Sriwijaya Football Club or commonly known as Sriwijaya[sriwiˈdʒaja] or SFC, is a professional football club based in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, which currently competes in the second tier of Indonesian football, the Liga 2. The club was founded on 23 October 2004 after the South Sumatra government bought Persijatim Solo FC which was based in Surakarta. Their current home stadium is Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Jakabaring in southern section of Palembang. The club is widely known by their nickname, which is Laskar Wong Kito (Our Warriors). Sriwijaya is the first club in Indonesia which achieves double titles achievement in the same season.[citation needed]
History
The club was founded in 1976 as Persijatim Jakarta Timur with home base in East Jakarta.[2] Due to a financial crisis, the club was sold and moved to Solo, Central Java in 2002, changed their club name to Persijatim Solo FC. In 2004, South Sumatra Government bought the debt-ridden Persijatim as they want to manage a Palembang-based football team to compete in the top tier of Indonesian football system since the province did not have any football clubs competing in the top tier of Indonesian football league, after the dissolution of Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian in 1992. The government also did not want the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium went wasted after the 2004 National Games. The club then changed its name to Sriwijaya FC and moved its home base to Palembang, South Sumatra.[3][4] The name Sriwijaya is thought to come from the ancient Srivijaya Empire, an empire that used to rule the land in the old days. The club is owned by PT Sriwijaya Optimis Mandiri.[5]
The first circle of the team crest symbolizes the club's strength, unity and peace. The words Sumatera Selatan shows that it is owned by South Sumatra government. Bersatu Teguh is a representation of the supporters' and the club's wholeness. The Garuda image shows power and thoroughness. Behind the main logo, Mount Dempo and Ampera Bridge can be seen, both seen as South Sumatra's pride and determination.[10]