http://touchfootball.com.au/our-history/
The rules, skills and concepts of the game have evolved progressively throughout the years, and Touch Football has developed into its own unique sport, attracting people from all walks of life, and for differing reasons. “we used to play with a marker and we used to have a kick on the last, we used to be seven-a-side. The skills that people now are capable of producing are nothing link what we could have imagined 30 years ago.” (Dennis Coffey, Secretary General of the Federation of International Touch)
As competitions grew and began to filter out from city centers, the need for uniformity arose. State associations were formed and in 1978 the Australian Touch Association was founded. Two years later, 1980, the first national championship was held. It was during this period that Touch Football began to develop its own unique set of rules and culture, to become a sport in its own right.