Yesterday’s Jakarta Globe newspaper ran a story on the Kainey Cup entitled Jakarta Bintangs and Vietnam Swans pay tribute in Kainey Cup.

The article, by Paul Freeland, has been reproduced below:

As if having a trophy named after him was not enough, Dave Kainey also has his own catch phrase.

Kainey is credited as one of the driving forces behind creating the Jakarta Bintangs and Vietnam Swans, two of a growing number of Australian Rules football clubs around Asia. Those two clubs paid tribute to the man on Saturday when they contested the Kainey Cup in Cibubur.

“I wanted to use a successful model to found the Swans, so I used the Jakarta Bintangs” Kainey said. “[In Vietnam] they watched football on Friday nights on the TV. That was the club. Someone said I got football off the couch and into the paddock.”

Jakarta won the match 14.13 (97) to 4.8 (32) in slippery conditions at Buperta Park, though the event — in keeping with the ethos of the clubs — was as much about camaraderie as competition.

Vietnam was the first club outside of Indonesia to tour Jakarta this year, an indicator of the special relationship between the clubs. A team from Singapore was scheduled to visit in July but cancelled after the hotel bombings.

The match also marked the departure of Bintangs members Toby Linden, Michael Bourke and Marzio “Mazza” DaRe.

Kainey, a teacher by trade, also helped start the AusKick program which brings Australian Rules football to children throughout the country. More than 10,000 students have been through the Bintangs’ program, with 200 to 300 signed up in anticipation of a junior league.

“The way forward is for football clubs to spread the game among the local people and have sustainable programs. That is the way this game will grow,” Kainey said, adding clubs must also continue providing community service in the areas where they live.

Matt Jolly, coach and captain for the Bintangs, called the season a success despite the club not doing as well as it would have liked at the Asian AFL Championship in Malaysia. Jakarta finished the season with four trophies after victories in Bali, Balikpapan and Manila in addition to the Kainey Cup.

Jolly, who kicked five goals in the match, also hailed DaRe for his efforts.

“Mazza has been such a supporter, doing things behind the scenes for the club,” he said. “If this club didn’t have people like Mazza, we wouldn’t be here.”

For his part, DaRe said the club’s charitable work made his years in Jakarta worthwhile.

“We donated Rp 100 million [$10,500] to charities in Jakarta last year,” he said. “Being able to play in Jakarta and enjoy some contact with expats outside of work, all that plus the work that we do, makes it a very pleasurable experience.”

Archive | Copyright 2009 The Jakarta Globe

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