By Karen Bao
You may never have heard of it but the hotly contested Gila Liga kicks off on Saturday, October 4th with three Murdoch student associations competing for the title this semester.
The Singapore Link – Mur. Lions (TSL), Murdoch Malaysian Association (MMA) and Murdoch Thai Association are competing to win the sports league championship title organized by MMA at Murdoch University Outdoor Gym.
Gila Liga has a diverse meaning as gila means sports in Thai and means crazy in Malay while liga means league in Malay.
The presidents of the Murdoch Malaysian Association, The Singapore Link and Murdoch Thai Association posing with the Gila Liga event poster.
The sports league has dozens of fans, none keener than Kannika Afonso, the president of Murdoch Thai Association and Farah Jaffar, the president of TSL.
“We want our members to learn more about new cultures and make new friends”, said Fara Nabiha Ruslizan, the President of Murdoch Malaysian Association.
Miss Ruslizan says the event is a great opportunity for all Malaysians, Singaporeans and Thais to come together and develop a great relationship between nations.
“Last semester we had captain ball and Futsal. This time, we are having mixed netball and mixed Futsal instead as everyone is familiar with the rules,” said Miss Ruslizan.
“We are expecting 70 to 100 people joining this semester as we have three associations competing for the trophy,” she said.
“It is getting bigger and better every semester.”
Although it is just a friendly match between three nations, everyone is very competitive.
“We need to reclaim the Gila Liga trophy back to its rightful place,” said a Singaporean team member who preferred not to be named.
Gila Liga is evenly funded by the three associations and proudly sponsored by Red Bull and Murdoch Sound Club.
The winning association will be getting a trophy, hampers and champions title.
Registrations will close by October 3rd.
For more information do visit Gila Liga Facebook event page.