Touch Football Australia (TFA) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of its Alliance states through a week-long series of community visits across the Northern Territory spanning Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, and Darwin.
Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Ashcroft, General Manager, Growth & Innovation, James Sharp, General Manager, People, Culture & Safety, Ajay Smith, and newly appointed Regional Development Lead, Central Australia, Shilo Monkland, connected with key stakeholders from local associations, government, and community organisations to strengthen relationships, identify new participation opportunities, and support the continued growth of Touch Football across the Alliance state.
The visit reinforced the importance of collaboration and visibility between TFA and local stakeholders, with the TFA team meeting with Northern Territory government representatives to discuss the delivery of participation programs across the MacDonnell and Barkly regions, with planning already underway for new community activations in the Barkly region.
TFA also met with Northern Territory State and Territory Advisory Committee Chair (STAC), Tim Pearson and his family to discuss the growth of Touch Football across the Territory, before visiting remote communities around Alice Springs to explore opportunities to introduce participation programs in areas where access to organised sport can be limited.
A key focus of the visit was connecting directly with local Touch Football associations to better understand their challenges and aspirations. Representatives met with the Alice Springs Touch Association to discuss how TFA can continue supporting the association's growth and create more opportunities for participation across the region.
In Katherine, TFA celebrated one of the Territory's success stories, connecting with Katherine Touch who recorded a 45% increase in participation over the past year. Their growth has been driven by a range of committee-led initiatives, including the development of a thriving junior program introducing more young people to Touch Football.
The visit also included discussions around future opportunities to expand participation in the Darwin region, including exploring potential program delivery in local rugby league facilities during its off-season. While in Darwin, TFA also acknowledged outgoing STAC member Michael Fleming, recognising his contributions to Touch Football in the Northern Territory.
TFA Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Ashcroft, said:
"Spending time on the ground in communities across the Northern Territory and hearing directly from the people driving our game locally has been incredibly valuable. Throughout the week, we’ve seen firsthand the genuine passion for Touch Football and the incredible work being done by associations and their dedicated volunteers.
"TFA's role is to understand the unique needs of each community and support that local growth by working alongside associations, volunteers, and community leaders to create more opportunities for people to get involved in our sport.”
