player profiles>>

If the surf is no good, on any Thursday afternoon out in Canggu you’Äôll find a bunch of expats honing their skills of their beloved Australian Rules Football. While the beer is being chilled, astonished locals watch, wonder and laugh as the sweating expats kick, handball and swear at each other.

The Geckos, as they affectionately known, were formed in 1997 when a challenge was thrown out by a traveling Jakarta Bintang Footballer to an expatriate Australian living in Bali. Since then, the Geckos have taken on teams from over the region and have enjoyed a huge amount of success both on and off the field. With many AFL teams using Bali as the destination for end of season trips, the Geckos have often had AFL stars at training and entertained them socially. In October 2003, The Geckos received much media attention after the very successful Bali 9s, where ex-AFL star Jason McCartney pulled on the Gecko jumper. Australian Prime Minister John Howard also tried out the Gecko colours, but, to his disappointment, did not get a run on the field during the final. The Geckos have come in as runners-up in the Asian Australian Football Championships for the last three years, but will be looking to go one better this year.

ANZ Jakarta Bintangs

player profiles>>

The current holders and defending champions of the Masters 9’Äôs, the Jakarta Bintangs (Indonesian for ’ÄòStars’Äô, however some may rightfully argue that the team could be more likened to Indonesia’Äôs famous amber fluid) Australian Football Club was formed in 1995 with the objective to provide a football outlet to the many Australians living in Indonesia’Äôs capital. Since then the club has been represented by a wide range of players from varying age groups and nationalities, including Indonesians. In 2000, the Bintangs hosted and won the inaugural Asian Australian Championships, defeating Hong Kong in the final of the tournament. The feat was repeated in Singapore in 2002, defeating the tournament hosts in the final. Two months later the club defeated Hong Kong to take the inaugural Bali 9s title. Over the last few years the club has been heavily involved in promoting and developing Australian football to Indonesians. In March 2002, supporters were thrilled to witness the first ever ’ÄúAll Indonesian’Äù match as a curtain raiser to the season’Äôs opener between Jakarta and Singapore. In 2003, the West Java Australian Football League (WeJAFL) commenced with junior and senior Indonesian teams playing regular round robin format tournaments. During the 2003 Bali 9s, the Grand Final of the WeJAFL was part of the day’Äôs action, with Prime Minister John Howard in attendance to witness an entertaining game. For more club details, visit www.bintangs.com.

.South Coast Buccaneers

player profiles>>

The South Coast Buccaneers hail from the South Coast of New South Wales, from Nowra in the north to Eden in the south , covering about 300 kilometers of coastline. The team was first started in 1989 when the ACT Superules team came to Batemans Bay for a social game of footy. Since then they have played a number of games and many of the Buccaneers join the ACT team to compete in the annual National Masters Australian Football Carnival. The Buccaneers will this year host their fifth annual Masters Mini-carnival at Pambula over the Easter week end, with competing teams Vic Metro, Vic Country, Mornington Peninsula, the ACT as well as the Buccaneers.

'Singapore Wombats

player profiles>>

The Singapore Australian Football Club (SAFC) was formed on April 24, 1993 by ten homesick and football deprived Aussies who were toughing it out in the tropical balm of Singapore's business trenches.

With around 6000 Australian and New Zealand expats in the community the visionary founding fathers of Singapore Aussie Rules figured there had to be at least 30 blokes who could get together on a weekend and have a trot on the old paddock. It sounded simple! The following three years were definitive for the team that Singaporeans would affectionately know as ’Äòthe Mighty Wombats’Äô. Through a series of recruitment drives that led team crusaders on a vigilant and exhaustive tour of pretty much every pub in the land, a play list was assembled that made weekly intra-club games a reality.

With an influx of expatriates to the Asia Pacific region during the 90's, several other Aussie Rules teams have appeared on the scene. This provides the club with an opportunity to travel regionally and participate in our great game. The Wombats travel to China, Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali & Jakarta), Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam and also host teams from these countries. The Wombats won back to back Asian Championships in 2005 in the Philippines and 2006 in Jakarta.

Castlemaine Masters

player profiles>>

Castlemaine Masters formed in 2002 and since then, has enjoyed ongoing success in the Victorian Country Masters League. We play a team oriented game and boast a healthy off field attitude to life. Our team includes many champions of yesteryear who have retained the skills, lost the speed but increased their passion for the great game of football. We play fair on and off the field and will represent our state of Victoria and our town of Castlemaine and the Shire of Mount Alexander with pride and noble spirit during the Bali competition.

Dubai Dingoes

player profiles>>

The Dubai Dingoes were formed 2 years ago when some Aussie ex pats in Dubai finally got their act together and decided to set up a proper footy club in the Emirate. After kicking a Sherrin around a local park for a few months founder member Nigel Koch set about organising the Dubai 9's in March 2007 with teams from Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar competing, the Dubai Heat, the glamour team of the UAE won the tournament beating the newly formed Dubai Dingoes in the final thus creating a rivalry unmatched by any other footy teams outside of Oz .
In September 2007 the Dingoes set about getting sponsorship and increasing membership and by February 2008 had a list of 60 players all excited about playing against fierce rivals the Dubai Heat in the curtain raiser game preceding the Pies v Crows NAB cup match which saw big time footy come to the Middle East for the 1st time .In the 2008 Dubai 9's the Dingoes put on a great show only losing to the heat by the narrowest of margins.
The Dingoes are currently in the process of setting up a footy league proper for the region and September will see the start of a new and exciting season with a list of 100 lads all keen to have a kick.
The Dingoes love a trip away having already played in Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi and latest trip to Qatar-Doha, and the older lads (and really old - Mick) are hugely excited by the prospect of a trip to Bali and have been training hard both on the track and in the pub...

Timor Leste Crocs

player profiles>>

This year will be the inaugural year for the Timor-Leste Crocs and hopefully the first of many years ongoing involvement with the Bali 9’Äôs Masters competition and the wider Asian and International Australian Rules Footy Community.   While our preparation will be brief, a committed group of Timorese, Australian and assorted International footy players have answered the call and are preparing for this historic opportunity to represent the nation of Timor-Leste (East Timor) in this and future tournaments. 
Thanks to the Novo Horizonte Hotel, the ANZ Bank Timor-Leste and Tiger Fuels who have jumped behind us to support Timorese involvement in Australian Rules Footy and to help them represent their country abroad.
So our tactics are simple, we want to take it game by game and year by year, where no one is an individual, in what we hope will be an ’Äòall round team effort’Äô, leading from the front, kick by kick, quarter by quarter,,,,clichˆ© by clichˆ©,,,,to ensure all involved enjoy the experience.  We know that we will come into this competition as under dogs at long odds (like London to a brick!) but we also know that it is not the size of the Croc in a fight, that matters - it’Äôs the size of the fight in the Croc!  See ya on the Paddock, Carn the Crocs!

Darwin Waratahs

player profiles>>

Darwin Dingoes

player profiles>>

Each member of this specially selected group is a highly trained athlete. All have previously played sport at the elite level and some have ’Äúsuper’Äù powers. 3 of the group have been recognized with awards, and some of the others from Police sketches.
Prior to traveling to this tournament we have been locked down in a secret training camp.  Honing our skills, strength and endurance and working tirelessly on the tactics and set plays which will surely see us prevail here and adding to our trophy cabinet. For us, the phrase ’Äúmy body is a temple’Äù is not just hollow rhetoric. To this group, NO Pain really means No Pain. There’Äôs no ’ÄúI’Äù in team. (Oh but look you can make ’Äúme’Äù)
We know we will be up against some of the best 9’Äôs sides in the world. But you will be up against ’ÄúThe Darwin Dingoes’Äù. And something about heaven, mercy and souls probably applies about here. The Darwin Dingoes have never lost a game and we intend to maintain that record.
Our Mission Statement, which was work shopped at Everest base camp,  refers to ’ÄúTop Dogs’Äù**, ’ÄúDing Dong Dingo Dust-ups’Äù, Stakeholders (look out for our Vampire), SWAT analysis, kicking goals, meat pies and Holden cars.
You know the drill. Like we are pretty serious about all this and no stone has been left unturned in our efforts to like get there. Some of these guys have to be at the airport really really early in the morning just to get to Bali.

Borneo Bears

player profiles>>

It all started over a few beers at a Mining, Oil & Gas function at the Le Grandeur Hotel Balikpapan on the 9th January 2008.

Glen Wilson and Damien Barns were discussing the formation of an Australian Rules football team in Balikpapan with Dean Reardon and Gene Wiggins. Previously, Glen had discussions with a few other people around Balikpapan but nothing had eventuated. From that day on things grew over a few short meetings and numerous discussions to see how the general feeling was and in just about no time, every location in Balikpapan and surrounding areas where Australians frequented, the Aussie Team was hot on the agenda.

Support came from every where; Bali Geckos, Jakarta Bintang’Äôs, Thai Tigers and even the Dubai Dingo club were keen to assist our new team.

On February 6th 2008 a meeting was arranged to finalize a name and club colors, and that’Äôs when the BORNEO BEARS were born.

The formation of the Club has a number of purposes;

-Play and promote the sport of Australian Rules football throughout Kalimantan/Borneo.

-Introduce Australian Rules football to the local schools by providing coaching clinics and equipment to form a mini league.

-To support the club mascot, which is the Kalimantan Honey Bear or Beruang Madu At kilometer 23 there is a sanctuary for the Honey Bear, the Borneo Bears Australian Rules football Club are supporting this sanctuary by means of donations and on occasion’Äôs voluntary assistance.

So far the Borneo Bears are progressing very well with a submission to play in the Bali 9’Äôs Masters Competition on 7 June 2008, only 3 months after their first training run and are looking forward to a very bright future.