A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF TOUCH
And I mean very brief! There are plenty of other sites with more detailed info! ;)
Touch began life in the 1960s in Sydney, Australia as a training tool for Rugby League, and a social game for players who wanted to keep playing but could no longer take the hits involved in its big brother game. The first official game was played in 1968, and it had spread across much of Australia by 1973, and on to New Zealand in 1975. The governing body, the Federation of International Touch, was founded in 1985, as the sport spread across the world.
The game was brought to Wales by New Zealander, David Swain, just prior to the first Touch World Cup in 1991. It grew in popularity in the Cardiff area for many years but not so much elsewhere in the country. However, in the last ten years, the sport has experienced a massive boost in popularity across the UK and Europe. The Touch World Cup, now held every 4 years, hosts teams from 20+ countries, and while the Australians and New Zealanders still have a big lead, the rest of the world is slowly catching up. There is also a European Touch Championships competition that runs every 4 years in between World Cup years, and the game has also recently expanded to include a Junior European Touch Championships. England and Wales also now have regional competitions as a link between touch clubs and the national set-ups.
TOUCH IN NORTH WALES
Touch started in North Wales in 2006. Based in Wrexham, the club was founded by Matthew Overson, who had played touch in Edinburgh before moving home to Wrexham. After three years of social fun and fitness, Wrexham decided to become a competitive team in 2009, entering tournaments throughout Wales and England.
In 2012, the Wales Touch Association launched a regional competition, splitting Wales into six distinct regions, with North Wales acting as one of those regions. North Wales adopted the nickname "Rangers", after the mountain ranges of Snowdonia. At that time, Wrexham was still the only touch team, so the Rangers team had a very limited pool of players to pick from. Nevertheless, the team played well at the tournament, winning the one game that had been targeted.
In recent years, the popularity of the game has taken off hugely across the UK with both England and Wales Touch Associations linking up with the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby Union respectively. This has helped rugby clubs take an interest in the sport, and many local rugby clubs are now organising their own touch teams to help keep their players fit over the summer months. With the recent endorsement of touch by major rugby union stars such as Shane Williams, Tom Shanklin, Non Evans, etc..., more and more people are taking up the sport.
SO WHAT IS NORTH WALES TOUCH ALL ABOUT THEN?
So, with more and more clubs springing up over north Wales, we need a way of co-ordinating the teams and giving them access to the information needed to learn how to play the gam effectively. Eventually, it is hoped that we can organise mini tournaments or even a league structure in north Wales to develop the game even further and allow for a good strong pool of players to pick for the North Wales Rangers team, and ultimately on to the national squads.
This website is a resource for north Wales teams, providing basic rules, fundamental individual skills and tactics that all the teams need to know.
The website was set up by members of Wrexham Raptors, who have experience of playing, coaching and refereeing the sport. We are always happy to assist teams with their development. Please get in touch with us if you would like to take advantage of our coaching.