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Amazed by Liga 1, Aussie soccer players say sports strengthens Australia-Indonesia relations
Although Indonesia’s professional soccer league, Liga 1, has suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, past and present Australian players are building links through soccer to bring the two countries together.
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Aryn Williams in action during a Liga 1 soccer match as he plays for Persebaya Surabaya soccer club. (Courtesy of Aryn Williams/-)
A
lthough Indonesia’s professional soccer league, Liga 1, has suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, past and present Australian players are building links through soccer to bring the two countries together.
When Aryn Williams was approached by an agent offering him the opportunity to play professional soccer in Indonesia, the first person he called was his father, Eric Williams, who had coached in Indonesia for a decade. “Dad just said straightaway ‘take the opportunity’,” Williams said.
Williams explains that he did not know anything about Indonesia or its soccer before he packed his bags. But what he discovered in Surabaya truly amazed him.
“Fanatic is the best word to describe it. The soccer team is like their church. They wake up and they live and breathe soccer. The money they make at work goes toward a new jersey, season tickets or ticket to the next game.
“Personally, I’ve never seen anything like it [...] Once you get into the stadium, it’s next level. You can’t hear yourself think. It’s like a big party.”
Prior to playing for Persebaya Surabaya in 2019-2021, Williams had played in mostly Australian clubs with a stint in India.
Similarly, when Robbie Gaspar arrived in Indonesia in 2005, he did not know what to expect. “I’d never been to Indonesia previously. I did not know of any Australian soccer player that had played in Indonesia.
