About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Papua Black Pearls is a flag football team based in Mimika, Papua, Indonesia. The name "Black Pearls" is inspired by one of the nicknames of a football team in East of Indonesia. The team is actively involved in national tournaments, including the Merdeka Bowl and East Coast competitions, which serve as platforms for showcasing talent from Eastern Indonesia
The team has been actively involved in community outreach, including school programs to introduce flag football to students. Through these efforts, Papua Black Pearls has helped grow the sport in Mimika, inspiring young athletes to pursue competitive flag football. Some of its players have even been selected for the Indonesian national flag football team, with aspirations to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles
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Papua Black Pearls continues to expand its presence, recruiting new players through tryouts and preparing for upcoming national tournaments
Our Story
Papua Black Pearls: Born from a Dream, Growing with Determination
Papua Black Pearls was founded with the spirit of bringing young Papuan talent to the national stage in the emerging sport of flag football. Johnsen Jordan "Joe" Nicolaas II, together with Bern Maka, decided to establish the team on June 21, 2024, making it the first team from Papua to compete in Merdeka Bowl, an annual tournament organized by the Indonesian American Football Association (AAFI).
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Although Papua initially lacked an active flag football organizational structure, Joe Nicolaas submitted an official proposal to AAFI for his team to participate. With the vision of expanding the sport beyond Java, AAFI approved the request, marking Black Pearls as the first team from Eastern Indonesia to compete at the national level. In its debut, the team secured three victories out of six matches, a milestone in the history of Indonesian flag football.
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Following the tournament, efforts to establish an official AAFI Regional Papua began. On March 27, 2025, Papua was officially recognized as part of AAFI, with leadership consisting of Black Pearls members.
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Black Pearls is not stopping at the national level. The team has a bold vision—to break into the international stage and represent Indonesia at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where flag football will be an official sport. Now, Black Pearls is focused on developing young Papuan athletes so they can compete on the global stage and bring pride to Indonesia.
