Touch Football was formally established in 1968 by Bob Dyke and Ray Vawdon of the South Sydney Juniors rugby league club.
Although closely aligned to Rugby League, all heavy body contact is eliminated in Touch Football. There are no tackles, scrums or kicking. The emphasis is on running, agility, passing and catching.
Originally devised as a training method for League players and a means for retired players to still compete and remain fit, the game had spread across Australia and New Zealand by 1976.
Women’s Touch was first played at a representative level in 1979, the first National Championships held in 1980 and the first Touch World Cup in 1988. The first National Touch League (NTL) tournament was launched in 1997.
In 2013, the NRL and Touch Football Australia formed a partnership and 2018 sees the 50th anniversary of the game.
Today, Touch is among the highest participation-based organised sports with over 613,000 taking part. Forty-six per cent of these are female, and participants can play in men’s, women’s, or mixed gender teams, and of any age or sporting ability.
The sport is now played in 53 countries worldwide.
TIMELINE OF TOUCH FOOTBALL
1968 Game formally established at Souths Juniors, originally as a training method for League players and as a means for retired players to still compete and remain fit
1972 NSW Touch Association formed with six affiliated associations and approximately 1500 registered players
1973 First Interstate clash between a team from NSW and QLD
1975 Game spreads internationally to New Zealand
1976 First International match (AUS v NZ); Touch played as curtain raiser to 1976 Rugby League Grand Final
1978 Australian Touch Association formed
1979 Women’s Touch first played at rep level
1980 First National Championships held, catering for 1000 players and officials. Game starts to develop its own unique rules and become a sport in its own right; first official rule book released
1988 First Touch World Cup held at Gold Coast; goes on to be held at four-year intervals
1997 First National Touch League (NTL) tournament held
2003 First Touch World Cup hosted in Asia (Japan)
2011 First Touch World Cup hosted in Europe (Scotland)
2013 NRL and Touch Football Australia form a partnership
2018 50th Anniversary of Touch Football. More than 613,000 participants.
