9 September 2025
Army has dominated the women’s and masters’ divisions, while Navy has taken the top spot in the men’s competition at the inaugural NSW/ACT Football Cup, held at Randwick Barracks.
Army’s masters' team played two matches against Air Force – as Navy did not field a team – during the August 26 tournament.
The Army team was down 2-1 at halftime but managed to come back for a 2-2 draw.
Army was on top for most of the second match but had a player sent off in the second half, forcing them to dig deep and hold out.
With the two teams tied on points, the championship was decided by a penalty shootout.
Army landed all four shots, but Air Force could only manage three.
Army masters' captain and coach, Officer Cadet Christian Layland, said the final moment was a mass celebration.
“We all just sprinted to the goalkeeper, he was the hero,” he said.
In the women’s comp, Army and Navy drew 2-2 in both games, but Army won thanks to a victory over Air Force.
'We faced a lot of pressure against two good teams and we learnt a lot from the experience.'
The most valuable player (MVP) for Navy’s women’s team, Able Seaman Stefani Arteaga-Fuentes, said their game against Air Force was more defensive because they were tired and faced numerous attacks on goal.
“We faced a lot of pressure against two good teams and we learnt a lot from the experience. It showed us what we need to work on as a team to bring home some wins next time,” she said.
In the men’s comp, Army defeated Air Force 2-0, Navy defeated Air Force 3-2, and then Navy took the cup, winning 3-2 against Army.
Air Force men’s MVP, Aircraftman Paolo Laxamana, said there was more rivalry in the game against Navy.
“We were down 3-0 in the first half, and then we turned around and set up a new format for the second half,” he said.
“We were able to almost bring it back to a drawn game.”
Next year, Air Force will host the competition, with the location set to rotate annually among the single-service associations.
