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ABOUT US

OUR COMMITTEE

MAJGEN Andrew Hocking, CSC

President

MAJGEN Andrew Hocking spent his early years playing football in Victoria. He is the first Army AFL President that also played at the national level. His playing position was generally on the ball but that drifted towards the backline in his later years. MAJGEN Hocking is a strong advocate for Army AFL and believes that unit, regional and national level sport are key tools for building the values, qualities and teams that generate Army’s combat capability. He has been President of the Army AFL Committee since Nov 2020.


BRIG Ash 

Collingburn, DSM

Vice President

Brigadier Ash Collingburn was born and bred in country SA and has always been a passionate and loyal Essendon supporter. Throughout his playing career, he spent most of his time in the midfield and still pulls the boots on occasionally to represent the 'Old Boys'.

As Commander 1st Brigade, he is particularly focused on maximising human performance through developing the Mind, Body and Team, and he considers the Army Football Club to represent the pinnacle of high performance sport in the ADF. 

BRIG Damian Hill

Executive Officer

Brigadier Damian Hill grew up in Devonport and Melbourne He has been involved with Army AFL since 2002 and fulfilled many different roles over his time. He is has been a player at unit level, he has also been heavily involved in ADF umpiring as well as Umpiring director in Townsville and Canberra. He is a one eyed Hawthorn Hawks supporter, he has been known to sit on the cold grass in the snow to watch his beloved Hawks play.

COL Nick Wilson 

Sponsorship 

Colonel Nick Wilson was born and raised in Swansea and Hobart, Tasmania. Appointed as the sponsorship officer in 2020, Colonel Wilson is a strong advocate of Army AFL, and is particularly focussed on promoting the game into the broader Army family through active community engagement. He is a passionate Kangaroos supporter

LTCOL Shamus Armstrong

Operations Officer

Lieutenant Colonel Shamus Armstrong grew up playing football in metropolitan Adelaide and is a keen Adelaide Crows fan. He continued his passion for football in the Army by playing in civilian and military teams throughout his career at every opportunity. He played his best football on a half back flank, but would often find himself in the midfield. Although not officially retired, Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong is no longer playing so the Operations Officer role was a great way to remain involved in the game.

MAJ Jessica McKinnon

Treasurer

Major Jess McKinnon was a late convert to AFL, developing a passion for the game when asked to fill in for the ADFA Ewes at age 18. After surviving her very first game at ruck MAJ McKinnon became a self-confessed back line bandit and eventually became a staple of the Army and the ADF’s back line, particularly in the Fullback position. MAJ McKinnon is very much outclassed these days with the sheer amount of talent for the Army squad however still plays community footy ( and has somehow found her way back to playing Ruck). She is now focused on providing soldiers the same opportunities that were made available to her. She is a passionate GWS supporter and will happily talk about the 2016 Prelim Final with the Bulldogs however becomes rather quiet when the 2019 Grand Final is mentioned…

ABOUT US

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF ARMY AUSSIE RULES

Since the first recorded game of Australian Rules Football in 1858, the Australian Army and the Australian game have been intrinsically linked. Victorian Football League (VFL) players served in the Boer War and both World Wars, with 2 VFL players killed in the Boer war, 89 killed in WW1 and 49 in WWII. One VFL umpire was killed in WWI, whilst another VFL umpire served in the Boer War and both World Wars. 

The game has been played around the globe by servicemen in all major conflicts as a means of recreation and friendly rivalry. It’s a great game, and the Australian Army is a great national institution, the two are a natural fit together.


The Army values of Courage, Initiative, Respect and Teamwork are readily applied when playing Aussie Rules, and are demanded on the battle and playing field. The Army has a great tradition of playing and winning the Australian game, including a magnificent streak of eighteen consecutive national championships.

This web-site is designed to provide players and officials, both past and present, as well as those passionate about their Army and Aussie Rules information regarding the Australian Army National Teams. I commend this site to all who take pride in their game and Army.

Lieutenant General (retired) Brian Ashley (Ash) Power, AO, CSC 


AAFA STRATEGY

Army asks a lot of its soldiers, and over a career, sacrifice becomes second nature. For the Australian Rules footballers amongst us, postings and field commitments commonly results in never finding a ‘home’ senior football club, never playing 100 or even 50 games for a single club, and probably never playing at the level we might once have aspired to.

Army AFL offers a balance to this sacrifice. It provides an enduring sense of belonging to a football club, provides exciting year-round football-based opportunities, focuses training and enables elite competition. Army AFL builds teamwork, encourages pursuit of excellence and returns soldiers to units better for the experience. Soldiers stay in Army longer because of Army AFL.



VISION

Army AFL links male and female soldiers with elite football opportunities and is a genuine element of Army’s Indigenous & International Engagement Strategies. Through the success of the National Army AFL program and the concerted conduct of the sport at all levels, Australian Rules Football becomes regarded as the most professional, most successful & most prominent sport in Army.



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