A team of Royal Air Force personnel have competed in a recent NATO football event at the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham, designed to promote better cooperation between nations before embarking on operations or exercises.
The Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), acting as the NATO Air Headquarters in Europe, take part in the AIRCOM Inter-Nation Sport Programme (INSP) every couple of years. AIRCOM INSP is a NATO Defence Engagement opportunity, where five nations come together to play sports with the aim of improving working relationships and understanding before working together on deployments. The RAF is fully committed to its role within NATO, to ensure the strength and unity of the alliance and to deter and defend against threats to NATO security. Events like this strengthen that commitment and our collaboration.
The UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and USA take part, each taking turns to host an event over a two-year cycle. There are six disciplines; tennis, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, athletics and football.
The purpose of the games is to improve and develop working relationships with NATO partners, but in reality, it does that and so much more. There are a lot of parallels with deployment and sport, so by competing alongside our allies, cultural differences are broken down, and we learn more about how each other operates, making us all more effective working together on deployments.
“The NATO AIRCOM Sports Programme provides an excellent opportunity for us to operate with and get to know better some of our friends and Allies. The recent AIRCOM Football Tournament, held with thanks to the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham, was just such an example of how we do Mission Rehearsal through sport.
“We operated in austere conditions, coped with some relatively extreme weather, and played in direct competition with each other, all culminating in stronger bonds being forged at the Awards Dinner at the end. I think the value-added of this type of activity should not be under-estimated and my thanks go to my team, the RAFFA, and Nations involved for bringing it all together.”
Air Commodore Rich Fogden
Head of RAF Sport
Approximately 20 personnel attend from each nation, including players, officials, physios and coaches. The RAF Team was made up of players from the RAF Football Association, as were the officials.
“The tournament was a fantastic experience for the players and staff. As well as competing on the football pitch, it gave us the opportunity to build relationships with personnel from other Air Forces and share experiences away from our day-to-day roles. The 7 a side format was something different for many of our players and provided a unique challenge that they embraced throughout the competition. The group represented the RAF exceptionally well and should be proud of their efforts.”
Sergeant Chris
RAF Men's SRT Football Manager
While England still has a chance to bring it home in the World Cup, the RAF’s quest for silverware came up short this year with Poland securing the title for 2026.
- 1st – Poland
- 2nd – Netherlands
- 3rd – Belgium
- 4th – USA
- 5th – UK
The next AIRCOM event will be Tennis, hosted by the Netherlands 7-9 September 2026.
Get involved in RAF Sport
We do sport in the Service (across 56 associations, encompassing over 90 disciplines) to put our people in a place of uncertainty and challenge, replicating the unique demands of operations, demanding primary roles, and the broader demands of Service life, to develop them and build their resilience.
