The Championships

What's Changing? 

From 2024, the National Touch League (NTL) will undergo a redesign to be more inclusive, enabling affiliate representative teams to participate alongside existing regional and state entities. 

The event will be condensed to three days limiting the amount of time off participants need to take to compete in the event. As a result, match duration will change to two x 15 minutes halves with a 2-minute halftime. It remains the NTL but it is reimagined. 

Why is it Changing? 

We need to continue to evolve to ensure we stay ahead of the curve. 

The NTL was created in 1997 and whilst it has continually changed over the course of its 27-year history; the one consistent was the intent of the event. Conceptually, it was designed to bring the best of Australia’s best together. 

There were two milestones that shone a light on the relevance of the event in its current shape – the first was the creation of the NRL Touch Premiership. The second was the release of TFA’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan that calls out our desire to ‘present national events, with year-on-year growth, that deliver performance outcomes and meet the needs of our membership’. 

The creation of the NRL Touch Premiership and the TFA Board’s unwavering commitment to its resurrection in a post-COVID environment replaces the previous Elite 8 event. This removes the elite, best of the best component from the NTL event with the elite format of the game now being the NRL Touch Premiership. 

As a result, the purpose and delivery of the NTL has been redesigned to provide high-quality experiences and growth as its key drivers. By making these changes more people will have the opportunity to experience the comradery of tournaments, benefits of participation and be identified for further representative honours. 

We simply want more people to experience a reimagined Championships. 

The NTL will mirror the very fabric of Touch Football: it will be inclusive, fun, social and open for all to enjoy! 
 

Who Can Enter? 

Teams representing Alliance states, regions and affiliated associations (clubs) can enter in every division offered. International teams are also welcome. 

When and Where is the Event? 

The Championships is being held at Coffs Harbour International Stadium from Friday 8 - Sunday 10 March 2024. 
 

How Long Will Matches Be? 

Pending team nominations, games will be two (2) x 15 minute halves with a 2-minute halftime and 3 minutes between matches (35-minute timeslots). 

Will States, Regions, and Affiliates be Participating in the Same Division 

Yes, teams can choose which division they want to enter with divisions set to include state, affiliate, and regional teams. 

Will There be an "A" and "B" Division in Every Grade? 

In the Open Men’s, Women’s and Mixed divisions we will offer an “A” division and a “B” division. TFA will also reserve the right to add a B division into any grade if nominations are sufficient, meaning teams will be able to compete at their competitive level. 

Can You Still Be Identified for Australian Emus Teams from the Event? 

Yes, the event remains a key event in the pathway with TFA High Performance staff and coaches attending the event and identifying talent but it’s not the be all and end all. Talent identification is an ongoing process throughout the year; our staff and coaches are constantly identifying talent. We no longer simply pick teams from one event or tournament. 

Isn't NTL Supposed to be about the Best of the Best? 

We recognise that this is what the concept of the NTL event was intended to be when it started, however moving forward the best of the best will be the NRL Touch Premiership. The Championships now plays an important role in catering for a wider range of participants at multiple levels allowing greater participation.