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What do “Star Wars,” kettle drums, Rocky Balboa and dancing cows have to do with football?

For 1,500 football-crazy children and parents on Saturday, it was all part of the pageantry of a gala ceremony to mark the end of another Jakarta Schools Football Association season.

In a packed theater at the British International School in Bintaro, hundreds of kids in their football boots and strips yelled, clapped and jumped up and down as dozens of teams lined up to receive medals and trophies.

The event was the finale of the JSFA’s 2010 season, which since January has seen 134 teams from 53 schools, orphanages and community groups battling it out in two competitions: the Coca-Cola Schools Football League and the Greenfields Challenge Cup.

Teams in both the league and Cup competitions were split into under-8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 age groups. The league wrapped up on April 24, while Saturday saw the Cup finals for each of the five age groups.

The gala prize ceremony saw the 14 winning and 14 runner-up teams from the league come on stage to receive prizes, as well as the five winning and five runner-up teams for the Cup. There were so many winners and proud parents that the JSFA had to hold two identical ceremonies, one in the afternoon for the under-8 and under-10 teams, and one in the evening for the under-12, under-14 and under-16 teams.

But in each ceremony, the atmosphere, like the day’s action on the field, was at a fever pitch. Opening with a thundering blast of England anthem “Football’s Coming Home,” the ceremony rattled through two drum shows, a troupe of high-kicking dancers kitted out as referees and ball girls, then the prize-giving with guest star Paul “PJ” Roberts, ESPN presenter and former captain of the Australian futsal team.

A special set of awards for sportsmanship rewarded schools for playing with spirit and friendliness, and when Roberts asked the crowd, “Is winning everything?” and the resounding yell came back “No!,” he grinned and said, “Jeez, you guys are educated here in Jakarta! You know the thing is to shake hands and play as friends!”

The spirit of competition was never far from the surface, though, and the British International School and Jakarta International School have developed a rivalry near the top of many of the divisions. The theater erupted when teams from either school took the stage to receive awards.

As a finale, retired AC Milan captain Franco Baresi raised the roof with a special guest appearance. He donated four signed Milan football shirts and photos to children in the crowd through a lucky draw.

A giveaway of 100 footballs kicked into the audience made sure that scores of other children went away with lasting memories of the day.

The JSFA season has grown so large so quickly that there have been suggestions that it should be replicated in other cities.

“It is undoubtedly the largest competition of its kind in the Asean region,” JSFA chairman Brian Dallamore said. “This was the fifth year, and it has grown beyond everyone’s expectations since its humble beginnings in 2005. It is growing naturally. As we become more successful, people want to join in. We may have to grow outside Jakarta.”

Dallamore said that more and more local schools were participating, with Al-Azhar Islamic School, Ar-Rahman Islamic School and Bani Saleh High School being the league’s newcomers.

International Sports Club of Indonesia (ISCI) Situ Boys was another newcomer that made its presence noticed. The team is made up of boys at three orphanages in Cinere and Pondok Cabe. “We want to help these kids have a better future. We only had three months to prepare, but managed to be runner-up in under-12 B,” coach Barnas said.

Another local boys team, Macan Banten, did even better by winning the U-12 B, while Kampung Jombang boys made it into the U-16 Cup final.