Anzac Day 2026: Albany’s Emma Crisp honours great grandfather’s WWI service in Villers-Bretonneux Anzac game

Albany-born Emma Crisp will mark Anzac Day in a powerful and personal way this year, representing the Australian Spirit Team in the annual Anzac football clash in Villers-Bretonneux, France — a town closely linked to her family’s wartime history.

Now based in Amsterdam, Crisp earned selection in the commemorative match after demonstrating a direct connection to a relative who served in World War I — her great grandfather Capt. Ralph Harry Crisp of the Australian Army Medical Corps.

Capt. Crisp enlisted in 1917 and on January 1, 1918, he was appointed medical officer to the 49th Battalion as part of the 13th Australian Infantry Brigade in the fourth division.

He served as a medical officer on the Western Front, including in the Somme region around Villers-Bretonneux, where Australian troops played a key role in halting the German advance in 1918.

The selection process for this match prompted Ms Crisp to explore her family history more deeply and she said it uncovered a connection she had not previously looked into.

“I hadn’t dug into my family history myself so it was a good opportunity to dig into it and realise that I actually did have a connection,” she said.

“I’m very excited and chuffed to be selected and really looking forward to it because I think its not something you would otherwise experience.”

Ms Crisp said she will travel to France midweek for a four-day tour that includes historical visits before the game on Saturday.

“We’ve got a bunch of different activities in the lead-up including battlefield tours, they’ve got a dedicated memorial museum there, we do a few tours and information sessions,” she said.

“It will be really cool to see the place and have a tour and actually get all the history from some of the experts they have organised for us.”

The Anzac Day schedule begins with the dawn service before the women’s AFL match kicks off at 10am.

Ms Crisp said the Australian Spirit Team is made up largely of Australians who are living across Europe and who all have Anzac ties.

“There’s a lot of Aussies living in London or Germany so everyone is Australian and everyone has some kind of link to the Anzac’s,” she said.

“I’m really excited to meet a bunch of new girls that I haven’t met before on the team and get more involved with the AFL in Europe.

“I’m super excited.”