Australia congratulates Indonesia’s first Street football Tournament

The Australian Embassy today congratulated the League of Change, Indonesia’s first national street football tournament, for using sport to give opportunities for marginalised communities around the country.

Eight provinces were represented at the three-day tournament organised by Rumah Cemara, a Bandung-based organisation that works to increase the quality of life and reduce stigma towards people living with HIV.

The Australian Embassy awarded Rumah Cemara with a A$10,000 Allan Taylor Sports Grant to help run the event. Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty, said sport is an excellent tool to improve the lives of people at the grass-roots level.

“We are proud to have the opportunity to support the League of Change. Football is a sport close to the hearts of many Indonesians and a great way to educate people about complex social issues,” said Ambassador Moriarty.

Rumah Cemara has used football to spread its message and Aditia Taslim, Event Coordinator for the League of Change, said that running a national tournament such as this has been a dream for a long time.

“A combination of factors finally made it all possible: my visit to Australia as an observer of a street football tournament last year, Rumah Cemara’s very successful debut at the 2011 Homeless World Cup in Paris and the support provided by the Australian Embassy has enabled us to take this next step,” said Taslim.

Rumah Cemara engaged the local community of Pulosari in Bandung to construct the purpose built football pitch and assist with the running of the event. The pitch, made mostly of wood, can be dismantled after the tournament and re-used for future events.

“We [Rumah Cemara] are now working on gaining membership in the Street Football World network which is recognised under the FIFA’s flag. If we can achieve this, the League of Change could become an International tournament in the future,” said Taslim.

The Allan Taylor Sports Grant is sponsored through the Australia-Indonesia Institute and is designed to further develop sport in Indonesia. The late Allan Taylor (a former Australian Ambassador to Indonesia) was a keen sportsperson. The award aims to foster cooperation between Australia and Indonesia in sports and recognise significant contributions to the development of sport in Indonesia.

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