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THE BASICS

Beginners Hub

Beginners of all ages are welcomed at Redlands Touch.

Touch Football is a sport that everyone can play. The Touch Football Australia Beginners’ Hub has everything you need to know to take the field for the first time, whether you’re playing Mens, Womens, Mixed or Juniors touch football.

The aim of the game is to score touchdowns by getting through the opponent team’s part of the field and placing the ball down in the touchdown zone.

Teams consist of up to 14 players, with a maximum of six players on the field at any time with unlimited substitutions. A touch footy game lasts 45 minutes, divided into two 20 minutes halves and a five minute half-time break. 

The introductory touch football videos below provide a great overview of the basics.

The Rules

Touch footy rules are quite simple, and even if it’s your first time playing, you will pick up the basics quickly and enjoy the game with your teammates, no matter what everyone’s skill level is.

Basically, while attacking, you have to run forward and pass the ball backward; that means the ball carrier is up front, with teammates on the same line or slightly behind them, so the ball can be passed backward. Defenders only need to ‘touch’ the ball carrier to stop the attacking team; the rules of the game stipulate that the ‘touch’ has to be made ‘with the minimum force necessary’. It can be done on any part of the body, including the ball or clothing. The ‘touch’ can also be made by the ball carrier on a defensive player.

After making a ‘touch’, the defending team has to go backward behind an imaginary ‘defensive’ line, approximately seven metres away from where the touch has been made; the referee will show you where they expect you to be. The ball carrier has to perform a ‘rollball’, on the exact mark where the ‘touch’ was made. Be careful not to be ‘over the mark’ when performing a roll ball.

Your team will have six ‘touches’ as your opportunity to score. The sixth ‘touch’, dropping the ball or any infringement to the rules result in a changeover and the attacking team then becomes the defending side.

The rules of the game are easy to understand and suitable for everyone to enjoy Touch Football. For a complete version of the rules visit  https://touchfootball.com.au/volunteer/8th-edition-rules/

Modified rules for our under 8s and under 10s junior teams can be viewed by clicking here.

The Touch Football Community

Touch Football is often referred to simply as ‘Touch’, or ‘Touch Footy’. It can be played everywhere across an extensive affiliated network within Australia. Touch Football differs from Oztag and Touch Rugby, with Touch Football Australia being the national governing body for the sport of touch football, recognised by the Australian Sport Commission.

Playing within an affiliated competition, such as Redlands Touch Association, ensures that you are covered with insurance and you enjoy the best touch footy experience, with quality fields, organised draws and dedicated volunteers to make sure the games flow smoothly and people enjoy their time down at the field.

Redlands Touch Association attracts players from all suburbs to the south and east of Brisbane, particularly those in Redlands City from Victoria Point, Redland Bay, Birkdale, Capalaba, Wynnum and Manly in addition to all suburbs in between.  Our top class playing fields are located on Long Street in Cleveland, within the Redland Showgrounds.

The Touch Football Australia Beginner’s Hub has some great resources, click on the button below to visit the Hub.