The ADF Women's touch football team, the Warriors, took part in a week of competition at the 2026 New Zealand Defence Force Inter-Services tournament.
Teams from the New Zealand Army, Navy, Air Force and Police also competed in the tournament held at Trentham Military Camp in Wellington.
The Warriors welcomed players with a mix of skill levels and experience, training together to compete at a representative standard. Some had only been playing the sport for a short time, while others had been playing for years.
Trooper Summer Donnelly, an Australian Army aviation groundcrew member posted to Townsville, has been playing touch since childhood.
"My career in touch football started when I was playing under 10s in Townsville, then I just continued on," Trooper Donnelly said.
Trooper Donnelly runs alongside Officer Cadet Madeline Mathews, an Army cadet currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian Defence Force Academy. The two soldiers met in their under-12s team in Townsville, playing for their age groups' representative team in North Queensland.
"It's just crazy because we've now played while we were young, gone our separate ways, and found each other again within the Defence Force and playing the same sport for the same team," Officer Cadet Mathews said.
For the two teammates, the Warrior legacy runs in the family.
"My father played ADF Warriors himself, so growing up I used to go to the touch training sessions and be there while he was playing," Trooper Donnelly said.
"It was definitely a goal of mine to join the ADF, knowing that I would have the opportunity to play."
'It's just crazy because we've now played while we were young, gone our separate ways, and found each other again within the Defence Force and playing the same sport for the same team.'
Besides training and playing competitive touch, the team has also benefited from international travel in other ways.
"Since being in New Zealand, we've gotten to really travel and experience the country," Officer Cadet Mathews said.
"It's been a really great experience to meet them all [the New Zealand players]. We will have a New Zealand versus Australia game at the end as well, which we are really excited for."
Trooper Donnelly added: "We've been training every day here, but then we've been able to get out and explore beautiful Wellington, go on hikes and see the town."
The teammates have also experienced other benefits by taking part in service sport early in their careers.
"Being able to play ADF Touch helps you meet new people and advance skills like communication and social skills as well," Trooper Donnelly said.
Officer Cadet Mathews agreed.
"As Summer said, getting away from work to meet a bunch of new people and network across different ranks and trades is really valuable, and makes for an environment which is really nice to be a part of," Officer Cadet Mathews said.
"Joining Defence isn't always about doing the hard things, it's also about having fun.
"I've been privileged to represent [ADF Sports] in the United Kingdom and now New Zealand. The opportunities that Defence provides are unmatched."
