A Brief History in Touch
Many variations of Touch have been used as training and warm up exercises in both Rugby Union and Rugby League for many years. Whether the touches have to be one or two handed, below the waist only or if the player must lie down before playing the ball matters little, people adapted it to their own needs
Then in 1968 the “Founders of Touch”, Bob Dyke and Ray Vawdon formed the “South Sydney Touch Football Club” and the sport of Touch Football was born
From these humble beginnings the game quickly became a fully regulated and codified sport. It was first played in Brisbane in 1972 and by 1973 there were representative games. It had spread to New Zealand by 1975
The establishment of the first national body, the Australian Touch Football Association came in 1976. A highlight came after the drawn Sydney Rugby League Grand Final of 1977 when the rematch needed a curtain-raiser and rugby league officials asked the newly formed ATFA to provide the prelude game. With a crowd of 40,000+ this game helped to raise the profile of Touch in Australia and was nothing short of spectacular
The game has expanded rapidly in recent years, especially in Asia, the South Pacific, Europe and United Kingdom. Touch World Cups now attract over 50 nations
Whether you are from a Union or League background it is hard to ignore the influence Touch has had on styles of play in both codes, and it is fairly easy to recognise skills developed in Touch in some of the flair players
Rugby Union players such as David Campese and Quade Cooper are both known as high risk players, but usually keep a cool head under pressure
And surely only the most ardent SBW fan would say there are many more exciting League players to watch than Benji Marshall or Shaun Johnson. Check out the Superstars section of the Video Gallery to see what I mean!
Countries with a history of Touch can use it as a progression tool to safely develop skills and experience whether it is from Touch to 7’s to 15’s in Union or people like Joshua Polglase who in 2013 became the first amateur touch player to be selected for the Australia national Rugby League team
With the creation of FIT in 1985 and the running of the World Cups since 1988 we have seen a massive growth in Touch worldwide, and long may it continue!
