NRL Touch Premiership
Current season or competition: 2018 NRL Touch Premiership Season | |
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| Sport | Touch Football |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2018 |
| Inaugural season | 2018 |
| Country | Australia (TFA) |
| Website | touchfootball.com.au |
| Broadcast partner | Fox League |
| Related competition | National Touch League National Rugby League |
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The NRL Touch Premiership is the premier national domestic touch football competition in Australia[1]. It was formed in 2018, through a partnership between it's governing body, Touch Football Australia (TFA), and the National Rugby League (NRL). The premiership includes both a men's and women's competition, and features elite touch football players from around Australia, many of which are current Australian representatives.
History
Through the NRL Touch Football partnership between TFA and the NRL, a national elite touch football competition was proposed to commence in 2018. It was agreed to replace the existing Elite 8 division from the National Touch League, with an initial six teams being chosen to enter the new competition.[1]
The first season of the NRL Touch Premiership commenced with games in the first round played on May 18, 2018, at Sydney's Stadium Australia, and May 19, 2018, at Townsville's Willows Sports Complex, prior to the scheduled Round 11 games of the 2018 NRL season [2]
Teams
The inaugural teams aligned to existing NRL clubs - three from Queensland and three from New South Wales.[3]
| Team | NRL-aligned Club | Home Venue | Year Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| QLD Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville | 2018 |
| QLD Broncos | Brisbane Broncos | Lang Park, Brisbane | 2018 |
| QLD Titans | Gold Coast Titans | Robina Stadium, Gold Coast | 2018 |
| Newcastle Knights | Newcastle Knights | Newcastle International Sports Centre, Newcastle | 2018 |
| Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Eels | Stadium Australia, Sydney | 2018 |
| Wests Tigers | Wests Tigers | Stadium Australia, Sydney | 2018 |
Rules
The NRL Touch Premiership is played under the standard touch football playing rules, as set by Touch Football Australia, with minor variations to accommodate venue and broadcast partnerships.[4]
Variations
Field of Play
The field size is slightly reduced to be 60 meters long by 48 meters wide. A standard-sized touch football field is 70 meters long by 50 meters wide. Corner posts will be placed at the intersection of the scoreline.
Match Length
Each match will be played in two halves of fifteen minutes duration, with a two minute half-time break.
Drawn Matches
Should scores be level at the conclusion of normal time, the match will proceed into an extra time period of three minutes. Both teams will immediately have their on-field playing strength reduced to three players and the team that won the toss prior to the commencement of the match will receive possession of the ball and commence play with a tap on the center of the half-way line.
If the team receiving first possession scores a touchdown within their first set, the touchdown is awarded and the opposing team receives possession and re-commences play with a tap at the center of halfway.
If the opposing team fails to score within their replying set, the first team to score will be declared the winner.
However, if the opposing team does score, the touchdown is awarded and play is recommenced by the initial team to score. The next team to score after this point will be declared the winner.
If the score remains level after three minutes of extra time, the match will be declared a draw.
Match Officials
Match officials are appointed by Touch Football Australia, under the guidance of National High-Performance Referees Coach, Ian Matthew.[4]
2018 Referee Squad[5]
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Broadcast
Within Australia, all matches are broadcast on Fox Sports Australia's Fox League channel, through a mix of live and delayed telecasts.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "NRL announces historic Touch football premiership competition". National Rugby League. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
- ^ "NRL Touch Premiership 2018 Draw – Touch Football Australia". touchfootball.com.au. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
- ^ "The NRL Touch Premiership clubs have been announced! – Touch Football Australia". touchfootball.com.au. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
- ^ a b NRL Touch Premiership Operations Manual. Touch Football Australia. 2018.
- ^ "Touch Football Australia". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
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