What Does The Sport Look Like?
If you haven’t seen Touch Football before you can find plenty of great quality footage on Touch Football Australia’s (TFA) YouTube Channel
The Basics
The aim of the game is to score touchdowns by getting through the opponent team’s part of the field and placing the ball down in the touchdown zone.
Teams are made of up to 14 players, with a maximum of six (some local rules allow seven) players on the field at any time with unlimited substitutions. The game lasts 45 minutes, divided into two 20 minutes halves and a five minute half-time break. Just before the game, team captains gather with the referee/s for the toss. The winner gets the ball and chooses which direction they want their team to run.
The game starts with a ‘tap’ on the half way line.
The Rules
The rules are quite simple, and even if it’s your first time playing, you will pick up the basics in no time and enjoy the game with your teammates, no matter what everyone’s skill level is.
You can have a look at generic explanations by following this link to a video explaining some of the basic Touch Football rules.
- Basically, while attacking, you have to run forward and pass the ball backward; that means the ball carrier is up front, with his teammates on the same line or slightly behind them, so they can pass the ball to them.
- Defenders only need to ‘touch’ the ball carrier to stop the attacking team; the rules of the game stipulate that the ‘touch’ has to be made ‘with the minimum force necessary’. It can be done on any part of the body, including the ball or clothing. The ‘touch’ can also be made by the ball carrier on a defensive player.
- After making a ‘touch’, the defending team has to go backward behind an imaginary ‘defensive’ line, approximately five metres away from where the touch has been made; the referee will show you where they expect you to be. The ball carrier has to perform a ‘rollball’, on the exact mark where the ‘touch’ was made. Be careful not to be ‘over the mark’ when performing a roll ball.
- Your team will have six ‘touches’ as your opportunity to score. The sixth ‘touch’, dropping the ball or any infringement to the rules result in a changeover and the attacking team then becomes the defending side.
The rules of the game are easy to understand and suitable for everyone to enjoy Touch Football.
For a complete version of the rules of the game, please follow the link or visit the Rules and Policies section of the TFA website www.austouch.com.au.
An Affiliated Sport: The Touch Football Community
Touch Football is often referred to simply as ‘Touch’, or ‘Touch Footy’. It can be played everywhere across an extensive affiliated network within Australia. Touch Football Australia is the National governing body for the sport of Touch Football, recognised by the Australian Sport Commission.
Playing within an affiliated competition ensures you that you are covered with insurance and you enjoy the best ‘Touch experience’, with quality fields, organised draws and dedicated volunteers to make sure the games flow smoothly and people enjoy their time down at the field.
An Evening Down At The Field
Usually, players arrive between 10 and one minute before the start of the game. The warm up is pretty casual; you simply start playing as soon as both teams are on the field, with a referee ready to officiate, and after the Competition Coordinator has started the clock. The game lasts 45 minutes, divided into two 20 minutes halves and a five minute half-time break. In just an hour, you can have a run, a good time, a work out while having the thrill that Touch Football brings to players.
For more information about playing Touch Football, you can check documents in the ‘PLAY NOW’ section on Touch Football Australia website - www.austouch.com.au.
Touch Football - The Thrill of a Lifetime!
