Touch Football Australia is proud to welcome Hunter Sports High School as the first New South Wales school to join the Endorsed Schools Program, marking an exciting step forward for school-based Touch Football in the state. With 20 new students already participating in the Touch Football Sports Academy Program, Hunter Sports High has made a strong start in creating a positive, participation-focused environment where students can develop their skills, confidence and connection to the game.
The school’s connection with the Hunter Western Hornets and Newcastle City Touch affiliates provides students with valuable opportunities to continue their Touch Football journey beyond the school setting. These links help create a clear and supported pathway from classroom and school sport participation through to affiliate competitions, representative opportunities, coaching, refereeing and broader involvement in the Touch Football community.
Touch Football NSW is excited to support the rollout of the School Endorsement Program and to work alongside Touch Football Australia in helping more teachers and students access meaningful development opportunities. Through the program, schools can strengthen student engagement, support Health and Physical Education outcomes, and provide practical experiences that build teamwork, leadership, decision-making and respectful participation.
Hunter Sports High School Touch Football Academy Coordinator Jaimie McSpadden had this to say about the Endorsed Schools Program;
“We’ve joined the program because we see it as a fantastic opportunity to further strengthen and recognise the Touch Football program we’ve built at Hunter Sports High School.
Touch Football has been an important part of our school for a number of years, and becoming the first school in NSW to be officially recognised by TFA is something we’re extremely proud of. It gives our students a stronger connection to the sport’s national pathway and provides further opportunities for them to develop as players, coaches and officials.
We also really value the opportunity to liaise and collaborate with other like-minded schools and established Touch Football programs across Australia. Being able to share ideas, learn from what others are doing and build stronger connections between programs can only help us continue to improve what we offer our students.
For us, it’s about continuing to grow the program, creating genuine opportunities for our students and ensuring they can see a clear pathway from school-based Touch Football through to representative and higher levels of the game.”
A key focus of the Endorsed Schools Program is to equip students and teachers with the tools to grow the game in a sustainable and school-friendly way. By supporting coaching and referee accreditation, Touch Football Australia is helping schools build capability on and off the field while encouraging students to take on active roles as players, officials, leaders and ambassadors for the sport.
As the Endorsed Schools Program continues to grow, Touch Football Australia is excited about the opportunity to share the benefits of school-based Touch Football with more communities across New South Wales and around the country. The program offers a positive and practical way for schools to connect students with the game, support teachers with resources and pathways, and build lasting links between classrooms, local affiliates and the wider Touch Football community.
