Universal game brings WA closer to East Java

Western Australia will play a key role in one of the biggest Australian sports events to be held in Indonesia this week.
 
Players from the State’s Football West competition and the Perth Glory Football Club arrived in the Indonesian Province of East Java to take part in a series of soccer games and activities from 25 June until 4 July.
 
The inaugural WA - East Java Football Friendship Cup stems from WA’s 18-year-old Sister-State relationship with East Java. It has been administered by the State Government’s WA Trade and Investment Office in Indonesia, which appointed a football taskforce in March 2007.

Regional Director of the Office in Indonesia Martin Newbery said the sporting event focuses on identifying opportunities for building mutual and long-standing friendships between East Java and WA.
 
“Sport is close to the hearts of many people in WA and East Java and is an invaluable way to bring our regions closer together,” he said.
 
“The Friendship Cup hopes to bring people together to develop friendships and contacts on a personal level.
 
“The goodwill generated from this sporting event also opens the door for fostering business opportunities between our two regions, and helps to promote WA’s overall relationship with East Java in a definable way.”
 
The first soccer match will kicked off on Wednesday (25 June), when Football West faced the East Java All-Province Under 23s team.
 
A highlight of the evening’s opening ceremony and soccer match was 2006 runner-up of Australian Idol, Jessica Mauboy, performing Advance Australia Fair and East Java’s own singer-actress, Ervyl Revylda, performing Indonesia Raya.
 
Following the Friendship Cup, Perth Glory with play two other Indonesian super league teams.
 
A WA sports seminar will also take place, bringing together more than 100 soccer representatives to hear about strategic sports planning on a local government level.
 
Agencies to support the sporting festivities include WA’s Department of Industry and Resources, the Department of Sport and Recreation, Football West and Perth Glory.