The National Touch League is a national-wide domestic competition for the sport of Touch Football in Australia. The annual four-day competition allows thirteen regional permits from across Australia to compete in twelve divisions including Open, Mixed and Senior categories. The competition is split into a Seniors competition (over-age divisions from over 30s to over 50s) and an Open competition (not restricted by age, other than for the under 20s divisions).
Prior to the formation of the NRL Touch Premiership in May 2018, the competition was the pinnacle of Australian domestic touch football, and the primary selection event for national representative teams.
Divisions
The 12 divisions contested at the National Touch League from 1997 to 2007 were
Opens: Men, Women, Mixed
Under 20 years: Men, Women
Over 30 years: Men, Women
Over 35 years: Men, Women
Over 40 years: Men, Women
Over 45 years: Men, Women
Over 50 years: Men
In 2008 until 2011, under the revised format, these divisions were altered to
Opens: Men, Women, Mixed
Under 20 years (from 2010): Men, Women
Over 27 years: Women
Over 30 years: Men
Senior Mixed (Women over 30, Men over 35) Senior Women (over 35s and over 40s teams) Over 40 years: Men Over 45 years: Men Over 50 years: Men
From 2012 until 2018, the NTL consisted of the following divisions: Elite 8: Men, Women Open: Mixed T-League: Men, Women Over 27 years: Women Over 30 years: Men Senior Mixed (Women over 30, Men over 35) Over 35 years: Women Over 40 years: Men, Women Over 45 years: Men, Women Over 50 years: Men Over 55 years: Men Over 60 years: Men
History
The National Touch League was created to replace the 'Australian Nationals' which featured the seven Australian states. The finals of this competition were traditionally played between Queensland and New South Wales, the two most dominant touch playing states, with the Australian Capital Territory also performing strongly. The National Touch League increased representative opportunities for players from these states, while providing a more level playing field for competitors from the non-rugby league playing states. The first National Touch League was played in 1997.
While the format of the competition has had some minor amendments during the past 10 years of competition the stability of the event has led to the development of fierce rivalries between regions. The traditionally strong Touch Football regions have maintained their dominance of the competition.
At the time of its introduction the NTL was seen as being a move away from the past and step forward in the future development of Touch in Australia. Each of the 12 permit holders was to represent an equal number of registered players, making for a fairer, more competitive tournament. The playing talent is spread far more evenly, and it was to give a larger number of players an opportunity to impress for higher representative honours. The NTL was also to provide the players with an important intermediate competition between local and state or national teams.
The NTL was also seen as being a marketing tool that would have significant value as a promotional vehicle. The first NTL opened up merchandising and sponsorship opportunities and was televised on regional television networks and the Optus Vision cable network.
The NTL was also expected to deliver a strong national club structure which would engender regional identity and lead to further grass roots development within the sport.
Format and Focus
The competition was initially established to provide wide exposure to the elite competition in open divisions. As the competition evolved between 1997 and 2007 its popularity, especially with senior players, has led to the original focus being broadened to include participation.
The 1997 National Touch League was held from on 17–19 October. The divisions contested were Open Men, Women and Mixed and under-20 Men and Women. Most of the 12 permit holders fielded Men's, Women's and Mixed teams. The tournament finals were broadcast on WIN Television, NBN Television and Optus vision while NBN as the host broadcaster also ran 50 television commercials to promote the 1997 event.
The 1998 NTL ran from in October. The competition was run as two separate competitions, the Open divisions and the Seniors divisions. This format would persist until 2008.