Ospreys ready to launch summer touch rugby competition

Played on 10 consecutive Tuesday evenings at South Gower RFC, the competition will be played under Federation of International Touch (FIT) rules. The Welsh Touch Association, who are responsible for the development of touch rugby in Wales, will be supporting this initiative.

A 'Try Touch' evening will be held on Tuesday, 10^th May at 6 p.m, to kick-start the initiative, with all teams who successfully apply to join the league invited for a series of friendly matches, to 'have a go' and familiarise themselves with the rules, and to get to know the organisers and each other.

The league proper will commence the following Tuesday, 17^th May, and will continue for the next 10 Tuesdays. Each evening will commence at 6 p.m. and will be scheduled to finish at 9 p.m. League matches and friendlies will be played on the same evening.

Applications to join are invited from any organisations, be they rugby clubs, businesses or any interested group of friends. The league is part of the Ospreys Community programme and is designed to provide an opportunity to try a new variation of the game, to keep fit in an enjoyable environment and to make new friends. The league will be restricted to 16 teams who will be accepted on a 'first come (and pay) first served' basis. 12 teams will be all male and four teams will be mixed. Any female only teams interested in joining should contact Tony Thomas (details below), to discuss. Squads of a maximum of 15 players will be permitted to register.

Elite Performance Director, Andrew Hore, said that the touch league was a good way to get more people playing the game:

"Anything that encourages more people to play rugby is a good thing. In the southern hemisphere, touch rugby is a popular game for friends to play together, and we hope that it will prove a success in Ospreylia as well. If we can get more people out onto the rugby pitch over the summer, to enjoy rugby in a fun environment, it will hopefully lead to more people getting involved in the real thing next season and beyond."

Touch is a 6 a side game with unlimited substitutions and it is recommended that a core of 10 players be available each week. In the case of mixed teams, a minimum of three female players will be on the field at all times . Each team must nominate a Team Manager who will act as a point of contact. Teams will also be asked to nominate a referee/s to assist with the evenings. Full training will be given to referees prior to the start of the league by the WTAs Director of Refereeing.

Teams will also be required to supply their own kit which will be of a standard design, including numbers on the back of shirts. Please note that metal studded boots will not be permitted. Moulded studs, blades and trainers will be allowed.

Entries will cost £150 per team which equates to £1 per player per week for a full squad.

Download a team registration form here

Download a player registration form here

Download a summary of touch rugby rules here

Entry forms should be downloaded, completed and returned, together with a cheque made payable to Ospreys Community Fund to :-

Tony Thomas, Ospreys Coach Development Officer , Llandarcy Academy of Sport, Llandarcy SA10 6JD

Further details are available from Tony Thomas at tthomas@wru.co.uk.

Welsh Touch Association Website

South Gower RFC Website