailors, and also other strong opponents such as ASIOP and the LTS Indonesia team in the Final.
The success of his players also received high appreciation from the Board of Directors of PT Freeport Indonesia. Claus Wamafma, Director and Executive Vice President of Sustainable Development of PT Freeport Indonesia, expressed his pride. “This extraordinary achievement is a beautiful gift for PT Freeport Indonesia, especially in enlivening the 80th anniversary of Indonesian Independence this year. We believe that the younger generation of Papua are national assets full of talent. Hopefully, this victory can inspire them to continue to achieve, become champions, and later bring color to the future of Indonesian football, in accordance with the PFA's spirit of 'from the Land of Papua for Indonesia,” said Claus.
This success was complemented by a sweep of individual titles, where Jupri Kogoya was named the tournament's Best Player (MVP), Dolvi Solossa won the Top Scorer Award and Ardiles Rumbiak received the Best Coach Award. These awards were presented by Simon Tahamata.
“Addressing the individual mistakes of players in some matches is a common thing. In fact, that's the importance of competition at a young age: to learn from mistakes, gain experience, and grow into a better player,” Ardiles concluded.
“We also wouldn't be here without the prayers and encouragements from the people of Papua, especially the parents of the players, as well as the full support from PT Freeport Indonesia. This is our biggest motivation to continue to give our best,” he added.
Beyond the brilliant achievements, the values of friendship and sportsmanship were the main things that were instilled. After the match, PFA players were seen gathering and taking selfies with their opponents, showing that the spirit of competition on the field had turned into a spirit of togetherness and mutual respect off the field.
The journey of the PFA U-15 team is not over yet. There are still big challenges ahead. The team will continue its journey on the island of Java for one month to prepare to compete in another prestigious national tournament, the Piala Soeratin U-15, which will be held in Malang in September 2025. The champion spirit and unity formed at the Garuda International Cup are expected to be a valuable asset to achieve success in the next event.
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