Jakarta Bintangs celebrate 10 years of Australian Football in RI
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.
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* 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