A record 70 South Australian veterans have completed the Port Adelaide Football Club's 2025 ADF Veterans Program – an innovative initiative that is transforming lives through the power of sport, connection and purpose.
This year's program was booked out within just three weeks – its fastest uptake ever – and ran across six weeks, bringing together current and former ADF members to explore identity, wellbeing and life beyond service.
Backed by a $240,000 South Australian Government commitment, the program is the only one of its kind in the country and has supported more than 270 veterans since its inception in 2021.
The ADF Veterans Program draws on the shared experiences of high-performance environments – military and elite sport – to help veterans rediscover their sense of purpose and belonging.
Participants engaged in weekly sessions covering topics ranging from identity and purpose to physical wellbeing, community connection and leadership.
They also heard from Port Adelaide legends including Travis Boak, Tom Logan, Brett Ebert, Alipate Carlile, Adam Thomson and Tom Jonas, who shared their own journeys of transition and identity.
One of the most powerful aspects of the program is its peer-led approach. RAAF veteran and inaugural program participant Ash Muir is now a co-facilitator, ensuring lived experience remains at the heart of the journey.
While this year's program has now concluded, its impact continues for participants through its growing alumni network, ongoing events and experiences.
Application for the 2026 program will open early next year.
As put by Joe Szakacs
For many participants, this program has been truly lifechanging. It provides veterans with a safe space to reflect, to rediscover their strengths and take confident steps in their life beyond service.
I extend my thanks to Port Adelaide Football Club for delivering another outstanding program and congratulate all of this year's veterans who took part in this remarkable journey.
The Malinauskas Government is proud to support this powerful initiative. We remain committed to championing programs that honour the service of our veterans and invest in their future success.
As put by Will Northeast, Team Leader, PAFC Community Programs
The program continues to provide a great support network through the power of sport for those who have or are thinking about transition.
By drawing on the similarities from our past players and high-performance coaches the veterans gain a good insight from those who have been in a similar workplace that is high-performing and highly structured and hear about how our players found identity and purpose post AFL.
Our aim is to use the Port Adelaide Football Club logo as a beacon of hope and hopefully by the end of the six-week program, through the club, the members find a new sense of belonging and a place they feel valued and welcomed.
As put by Jason Enchong, Australian Army veteran and 2025 ADF Veterans Program participant
Through my career I have had highs and lows, where I have questioned my value as a person and who I was outside of the uniform.
This program has provided me with tools and resources, but more importantly a network of people that I can lean on outside the workplace who have walked the walk separating from the military and are open to sharing lessons learnt.
Participating in the sessions has allowed me to build on a foundation of skills, experiences and a culture from within the ADF and prove to myself, my value as a person outside the uniform.
