While many may know about touch rugby and may have even played it socially, few know of how big the game actually is.
Touch has more regular female participants worldwide (not including school participation) than any other code of rugby.
Touch has more 21+ male participants than any other code of rugby worldwide.
Touch federations in Australia and England have formal working agreements with the NRL and Premiership Rugby respectively.
Touch, is not too dissimilar to other variants of rugby in which it has its supporters and detractors.
The facts above however are clear indication of the sport’s popularity.
The recent agreement between the NRL and Touch Rugby Australia will see rugby league-associated adult participation increase by almost 300 percent.
Let’s forget the RLIF’s limited capabilities as global governors of the sport. Let’s also forget that the Southern Hemisphere is well behind the RLEF in developing the sport among new nations.
What I want to focus on is the rugby league’s greater ambition to follow rugby union by having a presence in the world’s biggest multiple sports events starting with the Commonwealth Games.
I am not yet convinced that rugby sevens’ inclusion into the Olympic Games is a huge problem for rugby league. In fact I see it as an opportunity.
While non-traditional nations will receive very small grants to develop sevens programs, their appearance in the Olympics among the top 16 nations is about as likely as Australia’s chances of hosting the FIFA World Cup by 2050.
The natural progression for clubs in smaller nations is to start playing thirteen a side rather than fifteen. A version of the sport which can be argued is closer in style to sevens than union.
However, the key decision makers in league currently have their eyes set on nines being the sport of choice for global appeal. I believe that the sport of rugby league would have a greater chance of gaining worldwide appeal via touch.
This is a sport which has obvious appeal to adults not suited too or comfortable with the physical aspects of full rugby.
Furthermore, it promotes all the non-contact skills in an exciting, fast paced environment.
Perhaps the most appealing part of the sport is that it allows for mixed gender teams, a rare opportunity in contact sports and one that is reserved only for Equestrian in the Olympics.
A second mixed gender sport in the Olympics would be a welcome addition to “the Games” and a positive story for mixed gender sport.
With the official laws from the Federation of International Touch derived from league, the governing bodies of thirteen a-side would have the added benefit of promoting athletes playing ‘full contact touch’ as an almost gladiatorial pursuit, to new international markets.
If I were in the hierarchy of touch rugby right now, my target would be for the sport to gain Commonwealth Games Federation recognition before continuing with an application to Sport Accord.
Such successful applications could see the sport catapult its way to high profile international exposure.
Touch rugby in the Olympics I feel is far more a reality than rugby league nines or whatever it will be marketed as.
Holding an influential position in international development of rugby league, I would firstly convince my colleagues of the benefits touch rugby can have for increased international profile and then maximise that potential before touch rugby associations realise it themselves.
Roosters
Guest
Touch does NOT come under the Rugby umbrella. In some countries they have a partnership but thats it FIT (federation of International touch) is the governing body.
GC7
Guest
It hasn't changed it's name. The official name of the sport is 'Touch', people use the phrase Touch Rugby (mainly in Europe), as that's what people associate it with. Only in the Southern hemisphere do they refer to it as Touch Footy.
GC7
Guest
Maximus, both Germany and USA play, and competed in the last Touch World Cup in 2011, making your argument defunct.
KB
Guest
Since when has Touch Football changed its name to Touch Rugby. There is a lot of reference to Touch Rugby in the report.
Marcus Halberstram
Guest
well, more so than, say, AFL can.
TREX
Guest
Rugby union has more than 6 million participants worldwide so where are the other 5 million touch players outside of Australia?
Anakin
Guest
Australia has almost one million recognised participants in Touch (incl. half a million school children)
Anakin
Guest
It wasnt a buy out - and Touch Football Australia has retained its identity. Details can be found here: http://www.austouch.com.au/index.php?id=13&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=3986&cHash=02529ed9a8
Anakin
Guest
Both Germany and the USA are recognised members of the Federation of International Touch.
Tron
Guest
Should rugby try and claim rugby league, American and Canadian football because those sports were born out of rugby? NO!
Marcus Halberstram
Guest
Because Touch is becoming so big, Rugby Union is (rather lamely) trying to claim it. Sadly for Rugby League, Touch Footy looks more like Rugby League than Rugby League does. Mindless 'hit' ups...
Marcus Halberstram
Guest
Yeah touch is massive even in Melbourne.
TREX
Guest
Tron is right, the touch rugby mention on this story only consists of touch players in Australia and New Zealand and I don't remember both those countries having more than five million participants like rugby world wide. Lets not get ahead of ourselves and just throws numbers in here. Show us where there's mention of over five millions touch rugby players.
Eddard
Roar Guru
The breakdowns might often be short (at times quicker than a league play the ball) but their technical aspect is if anything enhanced by the smaller number of players involved. Technique at the breakdown is one of the most important aspects of the game as possession is so important. You watch a game when a top team like NZ plays a lower team. The lower team really struggles to keep the ball at the tackle without committing too many numbers, which means they end up with less attackers out wide than there are defenders. And if there's a quick turnover or penalty against them they're stuffed. It's very, very technical. Also, participation doesn't necessarily lead to spectator interest. In my experience people like to play touch but watch full tackle rugby league or union. Until touch begins to generate genuine spectator interest it has zero chance of becoming an olympic sport.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Want there a story lastyear about RL buying touch Australia or something along those lines ?
Sports Prophet
Roar Pro
Thank you DOW, I couldn't have answered it any better
hutch
Guest
The current version of internationally recognised 'touch football' was started by the south Sydney junior rugby league as an off season competition for rugby league players. It is a non contact version of rugby league, union should keep their grubby hands off it.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
What is touch Rugby, ive never heard it called that. I have always known and played touch footy.
Millsy
Guest
When I first went to NZ and went to a training run at a club there, they were playing a version of touch I had never seen before. Just a warm up drill so too speak, nothing like Touch Football. Here in Australia they were allowed to start their own association and dropped the name Touch Rugby so as to lower the insurance costs. New people came into the game from different sports and started to influence the way it is played to what it is today. However there is no doubt that Touch Footy is Rugby League and will alway be RL. Yes agree 7's rugby is more like RL than the 15 person game in a sense but I bet the RU would not agree. I see 7's rugby a good avenue for all sports to poach from so let the games administrators pay for something that RL would not have to, I mean many people over the world only know the name RUGBY not the variants.
albo
Guest
You took the words out of my mouth with the last line.