checked --JSR Long-established ISCI has makeover to get more members
Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
In the 1990s, the International Sports Club of Indonesia (ISCI), conveniently located in southern Jakarta overlooking a water- catchment lake, enjoyed its heyday with 2,000 members, largely foreigners, and a one-year waiting list.
Later came the 1997-1998 economic crisis, which caused many foreigners to depart from Indonesia and naturally to leave ISCI, an executive, family-orientated club.
The Bali bombing in 2002 only made things worse. Six of its rugby players died in the bombing. Some foreigners, again, left the country, decreasing ISCI's membership to the current 300.
The club, founded in 1972, is situated on a 5.5-hectare green site overlooking beautiful Situ Gintung (Lake Gintung) in Ciputat, south of Jakarta.
Many people are reluctant to travel to Ciputat because of the notorious traffic jams at the market. However, ISCI is located before the market, just minutes away from Carrefour hypermarket at Lebak Bulus. Therefore the traffic is not a serious problem now, since Carrefour completed its construction works.
In order to attract more members, the club, whose optimum capacity is 1,000 members, is rejuvenating some of its facilities.
"We're now focusing on food and beverage," Gregory Long, ISCI marketing manager, told The Jakarta Post at the ISCI cafe.
Now the club has one fully operational cafe with large and complete kitchen offering Western, international and Chinese menus.
After the makeover completed by the end of this year, the club will have a barbecue station to serve the pool area, a soda bar for kids, a sports cafe to serve the rugby-cum-soccer area, an air-conditioned restaurant for fine dining and a pub.
Each place would have its own menu, although members could still order meals from any kitchen from anywhere they sat, Greg said.
Besides the food and beverage service areas, ISCI is also revamping a part of the large pool area into a place exclusively for kids.
"Parents are not allowed here," Greg smiled. "We're making a soda bar here. Kids could say to their parents 'Hi Dad, I'm at the soda bar'"
Designed to be a haven for executive families in Jakarta, the club pays much attention to safe playgrounds for kids and also a special room for teenagers.
The room, which is open now, is equipped with PlayStation, books and a pool table.
The owners of ISCI, who are club members themselves, have also decided to change a green area into a golf-driving range that will face the lake, on which ISCI members may sail using ISCI boats.
"Golf is a sport for businesspeople and politicians, because the activity allows the players time to chat," Greg said.
He added that one of ISCI's selling points was the quality of its membership.
"We have senior executives and diplomats here," he said.
Another selling point, which complemented the first, was the friendly atmosphere offered by ISCI.
Other, newer sports clubs, Greg said, might be trendy, but often had an impersonal atmosphere.
"We don't want trendies. ISCI is for families. Here, everybody greets each other. There are always people here to chat with you," he said.
Clearly, the atmosphere is suitable for people seeking to improving their networks.
"Many senior executive members are active in badminton and tennis. We have regular badminton competitions here," Greg added.
Apart from its 15 percent Indonesian membership, ISCI has members from 20 different nationalities including Japanese, British, Koreans, South Africans, Australians, Venezuelans and Indians.
It has a large swimming pool, a children pool, tennis and badminton fields that can be turned into a basketball court, a soccer-cum-rugby field, squash courts, a fitness center, aerobics, yoga and salsa classes, as well as kung fu and tae kwon do classes.
The annual membership fee for singles is Rp 7 million (US$700) for full membership and Rp 3.5 million for weekday membership. For families the rates are Rp 9 million and Rp 4.5 million respectively.