Football Leagues
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Touch footballTouch football is one of Australia's most popular recreation sports. It is based on rugby league but each team is composed of six players, a touch is used instead of a tackle, the ball may not touch the ground, the dummy half will be penalised if touched with the ball, and there is no kicking. Touch football is very suitable for players that want to keep fit and have some fun. The absence of tackling allows mixed competition, makes it suitable for hard grounds and suitable for people who like the energetic nature of football games but not the injuries that usually go with them. Touch football was invented in the 1950s by Robert Dyke and Ray Vawdon, both members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club. They wanted a game that would help rugby league players further refine their passing, catching and stepping skills. They also wanted to broaden the social appeal of rugby league. The training technique proved so popular that touch football spun off into a sport in its own right with no association with its rugby league parent. The first official game was played in late 1968 and the first official competition was held in 1969. Most of the initial expansion came in rugby league areas. Queensland and NSW were initial strongholds, but it has since expanded to Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2008, there were 250,000 registered Touch players and 500,000 school children actively playing the game. Internationally, touch football has used its associations with rugby to expand to New Zealand, South Africa, England, Wales, Scotland, Somoa, Cook Islands, Lebanon and Papua New Guinea. It has also had some expansion into Asia in regions where rugby is not played at all. Despite the broad international appeal, it remans more of an interest to players than spectators. |
Invention of Australian sports Cricket
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