Touch football (rugby league) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Touch is a field sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

also known as Touch Football, or in some countries as Touch Rugby. Touch is overseen worldwide by the Federation of International Touch

Federation of International Touch

The Federation of International Touch is the worldwide governing body for Touch football.The Federation of International Touch was formed at a meeting held in conjunction with the Australian National championships that were held in Melbourne in 1985....

(FIT). Touch has traditionally been played in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

but the sport has expanded internationally and features many regional and global competitions. There have been seven Touch World Cups, the latest in Scotland in June 2011.

Touch has a history in rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

and in rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

, with the tackling

Tackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

of opposing players replaced by a touch. Touch is therefore not a contact sport

Contact sport

Many sports involve a degree of player-to-player or player-to-object contact. The term "contact sport" is used in both team sports and combat sports, medical terminology and television game shows, such as the Gladiators and Wipeout, to certain degrees...

but a limited-contact sport. The basic rules of Touch were established in the 1960s.

Distinctive features of Touch include the ease of learning, minimal equipment requirements and the ability to play it without fear of major injury. While it is generally played with two teams of six on-field players, some social competitions allow different number of players per team on the field. It is played by both sexes, and in age divisions from primary school children to over-50s. The mixed version of the game (where both male and female players are on the field at the same time) is particularly popular with social players, and it is widely played in schools.

History

Touch started in Australia in 1923 as a social or "park" game and as a training technique for rugby league

Rugby league

. It was not then viewed as a sport in its own right. It was formalised into a sport proper by the "Founders of Touch", Bob Dyke and Ray Vawdon of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club

South Sydney Rabbitohs

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...

. On 13 July 1968 the "South Sydney Touch Football Club" was formed and the sport of Touch Football was born. The first official game of Touch was played in late 1968 and the first official competition, organised by Dyke & Vawdon, was held at Snape Park, Sydney in 1969. From these humble beginnings the game quickly became a fully regulated and codified sport. It was first played in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

in 1972 and by 1973 there were representative games. It had spread to New Zealand

New Zealand

by 1975.

The establishment of the first national body, the Australian Touch Football Association came in 1976. A highlight came after the drawn Sydney Rugby League Grand Final of 1977 when the rematch needed a curtain-raiser and rugby league officials asked the newly formed ATFA to provide the prelude game. With a crowd of 40,000+ this game helped to raise the profile of Touch in Australia and was nothing short of spectacular according to Bob Dyke in the book "The Story of Touch". Another profile raiser came in 1978 when the Sydney Metropolitan Touch Football side played the touring Great Britain national rugby league team

Great Britain national rugby league team

The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....

in a high-scoring match, with the local team winning with a disputed touchdown on the siren. As more people began to play Touch more organised competitions developed.

The game has also expanded rapidly in recent years, especially in the South Pacific and United Kingdom. Touch World Cups

Touch Football World Cup

-World Cup Results 1988 - 2007:-World Cup Venues:The following outlines the World Cups held and planned for the future* 1988 - Australia * 1991 - New Zealand * 1995 - USA * 1999 - Australia * 2003 - Japan...

now attract over 40 nations including Australia

Australia

, New Zealand

New Zealand

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

, USA, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Cook Islands

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...

, Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Malaysia, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

, Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

and the Channel Islands (Guernsey) and (Jersey).

Glossary of Touch terms

Touch shares many terms in common with rugby league (e.g. onside, offside, intercept). Below are some Touch-specific terms. The list is not meant to be comprehensive, and there are some regional variations.

Acting Half, or just Half: the player who receives the ball following the rollball
Dump or Quickie: a quick rollball to further attacking opportunities from the ensuing play. At levels above beginners these constitute all touches/roll balls.
Fade or Drag: an angled run forwards and towards the wing/sideline in an attempt to drag the defenders sideways and potentially open up gaps on the open side.
Link: The position on the field between the middles and the wings (the second player from the sideline).
Middle: The position on the field in the middle of the players (the third player from either side line).
Open Side: the side of the ball carrier with the most number of players.
Phantom: a defensive player claiming a touch when no touch had in fact been made. Frowned upon by the vast majority of players. A "yes/no" call is also regarded as a phantom. If spotted a phantom call results in a penalty, forced sub or sin bin.
Re-Align: when an attacker moves back into an onside position (behind the ball) after passing or making a touch.
Rollball: must be performed once a player in possession is touched by the opposition or after a turnover. The rollball is performed by placing the ball on the mark, and either rolling the ball backwards, or stepping forward over it. The ball is picked up by another player on the attacking team (see acting-half). Above a beginner level, players usually never actually roll the ball along the ground.
Ruck: any attacking move intended to promote the ball down the field rather than specifically result in a touchdown.
Scoop or Scoot: an attacking move following the dump, whereby a player runs from the half position in an attempt to get past the defensive line.
Short Side: the side to the ball carrier with the least number of players.
Snap: to beat (i.e. run past) an opponent by changing direction suddenly.
Squeeze: a type of zone defence used to force attacking players to move the ball to the wings to gain and/or take advantage of an overlap (by which time the defence should have had time to re-position itself).
Switch or Cut: an attacking move where the ball player passes to a receiver in the direction that the receiver has come from, as they run angled lines that cross over with the receiver running behind the ball carrier.
Touch: the main defensive tactic in the game of Touch, similar to a tackle in some other codes of football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...

. It forces the attacking team to stop and restart play (see rollball). A touch is performed by the defensive team on any part of the body or clothing of the current ball carrier for the attacking team, or the ball itself. At the moment of a touch, it is customary (but not mandatory) for the defensive player who is performing the touch to shout "Touch", which alerts both the attacking and defensive teams and the referees that the player has been touched.
Wing: The position on the field at the side of the field (the player next to the sideline).
Wrap: a variation on the switch move involving where the ball carrier passes after the receiver as run behind them to the side that the receiver is running to.

How to Play

The aim of touch is to score as many touchdowns as possible and prevent the opposition from scoring any. A touchdown is similar to a try in rugby league or union but the point system is different. Each score is worth one point and there are no other means of scoring. The winning team is the one with the most touchdowns at the end of the game.

Positions

teams are generally split into three positions: two "wings" (the players on either edge of the field i.e. 'right wing' and 'left wing'); two "middles" (the central players); and two "links" (the players between the wings and middles, one on each side of the field)

Rules

These rules discuss the most common form of touch as governed by the Federation of International Touch

Federation of International Touch

but minor local variations are sometimes used. For the full set of rules see the F.I.T. Rulebook (pdf)

Note that the sport of Touch has a number of recognised variations including:

Beach Touch, where the defence has one less player than the attack and as the name suggests, is played on beach.
1-Touch, where the attacking team is allowed 1 possession to score before handing the ball over.
2-Touch, same as above except the attacking team is allowed 2 touches.

Possession

A team normally retains possession for a set of six consecutive touches. Possession (or a Turnover) transfers to the opposing team:

after the sixth touch
after a touchdown;
if the Half gets touched;
from an intercept;
from a ball-to-ground (the ball is knock forward by a player) or other failure to maintain possession;
whenever the referee indicates a turnover.

Defending

From the tap for the start of game, or from a penalty, the defending team must be at least 10 metres from point of the tap.
After making a touch, the defending team must retreat the distance the referee marks, at least five metres from the mark where the touch occurred and stay there until the Half touches the ball. If a player does not retreat the entire distance the referee marked, or team must retreat at least 10 metres from the mark of the penalty. If a player makes an attempt to defend whilst still inside the 10 metres, they will be penalised.

Scoring

A touchdown is awarded when an attacking player, who is not the acting-half places the ball on or over the opposition's score line. Each touchdown is worth one point.

The Half

The Half (or Acting-Half) is subject to a number of restrictions that do not apply to other players:

If the Half is touched with the ball, the attacking team loses possession.
The Half cannot score a touchdown. Attempting to do so results in a change of possession.
If the Half takes too long to retrieve the ball the referee can call play on and defenders are allowed to move forward before the Half has touched the ball.

The Tap

Play is started by a tap at the beginning of each half, following a touchdown and when a penalty is awarded.

The tap is performed by an attacking player placing the ball on the ground, touching the ball with their foot, then picking it up and playing. NB: The ball must be released from the hands and come into contact with the ground or a change of possession occurs.
The defensive team must stay at a minimum distance of 10 metres from the mark during the tap, unless they are positioned on their own scoreline.
The defensive players can move after the ball carrier has touched the ball with his foot.
The player who has performed the tap may be touched without losing possession.
The attacking side must be positioned behind the ball when it is tapped.
The attacking side may move the ball up to 10 metres directly behind the given mark when taking a penalty tap. In this case, the defending side must still remain 10-metres from the original mark, not the new mark.

The Penalty

A penalty is granted to the non-offending team if:

the ball is passed forward.
a "touch and pass" is committed (a pass after being touched). This is often called a "late pass"
a player does not perform the rollball at the mark (overstepping).
an obstruction is committed.
a player is offside.
a defending player does not retreat in a straight line to an onside position.
a player acts contrary to the rules or spirit of the sport (e.g. time-wasting, using excessive force to make a touch, phantom touch (calling a touch when they clearly didn't make one), disputing decisions, etc.).

Subsitutions

Substitutions can be made any number of times throughout the match. However, the game remains continuous and does not stop to allow substitutions.
Players coming onto the field must wait until the player they are substituting with has come off the field. Failing to do so may result in a penalty for an incorrect substitution.
Players in a team who are not on the field must remain inside their allocated substitution box until they come onto the field
Players can only enter the field in an onside position.

Equipment

The field :

Touch is played on a grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

, rectangular field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...

measuring 70 X 50 metres (i.e. one half of a rugby league field
Rugby league playing field
The rugby league playing field, also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of rugby league football and is surfaced exclusively with grass....

). As kicking
Kick (football)
Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:* Association football* Australian rules football* International rules football* American football* Canadian football* Gaelic football* Rugby league* Rugby union...

is not allowed, goal posts
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....

are not required.

The ball :

Touch balls are oval and slightly smaller than rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

or union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

balls.

Clothing :

Players typically wear light clothing such as T-shirts or polo shirts and shorts. All shirts must be numbered. Women generally wear lycra bike shorts, athletic briefs or swimsuit-style lycra bodysuit
Bodysuit
In clothing, a bodysuit, body-liner, or body is a unisex form-fitting garment that covers the torso. The bodysuit often has sleeves and varying collars. A bodysuit is distinguished from the similar leotard by the use of snaps or hooks at the crotch. A bodysuit may be worn as a top for the smooth...

s.

Footwear :

Players normally wear soft rubber cleated shoes, similar to those used in other grass sports such as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

. Screw-in cleats are strictly prohibited, though moulded-sole football boots may be worn.

Referee :

Touch must have at least one referee to rule the game but most major games feature one central referee and two sideline referees, who interchange roles repeatedly throughout the game.

Whistle :

The referee must have a whistle to control the game. The Standard whistle in Australia is the Acme Thunderer
J Hudson & Co
J Hudson & Co was founded in the 1870s in Birmingham by Joseph Hudson and his brother James Hudson . The company became a manufacturer of whistles and is still active today as Acme Whistles. Acme is the world’s largest and most famous producer of whistles...

58.5.

Composition of the teams and replacements

The teams can be male, female or mixed.
Each team can consist of up to 14 players, of which 6 players can be on the field at any one time.
Mixed teams typically comprise 3 females and 3 males on the field at one time.
There is no limit to the number of substitutions a player or team can make.
Substitutions may be made at any time provided the players are in the designated substitution box. Play is continuous and does not stop for substitutions.

Mode of play and duration

Mode of play

The ball can be passed or knocked (but not kicked) sideways or backwards between team mates who attempt to evade opposition defenders and score touchdowns.

Duration :

The standard duration is 40 minutes (two x 20 minute halves) with a 5 minute halftime, though other time frames are often used to suit local conditions and competitions.

Scores Tied at full-time :
In the event of a draw at fulltime (in a play-off or final), the teams enter a sudden death "drop-off" to find the winning team.

A one-minute break occurs before the drop-off commences. Both teams reduce their on-field strength by one (1) player.
Each team reduces the number of on-field players by one player every two minutes, until they are down to three (3).
If a team scores from the tap off in sudden death, without the opposing team having had possession, the opposition have one set of six touches to score. If they don't score within those six touches, the game is won by the first team that scored.
Alternatively, the drop-off will continue until each team is down to three players (in mixed competitions, teams are required to have at least one female still on the field).
From this point, the game will continue until the next touchdown is scored and the winner is found.

Touch Rugby IRB

The International Rugby Board

International Rugby Board

The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...

, world governing body of the rules of Rugby Union

Rugby union

, published in November 2010 a draft of leisure rules of Touch Rugby IRB for developmental purposes. Those Laws were adapted from the FIT playing rules for the sport of Touch.

The document says literally: "Council agreed that these Leisure Rugby Laws are issued as a guide for developmental purposes and Unions are not bound to apply the Laws" and "IRB Leisure Rugby Laws have been designed so that Unions may develop non-Contact Rugby. These Laws have been produced so that there are some guidelines and principles in place for IRB Leisure Rugby. Unions having jurisdiction over their developmental processes, matches, competitions and festivals may need to vary these Laws as deemed appropriate. This allows domestic Rugby clubs to adapt to the FIT playing rules, provided domestic Touch Associations are in agreeance."

European Championships

The Federation of International Touch (FIT) conducts the European Touch Championships, affectionately known as "The Euro's", annually.

The 2010 Euro's in Bristol, UK attracted 54 teams and over 900 players to the event.

World Cup

The inaugural Touch Football World Cup was held on the Gold Coast, Australia

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

in 1988. Since then, the event has been hosted in Auckland (New Zealand), Waikiki Beach (Hawaii), Sydney (Australia), Kamagaya (Japan), Stellenbosch (South Africa) and Edinburgh (Scotland).

Trans-Tasman Tests

There is a regular program of Test matches

Test match

Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:* Test cricket* Test match * Test match * Test match...

between Australia and New Zealand known as Trans-Tasman Tests.
Tests are divided into separate events for each age category, being:

Open (Unrestricted)
Youth (Under 21)
Senior (Over 30)

Masters Games

Touch is a very popular sport at the various Masters Games

World Masters Games

The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind....

events.

World All Schools

The World All Schools event attracts hundreds of teams from schools around the world. It is held every 2 years. In 2006 the event was held in Singapore

Singapore

, prior to that it was held in Brisbane

Brisbane

. The 2008 event (held in Brisbane

Brisbane

after the event was cancelled in New Zealand

New Zealand

) was by far the largest, hosting over 250 teams.

Australia

Touch is played in every Australian state, and is particularly popular in the rugby league

Rugby league

and rugby union

Rugby union

strongholds of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

and the ACT

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

. There are currently over 250,000 registered Touch players, 500,000 schoolchildren, and up to 100,000 casual players playing the sport. The peak body is Touch Football Australia.

Australia's main domestic competition is the annual National Touch League

National Touch League

The National Touch League is the peak domestic competition for the sport of Touch Football in Australia. The annual four day competition allows 13 regional permits from across Australia to compete in 12 Divisions including Opens, Mixed and Senior categories...

(NTL). 13 permits representing all parts of Australia compete in open, under-20 and over-age (Masters) divisions in men's, women's and mixed. The permits have been designed to equalise competition between the traditionally strong Touch states of ACT, Queensland and NSW and the remainder of the country.

Touch has a State-of-Origin series every 2 years. The series is played between Touch strongholds Queensland

Queensland

and New South Wales

New South Wales

.

School Sport Australia runs the National Championship Tournament and Exchange for Touch every year - the location moves from state to state. Most Australian States and Territories enter Boys and Girls teams in both the High School (15 and under) and Primary School (12 and under) divisions.

England

Touch in England

England

has experience steady growth in recent years. Currently, there are over 20,000 Touch players in England.

At the 2011 Touch Football World Cup

Touch Football World Cup

in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, England finished 4th in the Open category & 2nd in the Senior category. The England Men's Over 30's side were the only European team to reach a grand final.

New Zealand

Touch in New Zealand is goverened by Touch NZ and is the largest participation sport

Sport in New Zealand

Sport in New Zealand largely reflects its British colonial heritage. Some of the most popular sports in New Zealand, namely rugby, cricket and netball, are primarily played in Commonwealth of Nations countries...

in the country. From the ground roots to the elite program, Touch is widely accepted NZ as the sport of choice for a healthy and active lifestyle. This is illustrated with a total of 19 Provinces

Provinces of New Zealand

The Provinces of New Zealand existed from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. They were replaced by counties, which were themselves replaced by districts.Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts...

competing at Nationals, 119 affiliated 'modules' or competitions and over 317,000 New Zealanders playing the game.

This figure is made up of 57,000 under 17 year olds and 260,000 adults. The delivery of the sport is supported by: 750 qualified referees along with team coaches and managers and 119 competition organisers.

The NZ Touch National Championships are held each year in March and the National Touch Series is a televised mixed competition event. The annual New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament attracts a large number of participants and continues to grow each year.

Scotland

Touch has been played in Scotland since 1991 in informal leagues in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The sport soon spread to Aberdeen with a well established league forming soon afterwards.

In 2005, the Scottish Touch Association (STA) was formally constituted as the governing body to help develop the sport. By 2007 the association had welcomed new participants from Dundee, Perth and Stirling to join existing leagues, held its first formal national championships, trained over 150 referees and won the tender to host the 2011 World Cup in Edinburgh.

South Africa

Touch in South Africa is overseen by the South African Touch Association, and is often known as 'Six Down'.
South Africa has had national representation at the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 Touch World Cups. There are already over 6,000 registered players in South Africa.

Switzerland

The Swiss Touch Association competed in 2006 and 2008 European Championships and 2007 World Cup. The STA also sends teams to contest regular events in other tournaments in Europe and won the
Mainland Cup in Heidelberg in 2009 - coming 3rd in the Women's Open and 1st in the Mens Open competition. Clubs now exist in Geneva, Zurich and Basel.

United States

Though there are teams throughout the country, due to the relative novelty of the sport and the traveling distances, the national tournament is not as decisive as it is designed to be. There are big touch communities in Portland, OR, Phoenix, AZ, Houston, TX, San Diego, CA, West Palm Beach, FL, Boston, MA, Tigard, OR and Sandy, UT. The 2010 Men's National Championship was won by the Tumeke Arizona while the 2010 Mixed National Championship was won by the Galaxy San Diego. The 2010 Men's National MVP was Tainui Berryman.

Austria

The Österreichischer Touch Verband (Touch Austria Association) became an associate member of F.I.T (Federation International Touch) in October 2009 with 3 official member clubs (Touch Rugby Vienna, ACC Touch, Touch Voralberg). 2009 saw the establishment of the Austrian Touch League (ATL) plus the first ever national Touch teams (Mixed and Mens) that competed in the 2009 Mainland Cup. Touch Austria also sends teams to contest regular events in other tournaments in Europe.

France

Touch France is the national association in charge of the development of the Touch in France.

Italy

Touch Rugby Italia (TRI) is the official body recognised by FIT for the development of the Touch in Italy. Currently there are 14 teams affiliated to TRI. TRI send regularly national teams to International Events in Europe

External links

Asia

Europe

UK

Oceania

Touch Football Papua New Guinea

Australia

New Zealand

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