Association Lays out Plan to Roll Amputee Football League Next Year

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian Amputee Football Association (INAF or PSAI) has confirmed that a league for amputee football is planned for next year in a bid to develop and popularize the disabled sport in Indonesia.

Chair of PSAI Yudhi Yahya said the association is targeting to set up the league and a number of tournaments that will be held in different regions across Indonesia starting from next year.

“Our target is to establish a league and several Regent’s and Governor’s Cup tournaments in different cities and provinces in Indonesia,” Yahya said on Wednesday, August 10, as reported by Antara.

“We will also prepare other competitions, including Jakarta Governor’s Cup and Jember Regent’s Cup in 2023,” he added.

Besides attempting to make amputee football more popular, PSAI also seeks to have an established system focusing on athlete coaching at regional and national levels through the proposed league and various competitions.

Moreover, the association also believes that the plans will significantly improve the welfare of disabled athletes in the country.

According to the chair, PSAI has established committees at provincial level, including in Jakarta, West Java, East Java, and West Sumatra – and is working on other provinces like West Java, Banten, Bali, Yogyakarta, and East Kalimantan.

Meanwhile, at municipal/regencial level, PSAI has committees in Jember, Lumajang, Banyuwangi, Surabaya, Malang, Madura, and Padang.

As of now, Indonesian amputee football athletes actively train in eight clubs in eight cities (Jakarta, Jember, Madura, Lumajang, Banyuwangi, Depok, Surabaya, and Padang).

“PSAI has a vision to create a platform for coaching, promote Indonesian amputee football, build self-confidence and strong mentality, and to represent Indonesia,” Yahya said.

Previously, Indonesia successfully secured a spot in the final round of 2022 Amputee Football World Cup that will be held in Turkey in October.