The Jakarta Bintangs (Stars) Australian Football Club was formed in 1995 with the objective to provide a football outlet to the many Australians living in Indonesia’s capital.
Since then, the Club has developed and has been represented by a wide range of players from varying age groups and nationalities including Indonesians, Papua New Guineans, Americans, Canadians, Brits, French and New Zealanders.
The Bintangs are active in Jakarta, training twice weekly and hosting visiting clubs from around Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Brunei. Furthermore the club travels three times per year for away games to destinations that have included Bali, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Saigon and Hong Kong.
In 2000, the Bintangs won the inaugural Asian Australian Championships, defeating Hong Kong in the final of the tournament. The feat was repeated in Singapore in 2002, defeating the tournament hosts in the final. Two months later the club defeated Hong Kong to take the inaugural Bali 9s title.
The Club has been heavily promoting and developing Australian football with Indonesians.
In March 2002, supporters were thrilled to witness the first ever ” All Indonesian ” match as a curtain raiser to the season’s opener between Jakarta and Singapore. In 2003, the JAFL commenced with junior Indonesian teams playing regular round robin format tournaments.
The club maintains a high profile within Jakarta due its hugely popular Grand Final Brunch, whereby Jakarta’s AFL fans have the chance to mix with past and present AFL players flown in for the occasion. Previous guests have included Kevin Neale, Dale Lewis, Matthew Nicks, Matt Primus , Peter Matera , Jack Daniels, Chad Fletcher, Chad Cornes, Darryn Cresswell, Chris Waterman , Rowan Warfe , David Sierakowski, David Hart , Ryan Fitzgerald, David Hynes, Josh Carr, Trent Carroll, and Nathan Bassett
A significant allocation of funding from this function is used to progress social welfare objectives around Jakarta in cooperation with the ANZA group.
If you’re living in Jakarta or passing through in your travels, contact the Bintangs and come down for a kick of the Sherrin.
For further information:
- Visit the Jakarta Bintangs’ website.
