Malut United's Red and White Academy Aims to Uplift Underprivileged Children
Malut United has affirmed that its focus on early childhood development and prioritisation of children who will be participants is the main differentiator in the Red and White Academy project, which is being built in collaboration with SL Benfica in the eastern region of Indonesia.
The President Director of PT Maluku Maju Sejahtera, Dirk Soplanit, said that the academy will focus on recruiting children aged 7-9, especially orphans and children from underprivileged families from North Maluku, Maluku, and Papua.
The announcement of the collaboration was made at the Gelora Kie Raha Stadium on Friday, May 15, 2026, with Benfica International Business Manager Lourenco dos Reis Ferreira and Benfica International Technical Coordinator Davide da Rocha Gomes.
Dirk said that most football academies in Indonesia generally start training players at the age of 10 and above.
According to him, the Red and White Academy chose to start earlier in order to build the technical and character foundation of players from a young age.
“So far, many academies have been established, but most of them start at the age of 10 and above. This age group of 7-9 years has not been touched,” said Dirk to the media gathered at Kie Raha, including Kompas.com.
“According to our joint view, developing talent from the age of 10 and above is considered too late. It should start from the age of 7-9,” he said.
Dirk added that this type of training pattern is still rarely implemented in Indonesia, especially with the specific target of orphans and children from underprivileged families.
“This is what makes it very unique, perhaps there is no other academy in Indonesia that recruits specifically orphans and children from underprivileged families with this pattern,” he said.
Malut United is partnering with Benfica because of the Portuguese club’s reputation in developing world-class football academies.
Dirk said that they want to bring in training methods directly from one of the best academies in Europe so that the player development process can run optimally.
“We are directly using the methods from a club that is already famous in the world in academy development,” said Dirk.
Muslim participants will receive education based on a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) model, while Christian participants will receive training in accordance with their respective religious teachings.
Dirk said that the academy was built not for business interests, but as a form of social contribution to children in the eastern region of Indonesia.
“Malut United does not expect anything from this academy. It is truly a contribution and a sincere gesture from the owner of Malut United, Mr. David Glen,” said Dirk.
“We don’t want their poverty to continue into adulthood when they have the potential to change their lives through football,” said Dirk.
KOMPAS.com is committed to providing clear, trustworthy, and balanced facts. Support the sustainability of clear journalism and enjoy ad-free reading comfort through Membership. Join KOMPAS.com Plus now.