Premier Touch Football Event: DoorDash National Youth Championships Returns to NSW, Coffs Harbour

Australia’s premier youth Touch Football event, the DoorDash National Youth Championships (NYC), welcomes the nation’s best young players this week in its return to Coffs Harbour for the first time since 2008, following a decade-long stint on the Sunshine Coast.

Over 2,000 players and officials, and a further 6,400 attendees, will mark the return of the event south of the border throughout four days of Touch Football action. The event will see 120 teams from a mix of school, regional, and state representative teams across eight boys and girls divisions from U12s to U18s competing to be crowned National Champions.

Touch Football Australia Chief Executive Offer, Jamie O’Connor welcomed the national event’s return to Coffs Harbour and the host of young talent on display this week.

“It’s fantastic to return to Coffs Harbour following the success of The Championships in March. The NYC continues to grow year-on-year, and I look forward to watching the next generation showcase their talents this week”, O’Connor said.

“The event presents another great opportunity for the local Coffs Harbour community to experience the scale of the NYC in its return to NSW, and for attendees to stay and experience what the Mid-North Coast has to offer.”

The NYC marks the second mass Touch Football participation event in Coffs Harbour this year, with the event projected to inject $5M+ into the NSW and Coffs Harbour economy. The Touch Football community is no stranger to Coffs Harbour, with the location also being host to The Championships (adult nationals) since 1997 – with the Mid-North Coast region laying claim to being the spiritual home of Touch.

The NYC has a rich history of discovering the stars of tomorrow, with NRLW premiership players Tamika Upton and Ali Brigginshaw coming through Touch Football pathways – as well as Melbourne Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen sitting in the top ten all-time NYC try-scorers list.

Rugby league pedigree and family ties continue at this year’s event, with namesakes of NRLW star Pihuka Perryman-Duff lining up for the NSW Combined High Schools (NSWCHS) 18s Girls in Kelsey and Talia Berryman, and for the NSW Combined Independent Schools (NSWCIS) 18s Boys side in Tylan Berryman and Tamoko Berryman-Duff – all recently representing Cook Islands at the 2024 Touch World Cup. Representative rugby league player Adaquix Watts-Luke is also playing for the Queensland Representative School Sport (QRSS) 18s Boys team – son of former New Zealand rugby league international Issac Luke.

The event also continues its reputation as a nursery for elite Touch Football talent, with young stars identified to progress to the highest representative level as Athelite Australian Emus – recently crowned World Champions in a dominant display at the Touch World Cup in England in July.

Last year’s event was dominated by Queensland teams who will be looking to carry their form into NSW, with QRSS (formerly Queensland Secondary Schools Touch) aiming for three consecutive titles in both the 18s Boys and 18s Girls divisions, and the South Queensland Sharks winning both the 16s Boys and 16s Girls divisions while also crowned Champion Entity.

With NSW teams winning one of eight divisions in 2023, represented in six grand finals, they will be looking for a home-ground advantage to go one step further in Coffs Harbour.

Locally, the Northern Eagles are represented in six divisions from U12s to U16s and will be looking to test themselves in the premier youth event.

The event is being held at C.ex Coffs International Stadium in Coffs Harbour, NSW from Wednesday, September 25 to Friday, September 28, 2024. Entry is free and all are welcome to attend.

Fans can watch the event exclusively live and free on Kayo Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, and Sky Sport Next in other global territories.

The DoorDash National Youth Championships is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW and Coffs Harbour City Council.