Army Sport

Football is the most widely played sport in the Army, and it's been called the soldier's sport for generations. The Royal Engineers even won the FA Cup back in 1875! The Army Football Association runs everything from grassroots games to a side that plays other nations' armed forces.

Army rugby union has men's and women's teams, with the best players picked for the senior sides. The big day is the Army v Navy match at Twickenham, a rivalry that goes back to 1878 and regularly draws crowds of more than 80,000. Not many amateur players ever get to run out somewhere like that.

Rugby league was only officially recognised in the Armed Forces in 1994, and the Army has made up for lost time. Units, Corps and the Army all field teams, and the Army enters the Challenge Cup alongside civilian clubs.

British Army cricket encourages broad participation at all levels, running inter-Corps and inter-unit competitions. The Inter-Services T20 is played at Lord's, so the best players get to walk out at the home of cricket.

Army netball runs women's and mixed competitions from unit to Corps level. You'll be in elite company: the women's senior team has won seven Inter-Services titles in a row as well as the US Open Netball Championships.

Army hockey has been going since 1908, with men's and women's teams competing at Inter-Services and national level.

Army American football was only founded in 2019, and the Army Jackals have already won the Inter-Services title. Trials are open to people who’ve never even watched a game - a great chance to play a sport most people only ever watch on TV.

Basketball in the Army began in 1944, and Army players have represented Great Britain at the Olympics. You can play for your unit at any level, while the best go on to face the Royal Navy and RAF at the Inter-Services championships.

Ice hockey is a fast and physical game, played six a side on skates. There are Corps teams plus an Army All Stars side for anyone whose Corps doesn’t have one, with the best players picked for the Army Blades or the women’s team, the Army Fury.

Often called the fastest game on two feet, Army lacrosse takes players from complete novice to international level.

Fast, skilful and steeped in cavalry history. Army teams still compete for the Inter-Regimental Cup, one of the oldest polo trophies in the UK, and service tournaments have included players who only started weeks before.

Eight people, one rope and total commitment. The Army women’s team represents England on the world stage and won bronze at the 2023 World Championships.

Volleyball is all about fast communication and total trust in your teammates. Army volleyball is played indoors and on the sand, and in 2026 the Army won the first beach Crown Services tournament in Weymouth.

Army angling covers game, coarse and sea fishing, with leagues and competitions from unit level up. The best Army anglers have gone on to fish at World and European Championships.

Steady breathing, a still mind and a clean release. Army archery runs beginners’ courses, indoor and outdoor championships, and has close links with the Invictus Games.

Sprints, distance, jumps and throws all have a home in Army athletics, from unit sports days to Inter-Services championships. The Army has a proud record on the track. Kriss Akabusi won Olympic silver while serving as a soldier, and Dame Kelly Holmes was an Army physical training instructor before her double gold in Athens.

Boxing in the Army has a long history and can offer a serious pathway to the top of the sport. Gunner Karriss Artingstall of the Royal Artillery became the first Army boxer at an Olympic Games since 1968, and came home from Tokyo in 2020 with a bronze medal. If you have the talent, Army boxing can take you a long way.

Road, time trial, BMX, mountain bike and cyclocross are among the seven disciplines in Army cycling, which has more than 600 members riding at every standard up to elite. Time trials are usually raced on specialist bikes, but the Army series is open to newcomers on mountain bikes too, so you don’t need expensive kit to start.

Darts became an official Army sport in 2025, and all you need is a board, a steady hand and someone to beat.

Wearing first-person view goggles, you see exactly what your drone sees as you race it through gates and obstacles at speed. The Army runs its own races and has hosted drone pilots from militaries around the world, so you could end up racing against other armed forces.

Army esports teams play titles including Call of Duty, Rocket League and League of Legends, where quick decisions and teamwork win games. In 2026, British Army Esports won the Call of Duty Endowment Bowl for the first time, beating teams from US, Canadian and UK forces.

With centuries of cavalry heritage, the Army has serious equestrian credentials. Today, that includes dressage, eventing, show jumping and racing. Loan horse schemes mean you don’t need your own horse to compete, and Army riders take part at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and the London International Horse Show.

Fencing is fast, tactical and one of the original Olympic sports. The Army Fencing Union runs a course specifically for beginners, and its best fencers go on to take on the Royal Navy and RAF.

Army golf has competitions at every level and training events throughout the year. Play for your unit, your Corps and, if your game is good enough, the Army.

Judo teaches balance, timing and how to use an opponent’s strength against them. Army judoka Corporal Sarah Hawkes fought for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Army martial arts covers karate, kendo, taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and weapons, with competition at Army and UK Armed Forces level. The Army karate team alone includes former and current World and European champions. Start at grassroots level or train to compete nationally and internationally. Looking for judo or boxing? They have their own Army associations, so they’re listed separately.

Karting, sports car racing, rallying, enduro and motorcycle road racing are among the Army’s motorsport disciplines, on four wheels or two. Join the British Army Motorsport Association and you can try any of them.

Fencing, swimming, obstacle racing, laser pistol shooting and running, all in one day - with no weak spots allowed. Army Reserve officer Kerenza Bryson was crowned European champion in 2024 and went on to compete for Team GB at the Paris Olympics.

Squat, bench press, deadlift. Three lifts, three attempts each and nowhere to hide. The Army Championships act as a qualifier for the Inter-Services team, and there’s always room in the squad for new lifters.

Target rifle, pistol, clay and smallbore all come under Army shooting, building on a skill every soldier already trains for. The Army’s champion shot at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley receives the King’s Medal, the only shooting award a soldier can wear on their uniform alongside their other medals.

Stones, logs, yokes and sandbags. Army strongman and strongwoman is one of the fastest-growing sports in the military, and Corporal Rhys Calland, a REME vehicle mechanic, was crowned Europe’s Strongest Man.

With more than 400 members, the Army Triathlon Association is one of the largest triathlon clubs in the UK, and it runs a dedicated training camp for novices.

The snatch. The clean and jerk. Two Olympic lifts that demand power, speed and perfect technique. Army lifters know what that means, winning silver and bronze at the 2025 World Masters Championships in Las Vegas.

Competition climbing has three disciplines: bouldering on short, tough routes without ropes, lead climbing up tall walls on a rope, and speed climbing: a straight race to the top. The Tri-Services Bouldering League is open to every level, and the best Army climbers compete against other militaries and civilian athletes.

Learn to fly without an engine, reading thermals and ridge lift to stay in the air. The Army has gliding clubs at Upavon on Salisbury Plain and Wattisham in Suffolk, with week-long courses for complete beginners.

A map, a compass and a race against the clock. Army orienteering counts as military training, and sharpens the navigation skills every soldier needs.

Fancy a freefall from 13,500 feet over Salisbury Plain? The Army Parachute Association at Netheravon needs no previous experience, and trains you from your first jump onwards.

Launch from a hillside and fly for hours using nothing but wind and rising air. Soldiers learn the ropes on Adventurous Training courses in Bavaria, then join the Army’s paragliding association to fly further.

Alpine, Nordic, snowboard, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton and even the Cresta Run all come under Army winter sports. Army biathlete Amanda Lightfoot had never skied before the Army introduced her to it, and went on to represent Team GB in biathlon at the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Pool swimming, open water swimming, diving and water polo have all been part of Army aquatics since the 1920s. The Army finished top of the 2025 Inter-Services Aquatics Championships.

Slalom, freestyle, canoe polo, sprint and marathon all come under the Army Canoe Union. Whether you're drawn to white water or flat-out racing, there's a discipline for you.

Power, rhythm and total trust in your crew…you could say that rowing asks for the same things the Army does. Which might explain why Captain Heather Stanning of the Royal Artillery won Team GB’s first gold medal of London 2012, then won again in Rio four years later.

Dinghy racing, offshore passages, windsurfing and kitesurfing, all backed by Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training. The Army’s offshore racing yacht, British Soldier, takes on professional crews, and no experience is needed to join the team.

Army surfing covers shortboard, longboard and bodyboard, with a clubhouse in Cornwall and kit members can use all year.

Get up on the water and learn to carve, jump and throw tricks - whether you’re towed behind a boat or by an overhead cable that pulls you around a lake. The Army Championships include categories for complete beginners, so you can compete in your first season.

Fast, sharp and much harder work than it looks…

Army badminton runs from unit leagues to Corps championships, so there’s always another level to aim for.

The original racket sport, played indoors on courts where the walls and sloping roofs are part of the game. Army players take on civilian clubs, compete at the Combined Services Championships at Queen’s Club and play an annual match against the MCC at Lord’s.

Short rallies, big effort and a serious workout in under an hour. Army squash has a novice category at the Army Individual Championships, while the Army team tours abroad and takes on the other Services, the Emergency Services and the Civil Service.

Army table tennis coaches complete beginners, has a novice category at the Army Championships and picks its best players for the Army team.

Army tennis has leagues, championships and training camps, and the Inter-Services championships are regularly played at the All England Club in Wimbledon. You can also play pickleball, a fast-growing paddle sport with its own Inter-Services competition.