Royal Navy men prepare for face 'tough opponent' in the RAF at Fratton Park

The Royal Navy senior men's team are entering the Inter Services Championships as the defending champions for the first time since 2017.

They ended their eight-year winless drought in 2024 and their 2-1 victory over the British Army at Fratton Park was their first step in achieving that.

This year they will play the Royal Air Force at the home of the 2008 FA Cup champions, Portsmouth FC, where they will begin their title defence.

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And even after last week's 1-1 draw with the RAF against the Army, head coach Lieutenant Commander Chris James says that the team "does not worry" about that result.

He said: "Don't lose your first game is always the key, isn't it?

"But, of course, every one of us is trying to beat the other team, that's obviously the idea.

"For us, we don't care, we don't really worry about that result. We still have the same focus, the aim going into this tournament to win both games.

"And then, when you get to that second game we will know exactly where we are with it, but ultimately, try and win your football matches."

The Navy will be missing some of their key players in this year's tournament, most notably Danny Kerr, who led the Navy to much of their successes in 2024.

Royal Marine Commando and Navy goalkeeper Corporal Loz McCormick will be captain for this year's tournament.

He said: "It's incredible, [Danny Kerr] has been there since the absolute start with me, so he's really going to be missed.

"But it's a massive privilege in my part to step up and captain this side."

Cpl McCormick says that the team is expecting to face a "tough opponent” in the RAF at their home fixture.

He said: "We're not looking too far ahead to be honest, we're taking one step at a time, and we've just got to try and do the business against the RAF.

"And when we win, hopefully, we'll think about the game against the Army, but yes, they'll be a tough opponent as always."

Click here to find out how you can watch BFBS's live coverage of the Inter Services Football Championships.