Organizers say this year's Asian Championships will be the largest Australian Rules Football Tournament ever held.

Along with the Bintangs, Indonesia is also represented by the Bali Geckos competing against eight other teams from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and championship debutantes, Laos.

Organizers estimate there will be around 500 players and support staff participating in the day-long event at Singapore Polo Club, along with a large number of spectators.

Australia's High Commissioner to Singapore, Miles Kupa, will open the event and award the championship trophy to the winners.

Hosts the Singapore Wombats will enter the tournament as favorite, after winning back to back victories in 2005 and 2006, along with last year's winner, Hong Kong, and runner-up, Bali.

According to club president Tim Hakfoort, however, the Bintangs have every reason to be confident.

"We made it to the semifinals at last year's championships, and we've had strong performances at home and away this year -- particularly a good win over our traditional rivals, the Bali Geckos."

The team has new Coach Matt Jolly, who is said to have brought in a tough new training regime.

"We have a large touring squad of more than 30 players, so we've got a great chance of winning the Championship," Hakfoort said.

"All of the players have put in a huge effort at training over the past few months, and we've been bolstered by the inclusion of a number of former Bintangs who will be flying all the way from Australia to come to the champs," Matt Jolly said. "We are also proud to have an Indonesian citizen, Boy Pasaribu, playing with us."

The Jakarta Bintangs hosted the first ever Asian Championships back in 2000. A joint Indonesian team won the trophy that day and then again in 2002.

Australian Football in Asia is primarily played by Australian expatriates, however most teams usually have a number of local participants who play regularly.

With support from the Australian Government (through the Australia Indonesia Institute) the Bintangs started a Junior Development program earlier this year with full-time Australian Youth Ambassador Chris Bandy. Bandy and his fellow Indonesian coaches have been teaching local students about the game in schools all over Jakarta.

"We now regularly get 40 or more kids out to our regular training on Thursday nights at Senayan," Bandy said.

The Bintangs Club is also busy planning for its biggest fund-raiser of the year -- the annual AFL Grand Final Function, to be held Sept. 27.

This event is one of the largest on the social calendar for expatriate Australians living in Jakarta.

Australian Rules Football is a uniquely Australian sport, which originated in Victoria in the 19th century, but is now played all over the country. AFL is one of Australia's most popular spectator sports, with games regularly watched by crowds of 80,000 people.

It is a fast, frenetic and physical game, which uses an oval-shaped ball similar to that used in Rugby, and is usually played with 18 players a team on a large oval field.

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