Jakarta Bintangs celebrate 10 years of Australian Football in RI
John Williams Contributor/Jakarta
Major successes often emerge from the most humble of origins. And so it was with the birth of Australian Rules Football in Indonesia.
Back in 1993, when Soeharto was still in the palace, democracy but a whisper in local street food stalls and Australian Football a mainly alien concept in this country, a small group of Australian expatriates with big dreams gathered in a prominent Jakarta sports bar near Blok M, South Jakarta.
However, it was not until the arrival of Bruce Morgan from Singapore two years later that those dreams became a reality and the Jakarta Bintangs Australian Football Club was born.
In October 1995, on a typical steamy Saturday afternoon at the Cibubur scouts complex 13 km south of the capital, a motley group of Australian expats wearing Save the Sumatran Tiger T-shirts ran out against Morgan's former club, the Singapore Wombats.
The inaugural Bintangs side was given a 17-goal thrashing that day, 21-16-142 to 5-8-38, but the result was immaterial.
In what is now the club's 10th anniversary season, the Bintangs have become far more than just a football outlet to Australians living in the capital. The club has been represented over the past decade by over 170 players of different ages, skill levels and nationalities, from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the United States, Canada, UK, South Africa, France and New Zealand.
The club's support for junior Australian Rules in Indonesia has seen a number of local players emerge in recent years, with several local juniors having played full internationals in the Bintangs' red, black and white jersey. The club has also developed a strong tradition of support for local charities and an exciting calendar of social events for players and supporters.
The Bintangs, now sponsored by Kabelvision, have built an imposing record on the field, winning two Asian Australian Football Championships in 2000 and 2002 and runners-up medals twice in 2001 and 2003.
Consistent with the growth of the free-flowing game in the region, the club has toured to seven different countries in North and Southeast Asia. A record nine teams will compete in Manila for this year's Asian Champs on Sept. 10, including last year's premiers Hong Kong, the Bali Geckos, Singapore, China, Japan, the Malaysian Warriors, Thailand Tigers and the Philippines.
In 2005, the Bintangs have toured Bali and Singapore and entertained the Geckos, Warriors and Wombats in home matches at Cibubur. The club will also compete in the annual Bali Nines tournament at the Lapangan Samudra ground in Kuta on Oct. 9.
Last year, the Bintangs traveled to Tokyo for the Narita Cup tournament, to Bali twice for its annual Bali-Java Cup dual against the Geckos and for the Bali Nines and to Kuala Lumpur for the Asian Championships.
The Bintangs start each season with the annual Australia Day Victoria vs the Rest of the World practice match and family barbeque at Cibubur in late January, following an intra-club competition run by sister team, the Kangarudas Netball Club. Each season is drawn to a close with the annual black-tie BJ Morgan awards in October, named in honor of the club's founder.
While many former Bintangs have faded into obscurity on their retirement or departure from Jakarta, several have moved on to better things. One of the latter is 19-year-old 2002 BJ Morgan Medal winner, Kris Thompson, who this year secured a playing contract with the Werribee Tigers in Victoria's AFL feeder league, the VFA.
Now only one step away from major league AFL football, Thompson was a product of the Kabelvision Bintangs youth scheme and made his debut as a lanky 16 year old back in 2001. He and his father Neil, a former player-coach awarded Club Legend status in 2002, became the Bintangs' first father-son combination, a feat later repeated by the Pancawati Baldwins, Rob and Iman.
The Bintangs are proud of the young Thompson's football achievements -- he has had a start in every Werribee match this year -- and wish him further success. To keep up with Kris' progress ahead of the 2005 VFA finals, take a look at www.werribeetigers.footballvic.com.au.
The Bintangs' major annual social event, which has grown into one of the highlights of Jakarta's sporting calendar, is the Kabelvision Jakarta Bintangs AFL Grand Final Function, which will be held on Sept. 24.
This year again promises not to disappoint with AFL stars attending from Australia to provide commentary on the game and share anecdotes on their careers, AFL memorabilia auctioned and live coverage of the AFL grand final on the big screen. Due to high demand, the club is looking to cater for up to 600 supporters at this year's event.
---------------------------- * For ticket inquiries for the AFL Grand Final Function, contact Belinda on 0811 840 526, Donna on 0856 107 9677, or email bintangsafl05@hotmail.com.
* For those interested in trying their hand at Australian Football, the Bintangs train two days a week: at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday on the hockey field in the Senayan Sports Complex (enter opposite Taman Ria and then turn right) and 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons at the Cibubur Scout Complex (Bogor toll road, km13 exit). For more details, contact Craig Telfer on 0816 730 516 or craigt@rad.net.id. * For all the latest gossip, training news and information on how to become involved with the club, as a player or supporter, visit www.bintangs.com