thirty-two - issue 5

thirty-two TOUCH MAGAZINE | SUMMER 24

ISSUE 5

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Battle of Beantown USAT Senior Mixed From Founding Fathers to World Cup Players 2024 TWC Hong Kong China The Rise of Taiwanese Touch Rugby Stars

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Oman Touch All Rise for SPW: Sir Peter Walters An Interview with Tony Trad Why TWC24 will be the best one yet Touch at the Olympics 2032

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I was photographing one of the USAT Mixed Open training sessions and decided to do some experiments with shutterspeed and try something different. Ended up with a three or four shots that accurately encapsulate this last week before the start of the Touch World Cup. It's been intense, it's been full on, and it is about to get bigger.

I haven't decided if I'm quite ready for it, but if you see me at the grounds, do say hello, and bring coffee (mocha, please - but only until 4pm).

The Touch World Cup is here!

A huge thank you to Gus McMahon for editing this issue of thirty-two and, most importantly, for your friendship.

BATTLE OF BEANTOWN

By Renee Ovrut Photo Boston Touch

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oston Touch hosted its second Battle of Beantown Tournament on Saturday, May 4th, with six teams from around the country competing in an early-season mixed tournament. In addition to two Boston teams, the tournament saw teams from NYC Touch, Philadelphia Touch and the Dirty 30s, a team compiled primarily of players from the USA Touch Senior Mixed squad. The day was filled with tough and friendly competition with the Dirty 30s edging out NYCT for the "duck banana" trophy and bragging rights. All teams enjoyed post-tournament revelry at a local brewery. Boston Touch is proud to have grown their tournament, with success, in its second year and is looking forward to continuing to host the Battle of Beantown in years to come, as an early spring tournament!

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USAT SENIOR MIXED

By Josie Ziluca Photo Susi Seitz

How do you describe lightning in a bottle? If you were to spend one day with the USA Touch Senior Mixed team, then you’d be on your way to understanding this special phenomenon. The World Cup build-up campaign for this eclectic group has involved many sacrifices and Bronco reps. Connection and familiarity were built with every training camp, scrimmage, and team zoom call.

Steve Watt, the head coach, has been instrumental in his coordination and approach to handling the nuances of a squad spread out across the whole country. It was through detailed playbooks, Kahoot games, and team chat banter that this squad grew into an unstoppable force of friendship. The focus of improving skill and knowledge incrementally is a testament to this team’s process-oriented approach. The entirety of the team constantly has external factors pulling on them; but when it’s time to lock in, this group takes it to a special place.

This team is fast, aggressive, and adaptable. Many team members are coaches themselves so there is a wonderful mentality of humility and collaboration present. Moreover, almost all of the team members have played rugby union at various competitive levels. It is that skill level that enables this group to play in and out of systems on the field.

More passion, more humor, and more energy are what you can expect from any member of this squad. The flavor that they bring to the USA Touch battalion is spicy and memorable, and I’m wondering how some teams are going to handle their heat. Their first international training game against Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) was a tremendous step towards finding their spark.

The fact is that they’re over thirty, playing like they’re in their twenties. They’re flirting with victory, and they’re thriving in their roles. No matter what storm comes their way, it seems that they’re rooted in their connection and love for one another. It’s going to be a big undertaking to disrupt this team’s chemistry. This group is special, anyone can see that, and we’re all excited to see them translate that joy into hard yards and tries.

Steve Watt - Head Coach

Chris Milledge

Jordan Heller - vice captain

Rudd Ryans - S/C

John Nguyen - film analyst

Hannah Bliss

Holly Abrams - Manager

Josh Sowa

Kelly Dean

Hautahi Kingi - captain

Nathan Sohadaseni

Josie Ziluca

Andre van der Merwe

Justin Hale

Karla Navarrete - inj. Res.

Adam Scheidler

Chance Doyle

Adrianne Hadley

Ryan Kretchmar

Bobby Johns

Christina Swift thirty-two

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FROM FOUNDING FATHERS TO WORLD CUP PLAYERS

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By Alex Tsang

ouch in Hong Kong began in the late 80s and was a summertime social throw around during the off-season for contact rugby players. For a good two decades it was a leisurely pastime with friends, family, and teammates that cultivated a small yet thriving community that came together to form pickup teams every warm summer.

Dedicated Touch clubs from these early years — Raven, Buccaneer, Galaxy, Zion and Phoenix — are now household names in Touch in Hong Kong, and the game is building more interest as it continues to develop.

Now, many of those former youngsters are in their 30s, and many have been looking at stepping down That began to take a turn in the early 2010s when a or retiring. This was until Hong Kong China Touch new wave of young teenagers and twenty-somethings announced that they were opening a range of Masters living in the big, bright city dreamed of taking the divisions to compete in the World Cup. game of Touch to new heights by creating their own Suddenly, there was the opportunity to compete on dedicated clubs. the world stage that they had always dreamt of, one Each had a similar start, with a handful of friends that they had thought had already passed. Answering passionate about the game coming together and the call for this once-in-a-lifetime experience while scouring around to find anyone curious enough to be they can still be competitive, they have collectively willing to train for and play in competitions. During joined the newly created Mens 30s team for their those early days, many touch clubs and their players moment to shine. were ridiculed or looked down on for not being physically “strong enough” and for playing a “soft,” “non-contact” version of rugby.

Now, as each of these founders

can rest on their laurels and Those youngsters spent hours trying to build their respective clubs: recruiting players, managing all the enjoy the fruits of their labour, they also have the chance to admin in their free time, and coaching while learning focus, to play, and to compete the game themselves by watching YouTube. An overseas team plays in a local competition and does a for themselves. move well, and those same youngsters would rewatch the clips over and over again to eke out every last bit of knowledge about the play.

What comes next? Keep an eye out on the World Cup Development came further in the mid-2010s when a in Nottingham this July and hopefully we will surprise few kind-hearted individuals willing to coach and share you all. their knowledge of the game arrived. Simple concepts that many players in Hong Kong now take for granted, such as corner-saver, drive patterns, or what a “32” is, Instagram: @rockers.touch stemmed from this period and served as a catalyst to propel the game to new heights in Hong Kong.

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Touch Academy Stepping Course with "Hitch" Hide Nara (2015) Raven Touch Football (2014)

Rockers Mens 30s Japan Tour (2024)

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2024 TOUCH WORLD CUP HONG KONG CHINA

By Wai Ting HO (Ho Chai) Head of Rugby Engagement and Transition | Hong Kong, China Rugby

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he Hong Kong China Touch team is delighted Dr. Diana Li, Chairlady of Hong Kong China Touch, to announce it will send six teams to the is eagerly looking forward to the tournament and upcoming 2024 Touch World Cup. is satisfied with the team's build-up so far. She said: "Our overall preparation and training are going really Hong Kong China will be making its third appearance well. Considering that back in 2014 we had just one at the FIT Touch World Cup, following campaigns in Mixed Open team of sixteen players, the fact we are both 2015 and 2019. This year, the team will send its now sending six teams shows a remarkable growth of largest delegation ever, with over one-hundred players the sport in Hong Kong. With our largest overseas and coaching staff participating in six competition representation to date everyone is excited to step onto categories: Men's Open, Women's Open, Men's 30s, the field and give it our all."

Men's 40s, Women's 27s and Mixed 30s.

The six teams have been engaged in regular training Touch is a rapidly growing sport that emphasises skill, sessions since March. Coach Yung Chi-fung, who led speed, and teamwork. The participation of the Hong the Hong Kong China Touch team at both the 2015 Kong China Touch team will bring greater visibility and 2019 FIT Touch World Cups, and is now coaching to the sport and showcase Hong Kong China's the Men's Open division, emphasises the importance commitment to Touch rugby on the world stage. of executing defensive strategies. He commented: 12

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"Tactically placing trust in our defensive strategies will undoubtedly enhance our performance, while minimising minor mistakes will make each game easier for us. On the mental side, effectively managing our recovery between games and on the game day will optimise performance, particularly as not many of our players have experienced tournaments lasting for more than three consecutive days."

With six players having previous World Cup experience and over half the squad having participated in international competitions, Coach Yung also believes that the sharing of experience by veteran players is something that can help ease the pressure on the team.

Lam Ching-man Keri, captain of the Women's 27s Touch team, acknowledges that their team, who formed less than a year ago, may be considered underdogs compared to some of the more experienced teams. By focusing on pre-match preparations, they have fostered a spirit of teamwork, aiming to enhance synergy and collaboration to take into matches and

elevate performance. Lam is excited about the team's potential on the field, commenting: "We've got some surprise moves that we're itching to unleash. Keep a lookout for our slick passing skills and sneaky dummy runs during the game."

Dr. Diana Li will also compete in the Mixed 30s division. She emphasised what an honour it was for the six squads to not only be representing Hong Kong China but doing so on the world stage. She wished the teams well, encouraging them to enjoy the experience and wear the Hong Kong China jersey with pride. She concluded: "Touch rugby is a great sporting platform. For men and women to compete together as equals on the world stage is just fantastic. I hope that each player will gain invaluable international experience that they can bring back to Hong Kong, thereby elevating our overall performance levels and creating more opportunities to nurture future players." thirty-two

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Hong Kong China Men’s Open

Hong Kong China Women’s Open

Hong Kong China Women’s 27s

CHAN Ho Hin (Neo Touch) CHEUNG Pui Hang (Zion) CHEUNG Tsz Fung (Zion) CHOW Ka Ho (Zion) LAU Chin Yan (Zion) LEE Siu Nam (Buccaneer) LEUNG Chung Hin (Zion) LO King Sum (Raven Touch Football) NG Wai Lok Wallace (Raven Touch Football) PANG Ho Lam (Neo Touch) TANG Pak Fai (Buccaneer) TO Kai Shing Stanic (Galaxy Touch Hong Kong) WONG Cam Lok (Raven Touch Football) WONG Wai Lun (Neo Touch) YAM Hin Chin (Raven Touch Football) YEUNG Chit Lun (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch)

CHAN Shuk Ki (Neo Touch) CHAN Wing Yi (T8 Touch Football Club) CHIU Cin Yei Victoria (VIC Storm, Australia) CHUNG Ka Ling (Raven Touch Football) BENNET-THORAK Elderi (T8 Touch Football Club) BOTHA Tyler (T8 Touch Football Club) FONG Chun Sin (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) HAI Siu Ki (Raven Touch Football) HAU Jing Ting Hayley (Zion) LAW Hoi Ching (Raven Touch Football) LOK Ching Lam (Raven Touch Football) NG Lok Ching Sonia (Buccaneer) PANG Hiu Lam Mila (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) WONG Chi Ling (Raven Touch Football) WONG Ching Hei Victoria (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) YIM Chung Sze (Neo Touch)

AU YEUNG Tsz Lam (Thunder) HAU Jing Man Jasmin (Zion) KWOK Ka Hei (Tai Po Dragon) KWONG Sau Yan Ivy (Tai Po Dragon) LAM Ching Man Keri (Bomber) LAM Ka Man Carman (Galaxy Touch Hong Kong) LAM Luk Ying (Yellow Bull) LAM Wing Chi (Raven Touch Football) LI Mei Shan (Zion) LIM Katherine (Greenobo) LO Tan Tung (Neo Touch) NG Ka Yu Gwenda (Neo Touch) TANG Sin Chi Phyllis (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) TSANG Yuen Ying (Yellow Bull) WONG Man Chi Grace (Galaxy Touch Hong Kong) YEUNG Hei Tung J (Neo Touch)

Coach: WAN Kwok Kwong Manager: LEE Sunny

Coach: LI Eric Manager: KWONG Sau Yan Ivy

Coach: YONG Chi Fung Zanio Manager: LIU Kam Ping

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Hong Kong China Men’s 30s

Hong Kong China Mixed 30s

Hong Kong China Men’s 40s

AU Chi Wai (Rebels) CHAN Tsz Him (Zion) CHEUK Ming Yin Ricky (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) CHEUNG Ho Ning Charles (T8 Touch Football Club) HO Sai Ah (Raven Touch Football) LAM Wan Chung Nick (Buccaneer) LAU Hon Wang Sunny (Zion) LO Wai Chun (Raven Touch Football) REEVES Bernie (T8 Touch Football Club) TO Yat Fei Jason (Zion) TSANG Lik Fung Alex (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) WONG Man Chung (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) WONG Raymond (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) WU Ka Sing Michael (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) YAU Jun Tang Felix (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) YIP Siu Hong Kenny (Galaxy Touch Hong Kong)

CHAN Lut Ting Lawrence (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) CHEUNG Kin Pong (Neo Touch) FAN Yat Hei Alexander (HK Scottish Folds) IP Ho Yin Gordon (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) LAM Ka Yan (Buccaneer Touch) LI Annabelle Rachel (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) LI Kin Chung (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) LI Yee Yuen Diana (RAA Pacific Touch Club) LIM Kin Sang (Neo Touch) NG Man Lung (Neo Touch) SIU Sheung Yee Stephanie (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) WONG Tsz Shing (Zion) WONG Ying Faat (Pillar Sports Phoenix Touch) YIP Wai Ying Emily (Blue Dragons) YU Man Fung Oly (Zion) YUE Hin Wing (Zion)

CHOW Chi Hoi Ocean (Drink or Home) FLOWERS Justin (T8 Touch Football Club) FORD Andrew (T8 Touch Football Club) HO Cham Sum (Greenobo) JOE Brendon (T8 Touch Football Club) KAHU Kirk (T8 Touch Football Club) KOO Chun Hung (Rebels) LIN Dennis (T8 Touch Football Club) MASCORD Daniel (T8 Touch Football Club) MO Michael Man Kit (Greenobo) NG Chris (Blue Dragons) NG Shu Wah (Rebels) NGAN Sai Shing (THT Shiaolin Touch Club) WONG King Bun Benjamin (T8 Touch Football Club) WONG Issac (T8 Touch Football Club) YUEN Hay Yan (Sun of Grapes)

Coach: EGUCHI Ryoma Manager: BELL Storm

Coach: WONG Ying Faat Manager: SZETO Wing Chung

Coach: MO Man Kit Michael Manager: LAI Nok Hei

Hong Kong China Referees CHIN January Hong Ting CHONG Fuk Hei Pinky FAN Chun Yin Peter LAM Cheuk Hang Nathan LAU Chi Chun Roy LAU Sing Lun Nico

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THE RISE OF TAIWANESE TOUCH RUGBY STARS

By Nico Whiteford Photos Paul Hu

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aiwan, Formosa, our beautiful island, holds home to a diverse origin story, Touch Rugby existing as an unexpected counterpart. Being introduced to the sport in my 9th grade PE class at Taipei American School (TAS) was around the same time Touch Rugby found its way into recreational sport through the Chinese Taipei Touch Association (CTTA) in 2011.

As a high schooler, I understood from our coach, David Bond, that he was one of the few devotees to bring the sport into the competitive athletics conference known as IASAS, the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools, which was the conference in which TAS belonged. Thanks to the popularity of Touch in Australia and New Zealand, the presence of these expats teaching at IASAS schools allowed the development of Touch Rugby to manifest as a competitive seasonal sport for high school athletes. Following high school, the post graduate athletes primarily go to attend universities in the United States and Canada where Touch Rugby thrives in a handful of big cities. Throughout New York City, Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, and even Toronto Canada, just to name a few. Touch Rugby finds itself in the weekly routine of young international professionals looking for a community that understands their lifestyle and overseas background. The clubs based in the US and Canada have been developing for a number of years depending on the club. Many learn from one another contingent on their level of establishment and experience in order to organize regular pickup, nationwide or coastal tournaments, in addition to skills and drills training to bring touch rugby to a higher level in the United States and Canada.

international students look to return home to settle roots. Although the early group of Touch enthusiasts who put together the CTTA worked hard to make the sport accessible for local Taiwanese, including Tien-Ying Fan (Ting), Fershard Irani (Fish), and Timmy Chang, the greatest source of seasoned players primarily comes from TAS students looking to strengthen their skills on and off season. Regardless of this obstacle, the CTTA has continued to lift their standard of play throughout the years as active members, coaches, and referees partaking in competitions in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, and Australia. Locally, the CTTA takes part in similar development activities through weekly pickup, skills and drills, and tournaments. The CTTA reached an important milestone in 2019, sending their first Mixed Open Team to compete in the Touch World Cup in Malaysia and will commence to represent the Island in the 2024 World Cup in Nottingham, England.

Due to the rich and complex interwoven relationship of the Taiwan Touch Community to the rest of the world, Taiwanese stars will be found across not only Chinese Taipei but USAT Women’s Open, USAT Mixed Open, Canada Mixed Open, and Netherlands Women’s Open, as well.

The rise of Taiwanese Touch Rugby stars reflects the sport’s growth both in Taiwan and globally. The dedication of early enthusiasts and the efforts of the Chinese Taipei Touch Association (CTTA) built a strong foundation. As these athletes excel locally and internationally, they bridge gaps and foster connections. With participation in the 2024 World Cup in England, Taiwanese Touch Rugby players are set to showcase their talent on the world stage. Moving Although our Taiwanese stars are continually forward, there is a strong desire to foster a robust strengthening and developing overseas, this leaves player base in Taiwan, ensuring the sport’s continued a large skill gap that occurs in the Taipei touch growth and success. community between the ages of 18, when students leave for university, to their late 20’s/early 30’s when

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OMAN TOUCH Brian Hopkins Head of Rugby Development, Oman Rugby

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ive years ago, if you mentioned the country of Oman, people would look at you and say, 'Where?' Back then, the answer would be, “Just south of Dubai.” Now when we say Oman, more people answer "Oh the cricket!” — the recent T20 World Cup being held here — or, "Oh the hockey!” — the World Hockey 5s and Olympic qualifiers likewise held here.

Soon, we plan for it to be, "Oh, Rugby!"

In 2021 contact Rugby turned fifty years old in Oman as an expat sport, but with Covid in full swing around the world, there were zero activities in the Sultanate.

As restrictions were lifted, to keep people interested, clubs turned to Touch Rugby. With a ten year vision to turn Oman into a rugby playing nation, Oman Rugby was formed and Touch was implemented to create the foundations for this goal. Starting with no funding, no equipment, but just the vision, it was always going to be a hard task to shift the outlook of a game that so few played in this part of the world.

In 2022 we had our first referees and our first coaches accredited as well as running our first domestic tournament with seven teams. A huge success and participation was growing quickly. Jump to February 2023, Oman held their second tournament seeing the entry of three international teams. The foundations were growing. Shortly after, Oman became an FIT observer member and looked to work with FIT to grow and develop.

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It's always inevitable that for something to grow, for a child to walk, for someone to learn to ride a bike, they need to try and learn to fail. The task may seem impossible, but with the right mindset anything can be achieved. Head of Rugby, Brian Hopkins, decided it was time to seize the opportunity and a sports development plan was put in place to work towards qualification for the World Cup in 2024. At this time, players didn’t know a ’32,' didn’t know ‘transitions,' didn't know the ‘seven meter laws.’ The task seemed out of reach for a country so new to the sport. Many asked, “Why this world cup?” Some questioned why Oman should deserve the opportunity?

At the end of the day it comes back to one question: how do we learn if we don't even try?

This underpins the values that Touch and Oman encourage: honesty, development, inclusivity.

Our task was accelerated with the opportunity to play UAE and Lebanon in a triangular format in October 2023, which drove the creation of the high performance set-up for players and focused a number of people on the World Cup. Sadly, with the current political unrest within the region the game was cancelled, but the thirst to develop continued to grow. Players began to realise that the task was not impossible.

Labeeb Levy supporti training

The high performance team

Team Mascot - Wahib: Liberal giver; Donor.

Wahib is a masculine name of Arabic origin to help strengthen those around generous heart.

Preparing for a warmup game in Abu Dhabi

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Labeeb Levy supporting training

The first tournament held: Muscat 6s November 2022

Outward Bound and leadership training

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Team Talk and brotherhood

January 2024 saw FIT further encourage Oman by facilitating Labeeb Levy, from the development team, to travel to Oman and work with the players. The introduction of someone of such high calibre within the sport inspired the players to believe in themselves and drive for success. All of these little things provided a great reminder of how sport builds communities and this work ethic and attitude was seen around Muscat by a number of companies who have helped to invest and make this once tiny idea develop into a full dream and reality.

Oman is rich in culture, spirit, and belief. Although new to the sport, we hope to showcase some of that belief and spirit on and off the field. With a diverse squad that epitomises unity and progress, Oman Rugby looks to embrace the Sultanates rich heritage as it ventures into uncharted territory at the Touch Rugby World Cup. The World Cup is only a beginning part of the roadmap in Oman. Beyond the tournament, Oman's vision extends to nurturing young talent through school programs, exemplifying the transformative power of sport in shaping futures and fostering positivity. All this is partnered with a youth talent project to support the identification of promising young sports stars. Sport has the power to shape and define people and that is the goal being set for the next few years: to grow the sport and the attitudes it helps create.

As we write this article, four weeks prior to the World Cup, so much is happening. The focus has shifted to team building and aligning our goals. A weekend away at Outward Bound, warm up games in the UAE, a new high performance gym, and a new mascot (Wahib) are just a few of the highlights of our journey so far.

As the world sets its gaze on Oman's journey, entering one of the highlight divisions (Men’s Open), the team's Mid-June saw the announcement of our final traveling infectious enthusiasm and determination serve as a squad, for which we implemented a requirement for beacon of inspiration for all aspiring sport enthusiasts. at least fifty percent to be Omani citizens in order to We know it's going to be a tough journey in Nottingham encourage the growth of the sport in Oman. We also but we can't wait to play against the best and learn from have the launch of our new kit and final preparations for some of the other great players, coaches, and teams. the first ever Oman Rugby National Team to compete Join Oman Rugby at Highfields in July, witness their in a world event. dedication firsthand, and be part of a sporting legacy in the making.

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ALL RISE FOR SPW: SIR PETER WALTERS By 7th Touch

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ince he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit at the end of 2022, Peter Walters has jokingly been referred to as SPW (short for Sir Peter Walters) - but it’s not too far off a title he deserves, especially within our sport. Pete has been playing Touch longer than a lot of us have been alive, and his influence is widespread. So widespread in fact, that you can travel to almost any country in the world that plays Touch and hear of the impact that ‘Mr. Touch’ has had on the Touch Football community there. This year’s Touch World Cup in Nottingham marks the eleventh time he has played at the showpiece event of our sport - an achievement shared by no other individual in Touch circles. Here’s a look at every event he has been a part of.

1988 TWC - Gold Coast, Australia NZ Men’s Open After making his international debut in the test series against Australia in 1986, Walters quickly established himself as a key component of the NZ Men’s Open side. With his vision and ability to engage defenders, he played at the inaugural Touch World Cup on the Gold Coast. He set up his team’s only tries in the final where they went down 8-2 to champions Australia.

1991 TWC - Auckland, New Zealand NZ Men’s Open Walters ascended to captain of the NZ Men’s Open team and had the distinction of leading them into a home World Cup in 1991, a team containing the likes of Nigel Hotham, Mac Herewini, George Rogers, NZ 7s star Eric Rush and future Kiwis rugby league captain Richie Barnett. Once again, they went down to the Australians in the final 4-0.

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1995 TWC - Hawaii, USA NZ Men’s Open At the 1995 Touch World Cup in Hawaii, Walters captained what was undoubtedly the strongest NZ Men’s Open team to leave New Zealand shores.

Backed by a well-balanced side, he formed a lethal combination with a 16-year-old Remus Gentles who used his footwork to claim the Player of the Series award. Chances of a maiden TWC title were promising after beating their Trans Tasman rivals both in pool play and in the major semi final. In the end, for Australia, the third time was the charm as they finally toppled the Kiwis in the final, running out 5-1 victors.

1997 Masters TWC - Gold Coast, Australia NZ 30 Mixed In 1997, an age division World Cup was held separate to the four-yearly Touch World Cup. Walters played in his first of two international tournaments for the year, representing New Zealand in the 30 Mixed team before captaining the Men’s Open in the Trans Tasman later in the year. He finished top try scorer for his side but ultimately went down to Australia in a close final, 3-2.

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2003 TWC - Kumagaya, Japan NZ Mixed Open After such a dominant display four years earlier in the Masters, Walters remarkably stepped back into the Opens arena, only this time into a Mixed Open team that were defending world champions having won the New Zealand’s first ever Open grade TWC title at the 1999 tournament. Walters was one of the Touch Blacks’ best, showing he still had what it took to compete at Opens level, but the side ultimately lost a closely contested final.

2005 All Nations - Christchurch, New Zealand NZ Mixed Open

1999 TWCup - Sydney, Australia NZ 30 Mixed Leading the 30 Mixed side once again at the 1999 Touch World Cup (this time as a Player/Coach), Walters was in a class of his own, scoring 25 tries in just ten games at the tournament including seven in a single match against Japan. The Kiwis trounced their Australian counterparts 10-4 in the final, with Walters earning not only a Player of the Series award, but also a well-deserved (and long overdue) maiden World Cup title.

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While not technically a Touch World Cup, fourteen nations (alongside NZ Academy and Oceania) participated in an All Nations tournament in New Zealand that rivalled any TWC event. Looking for redemption in the Mixed Open grade, 45-year-old Walters was again at his scintillating best, rectifying the 2003 defeat by running away 9-5 victors and officially retiring from the Opens arena.

2007 TWC - Stellenbosch, South Africa NZ 30 Mixed Walters made a welcome return to the 30 Mixed team who were still defending champions due to there being no 30 Mixed grade in 2003. Once again he slipped into the Player/Coach role and dominated the grade, forming a strong one-two punch with Mixed legend George Jahnke. He ended the tournament as the top try scorer in the grade as well as adding a second World Cup victory to his list of achievements with an 8-7 victory over Australia.

2011 TWC - Edinburgh, Scotland

2019 TWC - Putrajaya, Malaysia

NZ 40 Men’s

NZ 45 Men’s

After over a decade of playing in the Mixed grade, Walters reverted back to the Men’s grades in the 40 Men’s division at the 2011 World Cup. It was at this tournament that, after 25 years of representing New Zealand, Walters had the distinction of being the first player in international Touch to reach 100 test caps.

Adding to that, he also won his third World Cup title - his second as Player/Coach - toppling Australia 5-4 in the final, his combination with Bruce McDonald proving instrumental in their gold medal-winning performance.

Ahead of his ninth consecutive Touch World Cup (ten including the Masers World Cup in 1997), Walters arrived in Malaysia with a broken hand having hampered his build up to the tournament. He shifted to the 45 Men’s grade, leading from the front and scoring a try in the final winning his seventh TWC silver medal.

2015 TWC - Coffs Harbour, Australia NZ 40 Men’s As well as running it back with the 40 Men’s in an attempt to win back-to-back gold medals at the 2015 Touch World Cup in Coffs Harbour, Walters also stepped up last minute to coach the NZ Women’s Open as well. By tournament’s end, he had come away with two silver medals.

Photo by Glen Eaton/Aisle 5 Photography

Pete’s service to our sport, both domestically and internationally, is widely respected. He has been at the forefront of Touch across almost four decades, continuing to evolve with the game. In a world where we seldom appreciate people or things while they are present, let’s all take a moment to give Pete his flowers ahead of the 2024 campaign and appreciate and celebrate the impact he has had on Touch Football.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH TONY TRAD Tony Trad answers questions from players

Who was your favourite player to play against?

I was a terrible player, I was horrible. And then I was the Australian coach and you should have seen the look on people’s faces when they watched me play.

It was embarrassing. I didn’t play against him much because I wasn’t very good at reps and didn’t have a very long career in reps either, but probably Mark Boland because he was a superstar of the game and I tested myself against him and I failed miserably several times. But just to be on the field with a guy who was that good, and he had a great personality, too. He was funny on the field.

What have you learned on this tour?

The game is growing at a rapid pace. It’s developing.

The interest in the sport, it’s truly a global sport. It’s unbelievable. Some of the places I’ve been and the excitement, the energy, and the enthusiasm to learn — like people in France, Belgium and Germany — it’s crazy. And some people even drove down from the Netherlands! The game has exploded and full credit to FIT, I think, for the work they have done in Europe, and the Euros, because that’s the part that has really exploded. So I’ve learned that the game is truly, 100% a global game right now. And my friends who aren’t in touch don’t even believe that!

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How was it to be in the junket train?

LOL! Someone is stitching me up because it was not a junket train! I caught 30 trains to get to one location.

I hardly slept. I’ve eaten so many different types of food, very ordinary coffee, had very little sleep, and I walked something like 10km every single day, and look at me, I’m exhausted! Look at me, I’m only 27. So whoever said that needs to go back and give themselves an uppercut! It sounds amazing, right? I get it. I’m traveling the world and meeting fantastic people, and that’s brilliant. But it’s hard. It’s actually physically and mentally taxing, but I love it! I love it.

Where do you see touch in 10 years?

I think what I see, and what everybody hopes to see, is that the gap between the top nations and the rest of the world minimises. At this World Cup, for the first time in a long time, there is a lot of conversation about who is going to win the bronze. If you go back four years, and even before that, Japan was the country that most would have said, “yeah, and who is the rest?”

But we have got four or five countries in each division that could win the bronze. I hope in ten years time we are talking about that with the gold and silver. That’s what I hope. Just keep growing; keep developing; keep learning.

Three top tips for coaches developing touch?

1. Do not over complicate the game. It’s a simple game complicated by players and coaches.

2. Work tirelessly to simplify the game. How can I make this concept simple so that everyone can understand it and that everybody can play? It’s a game for everyone not just for the top players. Keep it nice and simple.

3. The game is not about you. The game is about the players. Try not to show that you are the smartest person in the business. The players will want to play for you as a person first and as a coach second. Love your players. Work for your players and focus on

them developing, not on winning tournaments. The important thing as a coach is that you get the best out of each individual by, not necessarily them learning the way you teach, but by you teaching the way they learn. Get to understand them so that you can tailor your message to the individual and collective. And if you can get your message out to each team and each player individually, then you have done a fantastic job.

That’s coaching. It’s not about winning tournaments, it’s about winning hearts and minds. And a good coach can win a tournament, but a great coach can change a life. That’s the focus for coaching.

What has been the best prank you pulled?

Oh my goodness. How long do we have? I’ll tell you one. One day we were in New Zealand and we had a physiotherapist who has got this magnificent blond hair that sticks up. I used to joke that he drove to training in a convertible because his hair would stick right up, and me having no hair, I’m just very jealous. He looked like Sonic the Hedgehog. If I have a victim that I want to get I’ll go to their roommate and say, “on tour, there are only two kinds of people: there’s a victim and an accomplice. Which one do you want to be?” That will get me their room key. At this particular time, we were in New Zealand for a Junior Trans Tasman and I got the key to Steve Cunningham’s room, he was Australia's chief medical. Myself and Wayne Grant, the team manager (I just threw him under the bus and named him!), were bored one night, so we went down to Countdown and I got some powdered mashed potato.

Then I broke into his room at a time when most people should be asleep — I won’t tell you what time that was — and as he was asleep, I put mashed potato all through his hair and left it there. Mashed potato powder looks like talcum powder, it’s white and it’s powdery. He woke up in the morning and he screamed my name (he knew straight away it was me!) swearing and cursing me. His roommate pretended he knew nothing about it! And, of course, as you would do, he woke up in the morning and his first thought was, “let's get this powder out.”

So he went into the shower, turned the water on and, of course, when you add water to powder mash, it gets thirty-two

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all gloggy and it becomes thick mashed potato. So he had all this lumps of potato in his hair, and it took him forever to comb it, so he came to breakfast with his hair slicked back rather than up! That’s one of many pranks I played on this particular person. Another time I took some coffee (you know how you get granulated coffee in your room), unscrewed his shower head, and I put the granules in his shower head so when he had his shower in the morning all of the coffee came down, his hair went brown, and he stank like coffee for three days.

of a tree — whether it’s in the game itself, nationally, globally, at your club, wherever — people are not reluctant to give you advice, so how do you grow? They might be critical of you, but that’s not advice. So how do you grow? I like to share. That helps people smarter than me — and there are lots of people that are smarter than me like my players — take my idea, whatever it is, make it better, use it against me, and now I have to take that, make it better, and together we grow, and the game gets better.

Name a place you’d like to see touch develop Whats the one thing you wished you had known when you started coaching?

Exactly what I said about coaches. It’s not about you, it’s about the players; it’s about development; it’s about getting the best out of them. To be fair, when I started coaching I was very very young. I was a very young coach to be coaching at the level I was coaching at. And I wasn’t ready. I was coaching to win. For me, at that point, it was about my CV and success. You get paranoid. I look back now and I think I’d be a bit like that Gollum from Lord of the Rings, just trying to protect my precious, constantly looking over my shoulder. If an older me got to younger me, he‘d say: “wake up silly big head, put your ego aside, it’s not about you, it’s about the players, and it’s about the game. Coach for better people, and good people will make good players, and the game will be better.”

Fiji, not just because it is my favourite place to holiday, but if we can get the explosion in the sport in the Pacific Islands, it’d be awesome. Also Asia. We have got some good things happening in Asia, like in China, in Singapore, and in Malaysia, but if we can get them, and India, and some of the Asian countries, to the level the European countries are right now: wow, that would be great. And I say Fiji because they have such a love for the game. They really do. And of course the relation with rugby 7s. If we can put some spotlight on them, give them some resources, and development coaching, they are so entertaining — something we don’t want to coach out of them — that in itself, with the way they play, their natural flair, and their fantastic and beautiful attitude, that would be a great advertisement for the game.

Favourite coffee spot?

What’s the one piece advice you’d give to your

Jobel’s Café on Colin street, Belmore. If you get coach Trad’s invite for a coffee at Jobel’s Café, you are in Don’t be scared to share. As I’ve got older and focused trouble. Everyone goes, “Uh, oh…”. less on winning, I’ve shared almost everything. I’m very open and transparent with stuff like that, it’s important to do that because if you share, people Where’s the most exciting place you’ve gone will take your ideas, whatever they are, your theories, coaching touch? and they improve them. It’s upon you to look at the improvements, and improve again. That’s how you Exciting… wow, I gotta say, probably Brussels, which I grow, that’s how you develop. When you sit at the top visited recently. I think I liked it because I had no idea younger self?

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about Belgium, like the fact it’s built relatively small.

Because I’m geographically challenged, I hopped on a train, I got there, and just the people, along with Berlin and France, their desire to know stuff. I really was like, Belgium was pretty cool, Brussels was pretty cool, that was quite exciting for me, to just meet new people. And, like I said, people were coming from everywhere. There was an Australian couple that was on holiday that said, “oh, he’s presenting, we want to come.” People drove down from the Netherlands, and I’m learning about how it’s so close to all of these different countries, so it’s a real melting pot. It’s great!

Who are you most excited to watch play at the World Cup?

USA. I’m really excited about the USA teams. I know how Australia will play. I know New Zealand quite well.

I know how England play, they’ve done an amazing job to get to where they are and I’ve watched them a fair bit. I know how Lebanon will play because a lot of those players are expats who are around clubs I’m involved in or next door, and I think I know how they’ll perform.

Actually, I know the standard those teams will set. But I’m looking forward to watching USA play. I'm looking forward to staying under the radar and watching hard work come to fruition. Every camp I’ve been to, and every time I’ve been with these groups of players, they are just getting better and better. This week has been an eye-opener, it’s been amazing. But let’s not get too excited, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. People really don’t understand how hard it is for the USA and I’m excited to watch them play across all divisions.

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WHY THE 2024 TOUCH WORLD CUP WILL BE THE BEST ONE YET By 7th Touch

There's nothing quite like a World Cup, no matter the sport. It has a way of enabling communities to take pride in their country like no other. On-field rivalries are superseded by a mutual respect between cultures as several nations from all corners of the globe all gather to indulge in a common interest, a common love. But there's just something extra special about a Touch World Cup, and there are many reasons why this upcoming edition is set to be the best ever.

The eligibility bridge Since the last TWC in Malaysia, the Federation of International Touch (FIT) have revised the eligibility criteria that governed our sport. What does that mean?

For starters, it means third generation nationals can now represent their nation of heritage as well as their nation of residence (previously it was second generation only). Basically, if an English-born player, for example, has French grandparents then they could represent either nation.

Another important change is the introduction of the Tiered system and removal of the stand down period (in most cases) for players who are eligible for more than one nation. They can now represent either country with little-to-no repercussions. For example, if a player qualifies to represent both Australia and Fiji, they can now be selected for either nation without harming their ability to represent the other in other tournaments. The ramification of these changes will almost certainly benefit the sport from a competitive standpoint.

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The gap closes

Location, location, location

Furthering the point surrounding eligibility, the perceived ‘gap’ that separates the elite nations from the rest of the pack is forecast to reduce dramatically, making this Touch World Cup one of the closest and most competitive ever. Loosening up the eligibility criteria has allowed for more quality players to still be able to play at the tournament provided they qualify to play for another nation. This immediately raises the quality of the competition and increases the competitiveness across the board. You’ll be able to see the immediate benefits of these changes through nations such as Lebanon and Cook Islands who are set to be strong chances to qualify for the final in multiple grades.

The location of this World Cup is absolutely ideal in terms of both the venue, country and region - a natural choice that is set to capitalise on the growth of the sport. The University of Nottingham has been England Touch’s go-to venue over the last decade or so. The fields are immaculate as are the facilities, and it has held multiple England Nationals and National Touch Series (NTS) events during that time as well. UoN also played host to international tournaments such as the Atlantic Youth Touch Cup in 2023 and the European Touch Championships in 2018 and 2022, all of which were seen as great global successes for the sport.

Growth You only have to look at the growth of the event to know that our World Cup is something extraordinary. From a small gathering of 17 teams from five nations at the first ever tournament on the Gold Coast in Australia, the Touch World Cup has now exploded to 188 teams from 39 nations in the upcoming 2024 edition. That is forecast to be some 4,500 participants heading to Nottingham with further spectators and volunteers to bump that figure up. Any event that can garner that type of interest and foot traffic indicates what type of tournament we have on our hands.

The choice for England to host was made not long after the 2019 TWC and was an excellent choice providing the growth of the sport there. This year’s World Cup coincides with England Touch recently being recognised as the official governing body from Sport England, an achievement that allows them to continue to promote and develop the sport there in an official capacity - a nod to the growth of Touch in England, and this World Cup will absolutely make the most of that growth.

All eyes around the Touch world are firmly set on Nottingham in under a week’s time as our showpiece event makes a welcome return to the Touch calendar.

Players and spectators are fizzing with anticipation, looking forward to the biggest World Cup ever. The four-year-turned-five-year wait is finally over - now it’s time to enjoy the show.

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TOUCH AT THE OLYMPICS 2032

By Mark Tipple

T

he upcoming Touch World Cup (TWC) serves as an entrée of acquired taste to the biggest sporting feast on earth being served across the English Channel in Paris from July 26: the 2024 Olympic Games; a celebration of sport, culture, and possibly the most unifying event in the history of human race. So, the question that will increasingly be in Touch lovers’ minds is will we ever see Touch on sport’s greatest stage?

Sounds like there’s a lot going for an Olympic bid!

What might the barriers be? For starters, Touch is not a sport accredited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As a timeline reference, Rugby Union became an IOC recognised sport in 1994 with Olympic participation coming some twenty-two years later in the sevens (note: modified) format at Rio 2016.

Modern timelines have changed. Recent additions such as skateboarding and breakdancing, and LA 2028 sports flag football and lacrosse have all had shorter You’ve heard your teammates talk about it and seen a turnarounds between IOC recognition and Games few posts on social media discussing Touch featuring at participation. But the fact remains that the timelines the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, but how likely is that to build a relationship with the IOC are already tight. to happen? What is the official word and what have the Federation of International Touch (FIT) and leading Another challenge to consider is the current format of National Touch Organisations (NTOs) said about a Touch and how that fits into an Olympic schedule. The bid for the 2032 games? After much conversation yet IOC have announced that gender equality and youth little fanfare surrounding the topic, let’s address some are a key focus of future events, proudly advertising facts about Touch at the Olympics Games. that Paris 2024 will feature the most mixed gender events ever with twenty-four, and sharing that this The 2032 Olympics will be held in the birth country will also be the first Games with fifty percent femaleof Touch. The sport is an iconic part of Australia’s participation rates. This is all being achieved while sporting landscape, played by over seven-hundredreducing the overall size and complexity of the Games, thousand locals as the country’s largest social sport. with less events and five-hundred-and-ninety-two less Touch is embedded in Australian culture, especially athletes competing than were at Tokyo. on the east coast, and, conveniently, the 2032 host city of Brisbane is one of the world’s leading Touch This has had an impact on several traditional Olympic destinations, hosting and producing many of the sports but also on future sports such as lacrosse, which sport’s best events and participants. Australia would will feature very similar requirements that an Olympic obviously go into the event as strong contenders for a Touch event would. Lacrosse will feature in 2028 in a gold medal, a desirable trait for any host nation when men’s and women’s format with twelve teams in each, assessing a new sport. as per the custom for Olympic team sports. They have

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moved to a faster, more attractive format, reducing field size and decreasing on-field player numbers from ten to six. Squads have been reduced to twelve players, similar to squad numbers for basketball and Rugby Sevens. Noting how lacrosse successfully increased appeal and modified its format to fit in with future Olympic ambitions and requirements is an important consideration for Touch. For example, pursuing a Mixed Opens only model may be a point of difference that would increase Touch’s attractiveness to the IOC, given no other team sports currently play a mixed format.

The TWC would be the best place to launch an official bid, a week before the 2024 games with the biggest global and media presence for Touch. Any time after that may well be too late not only for attention but even purely for Olympic logistics. The FIT is currently going through a transition period and with the TWC the current priority, nothing save a “congratulations to Brisbane” article on the FIT website makes mention of the Olympic Games. An update from (now former) FIT chairman Mark Croston in May mentioned that

Touch would need sixty member nations to apply for IOC recognition up from the fifty-one nations listed on the FIT website and thirty-nine competing at the TWC 2024.

Many have been optimistic about Touch featuring at the Olympics and it’s hard not to get excited about seeing our sport showcased alongside global icons and major codes. However, it’s hard to comprehend Touch overcoming the many barriers in the way of Olympic participation. Our world body is under resourced and under prepared for a realistic Olympic bid, as are most NTOs. Touch Football Australia, in partnership with FIT, will have a key role to play investigating and pursuing any possibility of it happening. The Mixed format of our sport and the fact that it is the fastest, most skilful, and most inclusive sport on grass make it a great candidate for sport’s biggest stage. So let’s hope the powers that be work together to bring deserved global attention to Touch through a well-publicised Olympic bid, keeping the Brisbane 2032 dream alive.

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