The ADF’s best touch football players are taking the field against Australia’s finest this weekend during a three-day carnival at Coffs Harbour.
Two Defence touch football teams including 38 players and support staff are taking part in the “Championships”, previously known as the National Touch League.
The tournament has brought more than a thousand of the nation’s best touch football players together including the Defence Warriors Mixed Masters team, who are out to defend their title from 2023 and a women’s 27 side.
ADF Touch Association president, Wing Commander Sheena Stapleton, said morale was high leading into the intense competition on the New South Wales north coast.
“We’ve built into the competition this year coming off the back of a solid Defence Nationals in late 2023, the Yass Knockout competition this year, the Bundy Cup in February and other training activities leading up to this weekend,” she said.
“Morale is high and there is a good vibe going into this year’s Championships which will be a significant change to the way the competition has been run in previous years with more teams and compressed game timings.
“Along with our two Warriors teams, the ADFTA will also support Private Drew Price to represent his regional team with the aim of improving representation at State and Australian representative events.”
The Warriors Teams are made up of predominantly Navy, Army and Air Force personnel drawn from their posting locations across New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory, South Queensland, North Queensland, and a combination of Northern Territory, South Australian and Victoria.
Tour Manager, Major Pieter Brauns, said a lead up camp to the tournament focused on building resilience and skills ahead of the new compressed game format that increases the number of games per day.
“The camp [was] all about making sure we can hit the field and find our groove as quickly as we can with the reduction of game timings to two 15-minute halves and a two-minute half time,” Major Brauns said.
“We are paying close attention to our training and to ensure we are trained but not fatigued and in the right mindset.
“Defence sport is about encouraging participation, resilience and team building and this training camp has already brought people from all over Defence together to make contacts and build comraderie.”
