ADF kicks goals at Corporate Games

The ADF open men’s open side goes head-to-head with the Optus All-Stars during the NSW Corporate Games. Photo by Bill Cunneen

By PTE John Wellfare

ADF soccer teams blitzed the competition at the NSW Corporate Games recently, winning both the women’s and the men’s over 30s divisions, and reaching the quarter finals of the open men’s division.

Defence entered five teams in all three divisions of the competition, with three competing in the women’s division and one in both the open men’s and the men’s over 30s.

The ADF teams are held in high regard at the Corporate Games, after Defence secured all three trophies last year.
Open men’s skipper Captain Brendan Smith said a shortage of players this year contributed to their quarter final defeat at the hands of Audi Australia at Marconi Oval, Sydney.

“We were probably fairly unlucky, some teams have as many as 15 players and we were playing with only 10,” he said.

CAPT Smith praised the team on their performance under the tough conditions, with the players having never trained together prior to the competition.

“The first game was the first time the team as a whole had played together,” he said.

“All of the players are skillful enough to know what to do, so you’re not having to teach anyone how to play the game.”

He attributed much of the team’s ability to overcome the player shortage and lack of preparation to the players’ ability to work as a unit.

“The players were able to focus on playing for each other and not as individuals,” he said.

Warrant Officer 2 Nigel Lister, the ADF female soccer coach and player in the men’s Over 30s team, said physical fitness and teamwork were strong contributors to the success of the ADF in the competition.

“One of our biggest assets is our fitness,” he said.

Defence teams dominated the women’s competition, with two of the three ADF women’s squads entered contesting the final.

“We had some very good hard physical games, the girls were very strong compared to the other teams,” WO2 Lister said.

WO2 Lister also praised the work of the men’s over 30s team, which remains undefeated over six years of competing in the Corporate Games.

Many of the ADF players who took part in this year’s Corporate Games will be at the trials for the Arafura Games in May.

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