Building the Future of Touch Football’s National Calendar
Over the past 12 months, Touch Football Australia (TFA) has undertaken the most comprehensive review of the national Touch Football calendar in many years, ensuring our events continue to meet the needs of the community, strengthen representative pathways, and provide the best possible experience for participants, officials and volunteers.
Working alongside Member States and Alliance States through the National Calendar Working Group, TFA has taken significant steps towards a more aligned national calendar. Together, this work has delivered:
- A clash-tested 2026/27 national calendar, developed collaboratively with every State and Territory.
- A set of National Calendar Principles to guide future calendar planning.
- A centralised national Event Register covering more than 30 events, creating planning infrastructure that previously did not exist.
- Ongoing collaboration to finalise the 2027/28 calendar, with the only remaining clash currently being resolved collaboratively.
- The Capital Territory Cup has been repositioned within the calendar to reduce clashes and improve scheduling for participants and officials.
- The Victorian Junior State Cup timing is being reviewed to strengthen the national junior calendar, creating a more coordinated pathway and greater opportunities for participation.
- The National Indigenous Touch Football Knockout has moved from its crowded November timeslot to April, creating more space in the calendar to maximise participation, celebrate culture and strengthen connections across the Indigenous Touch Football community.
- Indigenous pathways will be further strengthened through the introduction of a refreshed All Nations event in 2027.
- Continued collaboration with the Federation of International Touch (FIT) and Touch New Zealand (TNZ) to strengthen flagship international events and representative opportunities.
This work represents an important step towards a more connected national calendar that better supports participants at every level of the game.
Community Shapes the Future of The Championships
As part of this broader work, TFA also completed a comprehensive strategic review of The Championships (formerly the National Touch League).
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the review through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and stakeholder engagement. More than 600 members of the Touch Football community shared their experiences and ideas, providing invaluable input into the future of the event.
Community feedback demonstrated strong support for preserving the event’s competitive quality and atmosphere, while also identifying opportunities to improve affordability, strengthen representative pathways, and continue evolving the event experience.
Following consideration of the review findings, the TFA Board has endorsed a series of recommendations that position The Championships as Australia’s elite representative Touch Football event while continuing to evolve the participant experience.
What This Means for The Championships in 2027
Event Details
Dates: 11-14 March 2027 (Thursday to Sunday)
Venue: C.ex Coffs International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Representative Pathway
The future of The Championships is built on strong regional pathways. From 2027, TFA is excited to prioritise Regional and Alliance State representative teams, recognising the vital role regions play in developing players, coaches, and officials, and creating a stronger, more connected representative pathway for the sport.
The Championships 2027 Eligible Teams will come from:
- TFA Regional Entities (which includes Regions from NSWTF and QTF)
- Alliance State Representative teams (ACT, VIC, TAS, NT, WA, SA)
- International teams (by invitation)
This change reinforces The Championships as Australia’s elite representative Touch Football event while strengthening the pathway into national selection.
The All Abilities divisions will continue to welcome Regional, Alliance State, and Affiliate teams, ensuring these divisions remain as accessible as possible. This reflects TFA’s commitment to inclusivity and maximising both participation and a positive national event experience for players, their families and support networks.
Other Key Outcomes
Following the successful 2026 pilot, 16-player match squads will continue for Masters divisions (40 years and above). The initiative received strong support from participants and has already attracted interest from other parts of the sport, with NSW Touch Football now considering a similar approach for its senior competitions.
Following careful consideration of community feedback, commercial sustainability, and operational requirements, The Championships will remain a four-day event (Thursday to Sunday) in 2027, with 40-minute games becoming the standard match format. While community feedback on event duration was closely divided, retaining a four-day format provides the best balance of participant experience, event operations, and commercial viability. TFA will continue to evaluate future event formats as part of its ongoing planning.
Coffs Harbour will remain the primary host venue, with TFA adopting a hosting strategy of three consecutive years in Coffs Harbour before rotating to another strategic event destination. Future host locations will be communicated well in advance to support planning for participants and stakeholders.
Several strategic recommendations from the review - including future event timing, long-term venue strategy, the future structure of the Opens divisions, ongoing cost reduction initiatives and event experience enhancements - require further planning before implementation. These matters are currently being progressed by TFA, with final decisions to be confirmed following further consultation over the coming months.
Looking Ahead
Beginning in August, TFA will commence regular engagement with Regions to support planning for The Championships 2027, including representative team preparation, coaching and accreditation requirements, registrations, and participant planning. These sessions will also help maximise regional participation and continue strengthening representative pathways across the country.
TFA will also continue working closely with Touch New Zealand (TNZ) ahead of the inaugural inclusion of New Zealand Open Regional/Provincial representative teams in 2027. TNZ will manage the selection of participating teams, with the pilot focused on Open divisions before considering broader expansion in future years.
Work is also continuing on the remaining strategic recommendations from the review, with final decisions expected later this year following further operational planning and stakeholder engagement.
Accommodation Offer
As part of TFA's ongoing commitment to improving affordability for participants, TFA has partnered with Pacific Bay Resort and is pleased to offer discounted room rates for The Championships 2027. Click here for more information and to secure your booking. Rooms are subject to availability.
