A host of Adelaide United Legends, coached by John Kosmina, will take to the field against an Australian Defence Force select side on Saturday afternoon as a curtain raiser to the Club’s annual Remembrance Round clash.
The match, to be played prior to Adelaide United’s Round 4 Isuzu UTE A-League clash against Western United, will feature former captain Michael Jakobsen and 2016 Championship Winner, Michael Marrone amongst other fan favourites including Lucas Pantelis, Marcos Flores and Fabian Barbiero. The Legends squad will be looking to replicate the triumph of their 2-0 victory against the ADF side in 2023.
The combined Australian Defence Force side has brought together the best players from the Navy, Army, and Air Force across the country.
The ADF side will train at Adelaide United’s Playford High Performance Centre whilst the Adelaide United Legends will have a light MD-1 session at Coopers Stadium on Friday.
Gates for the curtain raiser open at 4:15pm, with proceedings getting underway at 4:30pm with two 30-minute halves to be played.
2024 Adelaide United Legends Squad
Adam Van Dommele
Adriano Pellegrino
Chad Bugeja
Daniel Mullen
Fabian Barbiero
Fred Agius
Gyawe J Salley
Iain Fyfe
Jason Spagnuolo
John Hall
Lucas Pantelis
Marcos Flores
Matt Kemp
Michael Brooks
Michael Jakobsen
Michael Marrone
Adelaide United’s annual Remembrance Round match has become a regular feature of the A-Leagues calendar since it first hosted a game in 2011.
Adelaide United, in conjunction with the Australian Defence Force, will honour the memory of Australians who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts with an official Ceremony of Remembrance before kick-off on Saturday night.
The ceremony will involve the formal aspects of Remembrance Day – the reading of the Ode of Remembrance, bugle renditions of the Last Post and Rouse, as well as a moment of silence.
Defence Force cadets will be stationed at each of the gates around Coopers Stadium collecting donations for the RSL’s Poppy Appeal, which helps deliver life-changing support to veterans and their families. Red poppy badges will also be on sale to support the cause.
At the conclusion of the game, Adelaide United and the Dale family will award the Tomas Dale Medal to the player who conducts himself in the most sporting manner during our Remembrance Round match. The winner will be selected by Paramount+ talents, Max Burford and Bruce Djite.
For the very first time, an additional Tomas Dale Medal will also be awarded post Adelaide United Legends v ADF match, with the winner determined by the Head Coaches of both sides, John Kosmina and Ben Cowan.
The Medal commemorates Private Dale, who died in Afghanistan during operations with the Australian Defence Force in 2010.
Previous winners of the medal include current captain, Ryan Kitto.
Previous winners of the Tomas Dale Medal
2011 Iain Ramsey
2012 Dario Vidosic
2013 Marcelo Carrusca
2014 Not awarded
2015 Not awarded
2016 Jordan O’Doherty
2017 Nigel Boogaard (Newcastle Jets)
2018 Shane Lowry (Perth Glory)
2019 James Troisi
2020 Not awarded
2021 Not awarded
2022 Ryan Kitto (Remembrance Day), Nestory Irankunda (Anzac Day)
2023 Joe Lolley (Sydney FC)
Tickets for Saturday night’s match are available through Ticketek. Kick-Off is at 7.05pm ACDT and patrons are encouraged to arrive early for the Legends v ADF curtain raiser at 4:30pm and the official Ceremony of Remembrance.
