Peter Muir: President /Coach, Bali Geckos Australian Rules Football Club

Hailing from Inverloch, a small coastal town in Victoria , Australian Peter Muir’s professional background is in physical education. Initially attracted by the surf, Peter came to Bali first in 1997 and like many others didn’t want to go back home. Now a teacher at Bali International School , where alongside teaching he is busy recruiting future players for his beloved Bali Geckos, Peter resides in Sanur with his wife Yani and newly born son Ryan. He still makes time to catch a few waves and also enjoys playing with the Bali Touch football team.

Where did you get the idea of starting up an Australian Rules football club on Bali ?

I wasn’t actually involved in starting the club, but the Geckos were formed in 1997 when a challenge was thrown out by a player from the Jakarta Bintangs team who was visiting Bali at the time. After a quick search around the island for anyone who knew anything about the game, the Geckos were formed. After that, we never looked back!

Did you have any difficulties in the beginning? What obstacles did you face?

It was always difficult getting enough players in the earlier years. Adequate facilities have also always been a problem for both training and games. Luckily enough, though, we now train at the Canggu Club, which means that we don’t have to contest with cows, soccer balls and dust while we train.

What are the differences between Australian Rules and American or English football?

The differences between these codes are huge. There is no other game like Australian Rules. What you have to appreciate about the game is that it requires so many different aspects of fitness – strength, speed, stamina, agility are all required, as well as hand and foot skills. Some professional players run up to 20 km in a game, and a lot of this is at maximal effort!

Where can one learn about the game, what to look for and appreciate about the play?

The best way to learn the game is too watch it. The Australia Network channel broadcasts games on a regular basis. A lot of information about the game can also be found on the internet.

Are there any differences between the version of Australian Rules football you play on Bali and Australian Rules matches played in Australia ?

Yes, in Bali we play on a soccer field while normal Australian Rules ovals are more than twice this size. We also only play with 9 players a side, rather than the normal 18. Apart from that, we use the same rules.

Do you have a lot of fans on Bali ?
We have a good following in Bali and also in Australia . Ex-AFL star Jason McCartney has represented the Geckos and is an honorary life member of our club. Australian Prime Minister John Howard has also been present at one of our Bali 9s events. We presented him with a jumper but didn’t let him play.

May fans watch practice games?

All of our games are free. We have just finished our 2006 season. Apart from training and practice games, our next major event in Bali will be on March 17th next year at the Bali 9s Masters Australian Football Championships, which also will be free for spectators. Teams from Singapore , Jakarta, Malaysia and Australia will be playing.

Do you have any Balinese/Indonesian players?

We have had a few locals train with us, but I think they feel a bit intimidated by the physical contact of the game. They do however love to watch us play. They find the game and the ball we use fascinating. Development of the game locally over the next few years is certainly a major goal for the Geckos.

Do the Geckos also compete outside Bali?

We travel to Jakarta annually and over the past two years have also played in Kuala Lumpur and Manila . On Anzac Day next year we will be playing in Thailand.

Have the Bali Geckos won any awards, trophies, money?

We won the Bali 9s Masters last year and were runners-up this year. We were also runners up in the Asian Championships last year, where nine Asian teams competed in Manila . We again came runners up at the 2006 Asian Championships held in Jakarta only a few weeks ago. We are the current holders of the Bali-Java Cup. A number of Geckos players have also joined with the Jakarta team in past Asian Championships and were instrumental in the team winning on two occasions.

Do you have a mascot?

Yes, naturally a Gecko!

Do the games go to benefit anyone other than the players and spectators? Do you participate in fund raising events of any kind or contribute to charities?

The club has been a long-time supporter of Yayasan Sri Kandhi, a local foundation initially established to assist widows from the 2002 Bali bombings. Earlier this year we donated Rp14,000,000 to them, which adds to the thousands of dollars we have contributed over the past few years. A percentage of all of our fundraising is donated to charity, and we are currently looking at other community organizations to support. We are also planning to conduct free junior Aussie rules clinics.

When was your last game?

We won runners up in the Asian Championships, held in Jakarta in late August, earning us the title of the second best Aussie Rules team in Asia for the second year in a row. Singapore again defeated us in the final, and considering they have about 8,000 expat Australians to choose from to create a team, I don’t think we did too bad.

Where can we learn more about the Bali Geckos?

Simply visit www.baligeckos.com. Information about our Bali 9s events can be found on www.balinines.com. Fans may also send queries to our email: president@baligeckos.com

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Copyright@2006 Al Hickey

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