Next Gen: Coffs Harbour Hosts Australia’s Rising Touch Football Stars for 2025 DoorDash National Youth Championships

Australia’s premier youth Touch Football event, the 2025 DoorDash National Youth Championships (NYC), returns this week in Coffs Harbour – marking its second consecutive appearance on the Mid-North Coast and extending the sport’s legacy in the region.

C.ex Coffs International Stadium will host more than 6,000 athletes, officials, and spectators across four days of competition, showcasing the next generation of Touch Football talent. The 2025 NYC will feature 125 teams from schools, regions, and states, contesting eight Boys’ and Girls’ divisions from under-12s through to under-18s – marking the largest participation number in the event’s history. All Australian states and territories will be represented by twenty-one competing entities, with the Brisbane Cobras and the South Queensland Sharks entering the largest contingents at fourteen teams each.

The NYC is one of two flagship national events on the Touch Football calendar, playing a vital role in both mass participation and elite talent identification for future national representation. Last year’s NYC saw a host of young stars selected to form the majority of the Athelite Australian Emus squads for the 2025 Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup, underscoring the sport’s strong performance pathways.

Gold Medal winners at last year’s Touch World Cup, Stephanie Halpin and Isabella Slattery make their return at the NYC, this time as coaches, mentoring the stars of tomorrow in NSW representative sides. We’ll also see Touch Football’s proud tradition of family connection continue in its pathways, with the children of Hall of Famers Bo de la Cruz and Drumayne Dayberg-Muir proudly donning Brisbane Cobras and South Queensland Sharks jerseys in the 12s and 14s divisions.

Alongside The Championships – the equivalent national event for adult participants – the NYC is projected to deliver an economic impact of more than $5 million for New South Wales and the Coffs Harbour economy, as Touch Football Australia (TFA) continues its long-standing partnership with the region.

The 2024 edition of the NYC produced historic results with NSW Combined Independent Schools winning their first-ever title in the 18s Boys and NSW Combined High Schools crowned champions in the 18s Girls for the first time since 2017. Both triumphs were against Queensland Representative School Sport, who were chasing a third consecutive title in both divisions.

TFA Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Ashcroft said:

“We’re proud to once again bring the DoorDash National Youth Championships to Coffs Harbour, which has become a home for Touch Football and our flagship events.

“The NYC continues to grow year-on-year and provides young athletes from every corner of the country with the opportunity to showcase their talent on the national stage, while reinforcing our ongoing partnership with the Mid-North Coast region.”

City of Coffs Harbour Mayor, Nikki Williams said:

“The C.ex Coffs International Stadium and the adjacent fields at Coffs Coast Sport and Leisure Park provide the perfect venue for mass participation events like the DoorDash National Youth Championships.

“That competitive advantage has helped to position us as the natural home for Touch Football. Plus, the emerging athletes, their families, and officials clearly revel in all the extras we have to offer at Coffs Harbour, especially all the outdoor attractions like our pristine coastline.

“The DoorDash National Youth Championships are the biggest Touch Football show in town, and we look forward to welcoming them to paradise.”

Event Details

The 2025 DoorDash National Youth Championships will be held at C.ex Coffs International Stadium in Coffs Harbour, NSW, from Wednesday, 1 October to Saturday, 4 October 2025.

Entry is free and all spectators are welcome.

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, alongside City of Coffs Harbour.