The Royal Australian Navy has secured a fourth win against the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in the annual Forces Football July 4 match in Darwin.

Taking on the USMC this year, the Royal Australian Navy Football Federation Australia (RAN FFA) men’s and women’s teams had the added pressure of representing not only their service but also Australia, chasing a win after the Socceroos loss to the United States in the FIFA World Cup.

That pressure drew elite performances, and the record-breaking crowd of more than 1000 patrons cheered loudly as the RAN FFA women’s team secured an 11-0 victory.

In the crowd were the Administrator of the Northern Territory David Connolly, senior officers of the RAN and USMC, and local members of Parliament.

The RAN FFA men’s team followed in their sister team’s lead with a 9-0 win against the visiting marines.

RAN Musician Able Seaman Nikayla Taskinen-Smith and USMC First Lieutenant Katheryn Conway sang their respective anthems.

Darwin-based Navy Gap Year sailor, Midshipman Zara Yee, played midfielder in the women’s match and praised the team dynamics.  

“It's fantastic to have such a great, high-quality team behind us who are passionate. The cohesion brought between both the men and the women is astounding and it makes for a better environment to play in,” Midshipman Yee said.

“We've got players and coaches from all over coming together; it's starting to feel like a perfect symphony.

“That's the beauty of football; everybody coming together to play a game and at the end of the day, while there's a bit of competitiveness against the marines, we’re all here to have a good time.”

'In the moment of the match, there’s definitely a lot of turmoil and conflict, but at the end of the day, events like this help us build our strong bonds and continue our relationship.'

Lance Corporal Manriquez Anthony, a USMC motor transport technician who played striker on his team, echoed Midshipman Yee’s sentiments.  

“In the moment of the match, there’s definitely a lot of turmoil and conflict, but at the end of the day, events like this help us build our strong bonds and continue our relationships,” he said.

USMC Commanding Officer of 5th Marine Regiment and Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 26, Colonel George Flynn, thanked the crowd and the teams who made the night happen on the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“These players are deployed marines who work alongside the Australian Defence Force to keep the world safe, and so there’s been no season and no practice for them,” he said.  

“I can’t be more proud of the effort they put in and how they are representing our Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

“It doesn’t matter what happens on the pitch, we’re friends and we’re partners.”

The MRF-D Marine Air-Ground Task Force is in Darwin on a six-month rotation and celebrating 15 years of rotation in Australia.