Touch

History of Touch

Touch began in Australia in the early 1960s as a social or 'park game' and as a training technique for Rugby League.

It was not yet seen as a sport in itself. It was formalized into a real sport by the "Founders of Touch",

Bob Dyke en Ray Vawdon van de South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club.

On July 13, 1968, the South Sydney Touch Football Club was formed and the sport of Touch Football was born.

The first official Touch game was played in late 1968 and the first official competition, organized by Dyke & Vawdon, was held at Snape Park, Sydney in 1969.

From these humble beginnings, the game quickly became a fully regulated and codified sport. It was first played in Brisbane in 1973 and had spread to New Zealand by 1975.

The formation of the first national body, the Australian Touch Football Association, took place in 1976.

A highlight came after the leveled 1977 Sydney Rugby League Grand Final, when the rematch required a shadow program and Rugby League Officials asked the newly formed ATFA to provide the prelude game.

With an audience of over 40,000 people, this game helped raise awareness of Touch in Australia and was nothing short of spectacular according to Bob Dyke in the book "The Story of Touch".

Another highlight came in 1978 when the Sydney Metropolitan Touch Football side played the touring Great Britain National Rugby League team in a high-scoring match, with the local team winning with a controversial touchdown on the siren.

As more people started playing Touch, more organized competitions developed.

Touch is now a recognized sport in its own right, with thousands of people participating in local, regional and national competitions around the world. This fast, simple and exciting game promotes the fundamental skills of running, handling, dodging and support play, while developing the basic principles of attack and defense, without the fear of getting hurt.

The Federation of International Touch (FIT) is the governing body that was founded in 1985 and organized the first World Cup in 1991 and now includes more than 30 member states.

The game has grown rapidly in recent years, especially in the South Pacific and the United Kingdom.

Touch World Cups now attract more than 20 countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Lebanon, USA, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, England, Italy, Cook Islands, Fiji, Ireland, Malaysia , Kenya, Singapore, Netherlands, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Belgium, Scotland, Wales, China, Chile, Germany, South Korea and the Channel Islands.

What is Touch Rugby?

Touch Rugby is a relatively unknown phenomenon on Dutch sports fields.

In any case, the name says that it has to do with Rugby.

Although no tackles are allowed in Touch Rugby and contact is minimal, this sport owes its charms to the speed and dynamics of the game, where fitness plays a more important role than strength.

The video explains in detail what Touch Rugby is and especially why it is fun and can be a good addition to physical Rugby.