NORFORCE Shines at Indigenous Footy Fest
North-West Mobile Force (NORFORCE) soldiers haven’t been seen on the footy oval for more than two decades, but that all changed recently when they took the field for one of the Top End’s biggest Indigenous cultural and sporting festivals.
After a 21-year hiatus, the NORFORCE Aussie rules team was reformed to compete at the Barunga Festival, near Katherine.
NORFORCE Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Cooper, said the goal was to promote esprit de corps and a healthier, fitter and stronger unit.
“There is a culture of readiness and high performance that is building within the regiment and I wanted to use our soldiers’ love of the national game to reinforce that and deepen our connection to communities,” Lieutenant Colonel Cooper said.
It all kicked off with a training camp in Darwin, which included the chance to train at the Michael Long Learning & Leadership Centre (MLLLC) and the AFL’s Darwin home at TIO Stadium.
The camp culminated in a visit to Darwin’s Government House, where the team members were presented with their jerseys by Administrator of the Northern Territory Hugh Heggie, the unit’s Honorary Colonel.
At the Barunga Festival, the team quickly found its rhythm against experienced opposition.
“Our guys played great footy considering they only came together at the start of the week and all these teams play every weekend together in the Big Rivers Footy League all around Katherine,” Lieutenant Colonel Cooper said.
“We lost our first two games by a total of seven points and in the third we were beaten by the eventual champions, the Ngukurr Bulldogs, so we will take that as a positive.
“We’re 100 per cent committed to playing in the Barunga Festival as an annual activity and maintaining the high-performance camp in partnership with the AFL Northern Territory and the MLLLC.”
https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2025-07-11/norforce-kicks-goals-indigenous-footy-fest