In the heart of Papua, where towering mountains meet dense jungle and rich cultural traditions echo through the valleys, something more than a football match is taking place. It’s a movement. A quiet, calculated revolution on the pitch—led not by strikers or midfielders—but by the ones who wear black, blow the whistle, and uphold the rules: referees.
On October 7, 2025, in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province and a cradle of footballing culture in Indonesia, a milestone event quietly unfolded: the launch of Refereeing Education 2025, an official training program designed to raise the standard of football officiating in the region. Spearheaded by Asprov PSSI Papua (the regional football association) and backed by the national PSSI refereeing department, this initiative aims to build a new generation of well-trained, principled, and nationally recognized referees from Papua.
What might seem like a small administrative step—a workshop, a training course—is, in truth, a strategic pivot that reflects a broader ambition. This is about more than football. It’s about Papua’s redefinition within the Indonesian football ecosystem: not merely as a factory for raw playing talent, but as a fully formed, professional footballing province—home to athletes, coaches, administrators, and now, elite referees.
The Whistle as a Tool for Transformation
As the sun rose over Stadion Mandala, where generations have witnessed Persipura Jayapura’s electrifying matches, a group of ten young referees from across Papua gathered not to play, but to learn. Their classroom wasn’t a typical indoor hall, but the pitch itself—where technical lessons met physical drills and theory met practice. Over the next four days, they were immersed in the intricacies of match regulation, positioning, decision-making under pressure, and FIFA-compliant rule interpretation, all under the guidance of seasoned instructors such as Jajat Sudrajat and Budi Handayani.
This initiative wasn’t simply about skills. It was about empowering Papuan youth to hold authority on the pitch, to act with integrity in high-stakes situations, and to become symbols of fairness in a game that often mirrors society’s tensions. As Dr. Benhur Tomi Mano (BTM)—a former mayor of Jayapura and now chairman of Asprov PSSI Papua—put it during the opening ceremony, “The referee must not only be competent but wise. In football, the referee holds the soul of the game.”
His words struck a chord. In a region where football is both a unifier and a symbol of identity, being entrusted with the whistle is an honor but also a responsibility. Refereeing Education 2025, therefore, becomes more than a course. It becomes a declaration: Papua is ready to lead—not just play—in the beautiful game.
Papua and Football: A Sacred Bond Forged Through Struggle and Unity
To understand why this program matters so deeply, one must understand what football represents in Papua. It is not merely a weekend sport or a TV pastime. In Papua, football is cultural glue, economic opportunity, and often, a form of peaceful messege in a region historically marginalized in national narratives.
In the bustling neighborhoods of Jayapura, the hills of Wamena, and the shores of Biak, children grow up barefoot with balls made of rolled plastic bags. Football pitches are carved out from rocky terrain. Makeshift goals are marked with bamboo sticks. And yet, the love for the game is as real and as fierce as any major stadium in Europe.
Over the decades, Papua has produced some of Indonesia’s greatest footballers—names like Boaz Solossa, Erol Iba, and Edison Pieter Rumaropen—who have lit up stadiums across the archipelago and inspired millions. But despite its contribution to the national talent pool, Papua has often been relegated to the periphery in matters of decision-making, administration, and officiating.
That’s what makes programs like Refereeing Education 2025 so symbolic. They’re not just developing referees. They’re developing leaders—individuals who can stand at the center of the action and ensure that fairness, justice, and professionalism are not just aspirations but daily realities on the field.
Football as a Driver of Economic Resilience
Beyond culture, football in Papua also plays a critical economic role. Local matches attract vendors, boost tourism, create jobs, and ignite commercial energy in otherwise quiet towns. Stadiums become economic hubs. Merchandise sales, small food businesses, and transport services—all benefit when a strong footballing event takes place.
Moreover, for many Papuan youth, football offers one of the few viable pathways out of poverty. Talented players are scouted into professional teams in Liga 1 or Liga 2, receiving contracts that allow them to support families and invest in education or businesses. But that economic pipeline is fragile without a reliable, trustworthy officiating system.
Well-trained referees enhance the quality of the game, build audience trust, and increase match integrity—thereby attracting sponsors and media coverage. In other words, a credible refereeing system is not a luxury. It is a financial and institutional necessity for the growth of football as an industry in Papua.
Rebuilding Football’s Foundations: From Sorong to Pegunungan
What’s particularly inspiring about Refereeing Education 2025 is that it is not happening in isolation. Across Papua and neighboring regions, a network of referee development programs is gaining momentum.
In Sorong, for instance, 27 participants recently took part in the C3 National Referee Course, supported by the Sorong Regency Government. There, Deputy Regent Sutejo reminded participants of their duty to become “wise and impartial guardians of the game,” echoing the sentiment heard in Jayapura.
Meanwhile, in Papua Pegunungan, the PSSI has been actively pushing for better referee education, acknowledging the region’s urgent need for structured human resource development in sports. The unifying vision? To ensure that every district in Papua—regardless of remoteness or infrastructure—has access to a standard, transparent, and empowering officiating framework.
Changing Perceptions: Referees as Role Models
Historically, referees in Indonesia have not enjoyed the same status or respect as players or coaches. Often criticized, sometimes threatened, and rarely celebrated, match officials have been undervalued for years. In Papua, where trust in officialdom can already be fragile due to broader political and social issues, referees must work twice as hard to earn legitimacy.
That’s why this new wave of referee education matters. It’s not just about training but about changing mindsets. It’s about elevating the profession, making it aspirational, and embedding ethical officiating into the core of Papua’s football narrative.
With programs like these, young people in Papua now have a new role model to look up to—not just the goal scorer, but the calm figure in black, who knows the rules, leads with authority, and makes decisions with fairness.
Looking Ahead: Building a Pipeline to the National and Global Stage
For the ten referees who graduated from Refereeing Education 2025, the journey has only just begun. After completing their training, they are now eligible to officiate regional matches and, with continued development, can be nominated for national league assignments. With mentorship, support, and consistent performance, some may one day represent Indonesia internationally—a vision that once felt distant but now seems increasingly achievable.
The road ahead will not be easy. They will need to maintain peak physical fitness, stay updated with constantly evolving FIFA regulations, and prove their mettle in increasingly competitive match environments. But what sets them apart is their origin. These referees come from a land where football is not just played—it is lived, celebrated, and revered. That passion, combined with professionalism, may well make them Indonesia’s finest.
Conclusion
The Refereeing Education 2025 program in Papua may have begun as a training course, but it has grown into something far more powerful. It is part of a broader awakening—a realization that Papua’s place in Indonesian football is not on the margins, but at the center. It reflects the region’s determination to not only produce players but to own the entire footballing ecosystem—from grassroots leagues to officiating standards and administrative leadership.
And in doing so, Papua is sending a message to the rest of the country: that excellence, professionalism, and leadership can rise from any corner of the archipelago—so long as there is commitment, opportunity, and belief.
On a dusty field in Jayapura, a young referee blows a whistle to start a match. It may seem like a small moment. But it is the sound of a new era beginning, one where Papua’s football future is being shaped—not just by goals scored, but by fairness enforced, values upheld, and dreams finally within reach.
