Jakarta Casual

With Bayern Munchen already penciling in dates in Indonesia, China and India, Manchester City and Juventus interested in their own tropical tour football fans throughout the region will be crossing their fingers they will get the opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh this summer.

The last few years has seen Manchester United, Liverpool, even smaller fry like Fulham and Portsmouth running through the region, being filmed arriving at airports, being interviewed at plush hotels and kicking a ball around in the sultry heat. Most English teams have been in the area this century in fact. Except Arsenal.

Paul Shipwright is responsible for developing Arsenal Soccer Schools throughout the region. With local partners he oversees the setting up and curriculum at a chain of schools that aims to impart the Arsenal way at a grass roots level. All fine and hunky dory but I wondered whether Arsenal’s lower profile in the region could leave them trailing behind others who go for the sexy, high impact tours with accompanying media frenzy.

‘I think that fear is real because fans want to see their team play.’ Certainly the last few years has seen Arsenal go on low key pre season trips to the Austrian Alps. But that is not to say Arsenal are ignoring a large market.

‘We try to build our presence in a different way, in a grass roots way through our Soccer Schools and our tie ups with local clubs,’ Paul explains. ‘It may not have the impact of bringing the first team and never will but we are trying to reach our supporters on a different level.’

By setting up soccer schools and working with clubs in Vietnam and Thailand the Arsenal approach is to look long term. ‘Clubs may come to China one year for example,’ Paul went on, ‘the following year they may go to Dubai, Australia, the US. We, on the other hand, maybe low profile but we are here week in, week out working with kids, we send out young coaches as part of a gap year scheme and we believe we are touching the lives of young people in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, where they come training, wearing the Arsenal shirt, three, four times a week and they grow up with an affinity for the club.’

Arsenal now have a presence in some 18 countries outside of the UK and Paul believes strongly that the policy of building strong bonds through community work and coaching kids is a more positive way of building ties than irregular visits which just take money away from the domestic game.

I was interested in what he said about the community. The school in Jakarta is in an expensive area, the fees, by local standards, are high. What community does he see Arsenal working in?

‘In every single agreement we have we insist on a community programme.’ This involves coaches from the school visiting schools in the area and holding workshops for both players and coaches. In this way the school hopes to find young players in less well off areas and through scholarships give them the opportunity to fine tune their skills.

‘10% of all students in the school here are here on a scholarship basis. That means they are getting all the specialized coaching from our qualified coaches and it costs the kid and his family nothing.’

430 boys and girls are currently undergoing weekly, year round coaching at the Arsenal soccer school in Singapore. Some 300 in Jakarta with plans to open more schools around the country. A soccer school is never going to substitute the real thing of seeing your heroes in the flesh thousands of miles away. But by working closely with their partners in country and with their Supporters’ Clubs the club at least try to let as many fans as possible experience the Arsenal way.

This article appeared later in an Indonesian magazine and looks at a tour some of the kids made to London and the impact it had on them.

People like Max Belli who played with Parma and Inter Milan. Dale Mulholland who played in the US, Russia and Hong Kong before settling in Indonesia.

Any team that scores 16 goals in three games will attract attention and SSI were no exception with talent scouts from Championship side Reading taking notice. Indeed so impressed were they by Nur Ilham they asked him to stay behind for trials.

ut on the pitch they showed why they were there. Losing in the final hurt. They’d learnt so much said Regie, about teamwork, discipline, they feared no one. Next time, they said confidently, they’d beat them, no hesitation. Anyway, shortly after losing they were taken to see Real Madrid at the Emirates. Not a bad consolation though rumour has it, and unconfirmed, had they lost in the semi final they would have been taken to see Tottenham!