In most countries—be it England, Australia, Japan, or Indonesia—a typical Sunday league team is a casual affair: a group of amateur footballers kicking a ball around for the love of the game, a bit of competition, and some laughs with friends. It’s a way to stay fit and unwind, far removed from the high-stakes world of professional football. But what happens when a Sunday league side decides to take things seriously—so seriously, in fact, that they suddenly find themselves in the second tier of their country’s football pyramid? That’s the improbable journey of Indonesia’s Dejan FC.
Founded in 2018 and based in Depok, a satellite city just south of Jakarta in West Java, Dejan FC began life as a Sunday league outfit formed by Careguard Jasa Indonesia—an outsourcing company providing security and cleaning services across the Greater Jakarta area.
Composed largely of amateur players and employees from Careguard, Dejan FC initially made their mark by competing in local amateur tournaments across Depok and West Java. The club’s unlikely journey took a serious turn when Samsunan—the club’s owner, a football enthusiast who named the team after his son—saw a promising business opportunity in professional football. Encouraged by peers and driven by his passion, Samsunan made the bold decision to enter Dejan into the official Indonesian football pyramid.
In the 2022/23 season, Dejan FC took over the playing license of Primacon Cimahi to compete in Liga 3 West Java, the lowest tier in the national football structure. Remarkably, in their debut campaign, the team defied expectations by reaching the final, ultimately falling just short with a narrow 1–0 loss to Persipasi Kota Bekasi.
Dejan FC were unable to replicate their impressive debut campaign in the following season, bowing out in the first round of the 2023/24 Liga 3 West Java. However, fate had a different plan. The cancellation of the 2022/23 national phase—due to the tragic Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster—meant that the highest-performing teams from the previous regional competitions were granted direct entry into the national phase of the 2023/24 Liga 3. As one of West Java’s top sides from the prior season, Dejan received a lifeline.
And it was during the national stage that Dejan began to truly prove their credentials. They dispatched PS Palembang, Persip Pekalongan, and Persikasi Kabupaten Bekasi, and held former Liga 2 side PSGC Ciamis to a draw—results that secured their place in the round of 16. There, a grudge match against Persipasi awaited. Dejan held their West Java rivals to a draw and then powered through with victories over Persipani Paniai and Tornado FC Pekanbaru, earning a spot in the quarter-finals—and with it, a golden opportunity to secure promotion to Liga 2 for the 2024/25 season.
Dejan didn’t let the chance slip. With commanding wins over Persekabpas Kabupaten Pasuruan and Persikas Subang, the former Sunday league side completed their fairytale rise, earning a place in Indonesia’s second tier.
With promotion to Liga 2 secured, Dejan FC now faced a daunting challenge—competing against far more established and better-resourced clubs within the Indonesian footballing pyramid. Many feared that the club’s rapid rise would follow a familiar, disheartening pattern: newly promoted sides being bought out, relocated, and rebranded before ever kicking a ball in the higher division. Clubs like Putra Sinar Giri and Mataram Utama had suffered similar fates, their identities erased in the name of commercial viability.
But Dejan’s story took a different turn. Club owner Samsunan remained steadfast in his vision, doubling down on his commitment to keep the team intact. For him, Dejan wasn’t just a project—it was a matter of pride. After all, they were the first team from Depok to reach Indonesia’s top two tiers since 2017, and Samsunan was determined to ensure they stayed true to their roots.
Unlike most Sunday league teams in Indonesia, Dejan FC entered the professional scene with something rare at their level: a dedicated supporters group. Known as the Careguard Boys 12, the group takes its name from the company that both founded and continues to sponsor Dejan, and has become the heartbeat of the club’s growing identity. More than just a fanbase, they represent the rekindled footballing spirit of Depok—a city whose passion for the beautiful game had long been extinguished.
That passion had suffered blow after blow, most notably in 2017 when Persikad Depok, the city’s former top club, was bought out and effectively erased following their relegation from Liga 2. Since then, a string of other Depok-based outfits—Depok City FC, Depok Raya FC, Depok United, and Persikad 1999—have languished in Liga 3, with little hope of a resurgence. For many, Dejan’s rise symbolizes a long-awaited revival.
Even though Dejan are forced to play their home matches outside of Depok—relocating to South Tangerang due to Merpati Stadium’s inability to meet Liga 2 standards—the passion from their supporters has not waned. The Careguard Boys 12 continue to show up in force, routinely making the trip to the modest Kera Sakti Field in Serpong. While the crowds number in the hundreds rather than thousands, their unwavering support speaks volumes, keeping the spirit of Depok football very much alive.
With the league’s smallest budget and with players from their amateur days still retained, it seems that Dejan were destined to be whipping boys of the league. But to their credit, they did manage to land in several players with professional experience – the likes of Ganjar Mukti, Anas Fitrianto, Anan Lestaluhu, Valentino Telaubun, Donald Bissa, and Silvio Escobar. Their foreign contingent also did not inspire that much hope, consisting of Salifii Diarra, a Mali-born player who rose through the ranks of Indonesian Sunday league, Boman Aime, an aging Ivorian defender once on the books of PSM Makassar and Perseru Serui, and Thiago Fernandes, a Timorese striker who played for Deltras FC in the 2023/24 Liga 2 campaign.
Midway through the season, Dejan parted ways with their initial foreign trio, opting for a bold shift in recruitment strategy. In came reinforcements from Central Asia: Kyrgyz defender Danila Sokirchenko, Russian striker Artyom Serdyuk—formerly of Tajikistan’s FK Khujand—and Komron Tursunov, a Tajik international who came in from I-League side Gokulam Kerala.
Yes, Dejan ended their 2024/25 season with relegation, a fate that few could say was unexpected. However, what caught many by surprise was the fact that they went down fighting every step of the way.
Kera Sakti Field, with its compact dimensions and unforgiving artificial surface, quickly earned a reputation as one of Liga 2’s toughest away days. Opponents struggled to adapt to the tight, bouncy pitch—turning Dejan’s modest home ground into a fortress. Former Liga 1 giants like Sriwijaya FC—once a dominant force in the mid-2010s—and Persikabo 1973, recently relegated from the top flight, both fell to surprise defeats in Serpong. Even storied clubs like PSMS Medan and Persiraja Banda Aceh could only manage a point, underlining just how formidable Dejan had become on their home turf.
However, back-to-back defeats—both home and away—against Bekasi City and Adhyaksa FC in the relegation round ultimately sealed Dejan’s fate. The men in orange, after a valiant but brief stint in the second tier, saw their fairytale cut short as they were relegated to Liga Nusantara for the 2025/26 campaign.
In the end, Dejan FC’s brief but remarkable journey through the Indonesian football pyramid stands as a testament to the resilience of underdogs and the unpredictable nature of the sport. While their stint in Liga 2 was short-lived, their rise from a Sunday league side to a second-tier club captured the hearts of many and ignited a spark of hope for football in Depok. Relegation may have marked the end of one chapter, but Dejan’s story is far from over. Their relentless spirit, the unwavering support of the Careguard Boys 12, and the lessons learned in Liga 2 will undoubtedly shape the next stage of their journey. For a club built on passion, ambition, and the pursuit of something bigger, this is just the beginning.