JAKARTA - Young talents from the Rantauprapat plantation area have successfully achieved achievements in regional football competitions. The early childhood team under PS PTPN III managed to come out as the first winner at the 2026 Labuhanbatu Zone Presidential Cup.
In the final match held at the PTPN III Rantauprapat Field, the squad coached by coach Erwin Setiawan ended the fierce PS Bintara Muda match with a final score of 5-3. This victory also sealed the ticket for PS PTPN III to advance to represent Labuhanbatu Regency in the North Sumatra Provincial final round.
Talent scouting models in non-urban areas like this have a pattern similar to sports scholarships that are consistently run by large industries, one of which is the Djarum Foundation in the badminton branch. The main focus lies on the selection of potential seeds that have minimal access, then facilitated through a structured training ecosystem.
The ecosystem utilizes the existence of field infrastructure within the plantation emplasmen as a center for periodic training for children of employees and the community around the company's operational area.
PTPN IV PalmCo President Director, Jatmiko K. Santosa, assessed that the existence of internal clubs such as PS PTPN III has a strategic function that goes beyond the company's operational affairs alone. The vast palm oil plantations in the area hold a lot of potential for young athletes who are often overlooked due to geographical constraints.
"We view the emplasmen area and plantations as a talent warehouse that has great potential if managed with the right training pattern. Our approach is focused on efforts to bridge the limitations of access. Through the management of clubs such as PS PTPN III, the company strives to provide a disciplined training path so that children in our operational areas have the opportunity to compete at the national level," said Jatmiko in his statement, Thursday, July 2.
Jatmiko explained that this training was supported by various clubs that were activated in various garden units, ranging from North Sumatra to Riau. In addition to optimizing the garden's field facilities, this joint sports activity is also considered effective in maintaining harmonious relations and minimizing the potential for social barriers between companies and local communities around the work area.
This junior level achievement record extends the track record of PS PTPN III football, which was previously formed at the regional level. In the 2023 competition season, the PS PTPN III senior team recorded the position as Runner-up of the North Sumatra Zone 3 League and won the Runner-up title in the national BUMN Fest Branch Football event in the same year.
This positive trend is maintained to the age group below it. The PS PTPN III U-15 squad previously also won a landslide victory 5-0 over SSB Padang Bolak Julu North Padang Lawas Regency in the opening match of the Soeratin Cup Competition Region 3 North Sumatra which was held at the same field. Consistency in various age groups indicates a pattern of coaching that runs continuously within the club's organizational structure.
The journey of the junior team to the championship ladder also triggered the attention of management regarding continuity of support. Previously, the team's operations in several local competitions had run autonomously through the mutual cooperation of managers and parents of athletes, and currently the management of PTPN IV PalmCo has directly carried out structural coordination to strengthen the funding foundation of the team institutionally.
Arya added that the management had instructed the management of the unit in Rantauprapat to directly escort the logistics needs of the team ahead of departure for the provincial round.
"Our responsibility at the management level is to ensure that this grassroots spirit gets a stable and sustainable umbrella of support through the TJSL program that is measurable," explained Arya.
"We want the support that will be allocated to make the team of managers and coaches able to focus entirely on the technical preparation of football and maintain the mental of the children to compete against the competition in North Sumatra later," he concluded.
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