National Touch League
League logo
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| Sport | Touch Football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Administrator | Touch Football Australia |
| No. of teams | 13 Permits with teams in 12 divisions |
| Venue(s) | Quad Park, Kawana Waters, Queensland (Suncoast Home Region) |
| Official website | www.austouch.com.au |
The National Touch League is the peak domestic competition for the sport of Touch Football in Australia. The annual four-day competition allows 13 regional permits from across Australia to compete in 12 Divisions including Opens, Mixed and Senior categories. The competition is split into a Seniors competition (over-age divisions from over 30s to over 50s) and an Opens competition (not restricted by age, other than for the under 20s divisions).
The competition is not only the pinnacle of Australian domestic competition, but is also the primary selection event for national representative teams.
The 12 divisions contested at the National Touch League from 1997 to 2007 were
In 2008, under the revised format, these divisions were altered to
The National Touch League was created to replace the 'Australian Nationals' which featured the seven Australian states. The finals of this competition were traditionally played between Queensland and New South Wales, the two most dominant touch playing states, with the Australian Capital Territory also performing strongly. The National Touch League increased representative opportunities for players from these states, while providing a more level playing field for competitors from the non-rugby league playing states. The first National Touch League was played in 1997.
While the format of the competition has had some minor amendments during the past 10 years of competition the stability of the event has led to the development of fierce rivalries between regions. The traditionally strong Touch Football regions have maintained their dominance of the competition.
At the time of its introduction the NTL was seen as being a move away from the past and step forward in the future development of Touch in Australia. Each of the 12 permit holders was to represent an equal number of registered players, making for a fairer, more competitive tournament. The playing talent is spread far more evenly and it was to give a larger number of players an opportunity to impress for higher representative honours. The NTL was also to provide the players with an important intermediate competition between local and state or national teams.
The NTL was also seen as being a marketing tool that would have significant value as a promotional vehicle. The first NTL opened up merchandising and sponsorship opportunities, and was televised on regional television networks and the Optus Vision cable network.
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