Community Initiatives

The WTA is committed to contributing to current and future initiatives to improve activity levels and sport participation among the population of Wales.

"Touch is a true community based sport, which caters for all age groups and shapes and sizes"

The WTA is seeking to make Touch available to everyone in Wales with the intention to highlight Touch as the ultimate community sport, ideal as either a recreational activity or a competitive sport.

Previously the WTA, in conjunction with WRU Development Officers, have ogranised 3 no. primary school tournaments involving 70 schools, secondary school leagues together with the first indoor schools tournament involving 40 schools.

The WTA are placing particular emphasis on improving participation among juniors and women. This will include:

• having involvement in National and Local community events,
• organising stand-alone events to demonstrate the game.
• Raising awareness of the game in schools. Briefings have previously taken place with Post-Graduate P.E. students studying for a Certificate in Education on Touch for inclusion as part of the National Curriculum. The WTA intend to expand that programme.

The WTA have a number of development officers within different regions to run the sessions. They are supplemented by a number of the international players who are available to run through the basic rules and moves.

The idea is to undertake coaching clinics and skills sessions, to promote the fundamentals of the game.

The sessions are aimed at attracting new people into the sport as potential players, coaches and referees, as well as targeting existing players within the current league structure to raise the general quality level of play in Wales.

As a sport in its own right, Touch has many advantages:

• It increases activity levels among players and promotes the ethics of teamwork and effective communication.

• It runs through the summer months, and is played outdoors.

• It offers the opportunity for mothers, fathers, and children to play together in a common physical activity

• It enables participation in a minimal contact sport removing concerns about injury to players - a major consideration for parents of young players, for many females and for a growing number of men, especially those past their physical fitness peak

• Playing ages range from primary school juniors to the 55 plus age-group category.

  Treats women as equals to men giving them the opportunity to compete with men on the same field on an equal basis

There are obviously some similarities between Touch, and Rugby. Touch is also therefore seen as an excellent development tool for Rugby as it promotes the positive skills required for either code of the game:

• It focuses on the manipulation and exploitation of space, distributing the ball before contact

• It promotes the fundamental skills of running, handling, communication, evasion and support play,

• It enables players to develop the basic principles of attack and defence without the fear of getting hurt.

If you are interested in organising or participating in one of these events, please contact our Development Officer Co-ordinator Neil Perkins at n.perkins@virgin.net

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