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Saturday’s season opener for the Jakarta Bintangs marks much more than the start of a new round of fixtures.

Before the Bintangs face the Singapore Wombats at Buperta Park in Cibubur, East Jakarta, they will host three matches in the new Jakarta Football League, a youth competition taking flight after years of planning.

The youth matches at Ceylon Cricket Ground begin at noon, with the senior clash between the Bintangs and Wombats kicking off at 3:30 p.m.

“The club has put a lot of time and effort into [the junior league], and it’s exciting to see it get off the ground,” Bintangs coach Matt Jolly said. “It’s also great to see the excitement on the kids’ faces and see their skills develop.”

“Five of the senior juniors played with us last week in a scratch match, and they could get on the field in the second half on Saturday. We want to start blooding them in the first team and show them what real football is about,” he added.

Cileungsi and Pasar Minggu will meet in the first match, followed by Klender against Bogor and Setia Budi vs. Depok. Each match between teams from Greater Jakarta are split into two 15-minute halves.

The league came about after years of groundwork, headed by Bintangs development coordinator Dan Delaney and his predecessor, Chris Bandy. It serves as part of the club’s continuing efforts to give back to the city and spread the game of Australian rules football.

“There have been high teens, low 20s in the senior team and about 60 juniors” in training, Jolly said. “The juniors have been coming along well, and we’ve invited some of the best juniors to train with the senior team. It’s great to see how their skills have developed.”

Training began in mid-January with sessions every Thursday, said Jolly, who added he was pleased with the numbers and the football he saw on the training ground. The Bintangs have not played competitively since hosting the Vietnam Swans in a Kainey Cup match in October.

Singapore represents a stiff test for a season opener, Jolly said.

“Singapore is kind of an arch-rival, a lot like Bali,” he said. “They’ve been grand finalists at the Asian Championship the last two years, so they come from good stock.”

The Wombats lost in both Grand Final appearances at Asia’s premier Australian Rules tournament, falling to Dubai each time.

Today’s match begins what should be a busy year for the Bintangs. Their travels are scheduled to include a match in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, for ANZ Day, the Masters in Bali and tours abroad to the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Shanghai will host the 2010 Asian Championship in October.

It also marks for longtime Bintang Jason Moynihan. Jolly described him as “a very integral part of the club who has done a lot of work behind the scenes” and said his departure would be a “massive blow to the club.”