Arema was established during the peak of the development of this sub-culture on 11 August 1987 and with a goal of developing a professional football club in Malang. At that time, the existing Malang team, Persema Malang, depended on government budget and was a federation of smaller clubs in Malang. A professional Malang club was a brainchild of army general Acub Zaenal, who was active in the PSSI, the football association of Indonesia, and administered the country's first professional football competition Galatama, and Dirk Sutrisno, the founder of the Armada'86 football club in Malang who wanted to upgrade his team. The original name was Aremada, a combintation of Armada and Arema, before becoming Arema'86. However, financial difficulties delayed the official incorporation, as the Arema Indonesia football club, until the general rescued the cause and paved the way for Arema's participation in Galatama.