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The sky is dark and the city’s temperature is getting cooler. A group of people gathers on a tennis court at the Pavilion Apartment, Sudirman, on Tuesday night. All wear comfortable pants and sneakers.

Although they are on a tennis court, the group is here to play something different. At the center and around basketball hoops at each end of the court, there are additional lines drawn in white chalk.

The group calls itself the Kangarudas and the game is netball, which is similar to basketball, with a few exceptions. Players can’t bounce the ball. Instead, they have to pass the ball between teammates. Also, no physical contact is allowed.

A member of the group pulls a pile of black and red vests from a huge plastic bag. Written on the back of these vests are initials indicating the playing position of the person wearing it. There are goal shoot and goal attack, the only players who could score a goal, center, wing attack, wing defense, goal defense and goal keep.

The players decide on which position they want to play and warm up by running around the court and practicing their ball passing skills.

“It’s more like a strategy game,” said Milan Radman, coordinator of the Kangarudas. “ [There are] seven players in a team, but we can play with less than 14 people, as some of us are usually too busy to make it to the practice.”

The center starts the game by passing the ball, usually to the wing or goal attack. The aim is to avoid the defense of the opposite team and get the ball into the goal circle so the goal attack or goal shoot can attempt to score. Every player has about three seconds in which to pass the ball.

Every position also has a limited area in which they can move. Centers can go anywhere except the goal circle and it is their responsibility to link the defense and attack positions on the team. Only the goal shoot and goal attack are allowed in the circle or to score. The goal keep and goal defense are allowed within three feet of the shooter, but any physical contact will be ruled an obstruction and the offender made to stand still beside the shooter.

The Kangarudas need at least 10 members during each session to play as they can do away with the wing positions and play on a half-court.

“It’s friendly, it’s fun and easy to learn, and it’s a good way of running around,” Milan said.

At the end of the game, every player contributes Rp 5,000 or Rp 20,000 (50 cents or $2) to the team’s kitty, depending on the member’s salary level. The money is used to pay for the court and for occasional barbecues.

Australian Tara Adams formed the Kangarudas team in 2002 when she started playing with friends.

Milan, who joined a few months later, said there are no permanent members. The team is composed of whoever happens to be around. He took over the responsibility of coordinating practices after Tara left Jakarta. Often, there are new players at each practice and everyone is welcome to bring friends.

“If you are a newbie, it’s not that hard to adjust because on the court, there is always someone else to tell you where to throw,” Milan said.

Each Tuesday morning, Milan sends text messages to people reminding them about the evening practice. He sends another message later in the day to confirm whether the game is on.

Anyone who is interested in joining netball can email him at milan.radman@mac.com to be included on the list.

“New people come along all the time, no one is going to complain if you can’t pass the ball accurately, so join us,” he said.

Kangarudas
Practice held on Tuesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Pavilion Apartment, Jl. Mas Mansyur, Kav. 24
Central Jakarta
For more information, e-mail milan.radman@mac.com