THE NRL and Touch Football Australia got teamed up last year in a player registration agreement.
Player and other registrations covered by the new joint venture have risen to more than a million.
It was a smart move to unite rugby league and touch footy players.
Many league players play touch, and vice versa.
It’s a good fit.
With so many sports for sportspeople to choose from nowadays it was a move to bolster the bond and natural affinity between touch footy and league.
In the summer months in the 1970s, many footballers got social or competition teams together and played touch to maintain their skills and fitness levels for the next winter season of footy.
Many league players registered in several competitions throughout their winter off-season.
After the men’s and women’s competitions flourished, so too did mixed touch footy, and then competitions for juniors divisions for boys and girls.
Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Remondis Stadium, Touch Football Australia held the 2015 Youth Trans-Tasman Challenge between Australia and New Zealand’s talented boys and girls under-18s and under-20s teams.
Australia won the series, winning all four divisions.
On the Friday morning a coaching clinic was held for the Cronulla-Sutherland region for boys and girls aged five to 12.
It was run by Touch Football Australia, NSW Touch Football and members of the Cronulla Sharks coaching staff were on hand to help.
Holding the clinics they held last Friday at Remondis and staging an international series in a rugby league heartland is a smart move.
In recent years Oztag has attracted many of the touch footy faithful.
Junior sporting associations are so important for the lifeblood of all sport.
In the St George and Sutherland Shire there are many of sporting clubs and codes available to choose from.
Winter registrations are just around the corner and you can bet your bottom dollar the clubs and associations are now clamouring for youngsters to signup.
How important are junior sporting associations in the community?
