ADF and AFLW club Collingwood join forces in search for peak mental and physical fitness

Australia’s Defence Force and the AFLW’s Collingwood Club have joined forces to help give the team its winning edge.

Pies and ADF join forces – Collingwood and the Australian Defence Force are leading the way in a unique shared pathway between the two organisations. Pictured are James Debono and players. Picture: Supplied

A unique partnership has been forged between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and AFLW (Australian Football League Women’s Competition) to get the best from their people on two different battlefields.

The ADF and Collingwood football club have created the unique pairing specifically to help personnel from both forces reach their peak mental and physical fitness.

Army Sergeant and physical training instructor James Debono has been seconded to Collingwood’s AFLW side as well as its Super Netball squad this season as the team’s forward line coach.

The ADF’s Brigadier David Smith, the director general of the Integrated Soldier Systems program designed to buy kit and sustain ADF personnel, said it was all about capability building for both the sporting club and army.

“It’s about how elite sports go about strength and conditioning and how they manage and equip their personnel and those things which is what we are keenly interested in and of course they get the benefit from having our people there at the same time,” he said. “There is a mutual benefit there.”

Collingwood and the Australian Defence Force are leading the way in a unique shared pathway between the two organisations.

The Brigadier, who is also the Army chair of the ADF Australian Rules Association, said the defence force had a long association with elite sports clubs, with many personnel currently playing at a high level.

“(Sgt Debono’s) secondment to Collingwood and his coaching with their AFLW team as well as with their Super Netball teams, he’s feeding that knowledge back to the organisation … we are seeking to leverage that kind of understanding and looking to apply that to improve the performance of our personnel.”

ADF members James Debono, Aliesha Newman, umpire Maddie Lum, Kate Lutkins, Rheanne Lugg and Maria Moloney. Picture: Supplied

He said even an interview he saw with Melbourne player Daisy Pearce, in which she spoke about bespoke jumpers for women in the AFLW, fusing femininity and functionality, gave insight into what’s best for women in the ADF.

Sgt Debono, who led the club’s AFLW team in a military style pre-season boot camp and is now prepping for Collingwood’s appearance in the final, told the football club’s website it was about sharing experiences for both high-performance environments.

Jordan Membrey during Collingwood’s military-based Squad Day. Picture: Supplied

Ex-rifleman Joel Sardi was able to share his experience with quadriplegia and overcoming adversity with the group on the Squad Day. Picture: Supplied

“Defence experience and involvement has the capability to provide sporting organisations like Collingwood with a unique understanding of what an elite training environment looks like, particularly in the way information is presented while also helping people manage expectations,” he said.

There are currently 15 ADF personnel across the AFLW community from staff and umpires to players including Collingwood’s Aliesha Newman and Jordan Membrey, an active armoured cavalry reservist.

Daisy Pearce of the Demons in action during the 2021 AFLW practice match between the Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Demons at GMHBA Stadium. Picture: Getty

“I thought it (the ADF) would be a great opportunity to grow as a person, learn skills not accessible in civilian life, meet like-minded people and to be pushed outside your comfort zone,” Membrey said.

“The two work hand-in-hand as in the army, everyone has a role for the mission to be successful, similar to that needed in a football team where you need to play your role for the team’s success.”