Senior FAQ

Can you start playing Touch Football at any age?
Yep, pretty much! You can play from age 5, but Touch Football is a common sport played for the first time in adulthood. It’s a simple sport to pick up, and the only skills required are running, passing and catching. Many people enjoy that men and women can play together in Mixed competitions, as can different age groups depending on age criteria set by the club – so the whole family, from kids to parents and grandparents, can all play together. Touch Football is also a sport commonly played by people all the way up to their sixties and seventies, with our National Touch League tournament even providing a Men’s 60s division. Touch Football is also a common sport for former – or off-season – rugby league players to start playing so they can keep active.

I don't know how to play – is that a problem?
Head to this website's Beginners' Hub where you'll find quick and simple resources to learn how to play and improve your game.

Is Touch played year-round?
The peak Touch Football season is 'summer' (start month of the 'summer season' is earlier the further north you are in Australia), though yes, a lot of Touch Football clubs run competitions year-round. Juniors competitions tend to run in the summer season only, while many competitions run through both summer and winter.

Is Touch the same as Tag? 
No, there's no 'tag' in Touch Football! You don't need any specific types of shorts to play like you do in a tag game. 

Do you have to be fit to play Touch?
Nope, Touch Football at park level is a social sport. And there's a reason it's Australia's largest social sport, with 700,000 people around the country taking part – everyone can play, no matter your age or size. It's just about finding a social team that suits you.

What is Mixed Touch?
Many Touch Football clubs around the country offer ‘Mixed’ competitions, which means males and females can play in teams together. Depending on the age criteria set by the club, this means whole families (kids, parents, grandparents) can event play together. Even at the most elite end of the sport, there are Mixed as well as Men's and Women's divisions.

Can different age groups play together?
Yep, in some teams you often get three generations in the one team – grandkids playing with their parents and grandparents. How many sports can you say that happens in?

Sign me up! How do I get involved?
Search for your nearest club in our Finder where it says 'Find your place to get involved'. If you don't have a team to sign up with and you're not going to be able to rally another nine or so people from your friends, workplace or family, you can reach out to your nearest club to see if they can find you a team. But if you've got a team, the Team Contact registers that team to a club via MySideline, then team members register to that team.

How many people are in a team?
Ten is a good number of people for a team because six players are on the field at any one time, with substitutions allowed at any time. A common number of people in a team is 14. But if you've got a group of 10, you've got a team! 

What's the deal with the NRL part in NRL Touch Football's name?
The NRL and Touch Football Australia (TFA) are partner sports, with some of Touch Football Australia's national office staff based at the NRL's headquarters in Sydney. (The NRL runs rugby league and TFA runs Touch Football.) This is because Touch was borne out of rugby league more than 50 years ago, back in 1968. The tackle-free version of the game developed as an off-season training game for league players. Nowadays there is an elite, televised Touch Football competition called the NRL Touch Premiership, in which men's and women's elite Touch Football teams represent NRL clubs ahead of NRL games at major stadiums around Australia.