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AFL in Indonesia: Building solidarity among Australians and Indonesians during the pandemic
While Australian Rules Football is considered “Australia’s game”, Aussies living in Indonesia are sharing the sport throughout Southeast Asia and helping local communities as they play.
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Jack Ahearn catches the AFL football while playing for the Bali Geckos. (Courtesy of Bali Geckos/-)
W
hile soccer is Indonesia's most popular sport, not many Indonesians are aware of other types of football, though they are played in the stadiums of one of Indonesia’s closest neighbors: Australia. Australian Rules Football (AFL) is played on an oval field almost twice as long as a soccer pitch, with four goalposts at each end. The aim of the game, during which players can kick and handpass the ball to each other, as well as tackle their opponents who have the ball, is to kick as many goals through the two middle goalposts as possible.
While AFL is considered “Australia’s game”, Aussies living in Indonesia are sharing the sport throughout Southeast Asia and helping local communities as they play.
In 1995, a group of Australian expats were sitting in a Jakarta pub when they had an idea that would change their lives in Indonesia.
“It was a few guys that used to drink at the pub together. One day we thought we should do something more than just drink beers so we said ‘why don’t we try and start a footy club’,” said Paul Halliday, founding member of the Jakarta Bintangs Football Club, referring to AFL by its nickname.
“At that time, there were very few teams in Asia. It’s now grown to 22 countries, to the likes of Pakistan, India, Mongolia. We’ve got around 14,000 participants across Asia at the moment.”
While COVID-19 forced the cancellation of AFL Asia competitions in 2020, the pandemic has not dampened enthusiasm for AFL in Indonesia, where teams like the Bintangs and their rivals, the Bali Geckos, have even been able to recruit players in the toughest of times.
Halliday says introducing AFL to Indonesians has been key to maintaining the Bintangs’ community during COVID-19.
