Midas touch: merger tees up golden future for the game

[Rabbit]

Andrew Webster
Chief Sports Writer, The Sydney Morning Herald

A groundbreaking alliance between rugby league and touch football is set to skyrocket the game's participation numbers beyond a million players.

Fairfax Media can reveal a merger between the NRL and Touch Football Australia will be announced early next week - making it the largest strategic alliance between two sports in Australia.

It comes after two years of negotiations, which have intensified in the past six months since the appointment of Dave Smith as NRL chief executive, and brings together the sports after they effectively split 40 years ago.

''It's a family that should be together,'' a senior NRL official said on Thursday. ''It allows us to bring the game to so many people, in so many different ways, from touch to tag to tackle. It's a phenomenal move for us strategically.''

Touch has been responsible for unearthing some of the game's biggest names.

Wests Tigers superstar Benji Marshall, who represented Australia in the sport, is the most notable. Shaun Johnson and Matt Moylan are also products, while Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston represented Queensland at touch football on their way to their rugby league careers.

The alliance is a strategic masterstroke in the NRL's battle with the AFL because it provides a non-contact version of the sport under its own banner.

Touch has more than 500,000 participants, across 324 local competitions, and is played by age groups from five to 70 years - all year round.

Rugby league has more than 536,000 players, making the combined total of the two codes more than a million.

''This allows us the ability to come in touch with a more diverse group of people who participate in league or a non-contact version of rugby league,'' one league official said. ''It allows people to be involved from a contact or non-contact perspective, all year round from ages of five to 70. We want more people to be involved in our game, and this is actions speaking louder than words.''

There is a small hitch to the new relationship, though, with the popular OzTag - which has more than 130,000 participants - failing to reach an agreement with the NRL.

It is understood the NRL refused to pay the asking price OzTag operators wanted to take over the commercial rights to their sport. The NRL version of tag football is the lesser-known version of the code called ''league tag''.

Nevertheless, the benefit for touch football is enormous, especially for a sport with such a strong presence at the grassroots level.

''We're very happy with the alliance,'' one senior TFA official said. ''Joining the NRL means we can broaden our appeal, profile and reach as part of a bigger business. It gives us more opportunities than ever before for our sport. It's been a long process to get this far, but a worthwhile one. Touch grew out of rugby league in the mid-1960s and the sports have been separate since then. But this will allow us to take touch into new markets.''

This is fantastic news. Another tick for the new administration =D> =D>

[Stewie]

lol, rl is nothing but a pathetic hybrid sport these days.

[ParraEelsNRL]

When the others all fall into line, Australia alone will have near 2 million participants all up playing some form of Rugby League.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.

I really really really hope this goes beyond our shores, heaps of countries already play Touch, Tag and that'll give RL a massive boost not just in playing numbers which will sky rocket over night, but just think of the money the game will get just for the recognition alone from local governments and stuff.

Woohoo, I''m so giddy this must be what it feels like to be a school girl with back stage passes to the newest stupidest big band in town :_<>

[Drac]

Woohoo, I''m so giddy this must be what it feels like to be a school girl with back stage passes to the newest stupidest big band in town :_<>

[Swans4ever]

WTF?????? How is this news I thought they were already the same thing - pitty its only played in NSW and QLD!

[cos789]

Wow. Just how desperate is rl to fudge their participation numbers?
How desperate is the nrl to hang off the "touch" coat tails.
How is this supposed to benefit rl in any way?

[ParraEelsNRL]

Wow, let's hope Channel 7 starts showing some touch RL comps on the home of International Rugby League aye cuz?

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaha.

Run along cuz, good to see you post once in this thread, pity it'll be your last but meh, you're a pussy

[Swans4ever]

Hope they do no one in 4 STATES and a Territory will watch it and it will be played at 1am in the morning - that way you RL wankers can have another thing to bitch about- oh Rugby gets played too late thats why our crowds and TV watings are down......bo ho

How's the Eels going Parra - still on 3 wins? No one ever accuse that club of taking performance enhancing substances! Hahaha

[Stewie]

Woohoo, I''m so giddy this must be what it feels like to be a school girl with back stage passes to the newest stupidest big band in town :_<>

[ParraEelsNRL]

Money money money, it's really funny, cause your lots running out of it and my lot's not

The biggest merger in Australian sport :_<>

With plenty more to come

[Rabbit]

Wow. Just how desperate is rl to fudge their participation numbers?
How desperate is the nrl to hang off the "touch" coat tails.
How is this supposed to benefit rl in any way?

Just like AFL and auskick you ****

[Raiderdave]

oh jesus

their week just got worse ......

yep
here they are again


:_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<>


Rugby League
the most played game in Australia


I like it
I like it a lot

[Swans4ever]

oh jesus

their week just got worse ......

yep
here they are again


:_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<> :_<>


Rugby League
the most played game in Australia

Touch football is now rugby league hilarious!
I like it
I like it a lot

[Raiderdave]

Wow. Just how desperate is rl to fudge their participation numbers?
How desperate is the nrl to hang off the "touch" coat tails.
How is this supposed to benefit rl in any way?

there there cockhead
need a tissue
touch is a non or light contact version of our great game

your code couldn't have one of these as it would be impossible to invent anything .. any lighter then the actual version
:_<> :_<> :_<>

[Stewie]

You know your sport's struggling and desperate to compete **** the bigger sports when it needs to merge with a soft touch sport just so it can claim to have larger playing numbers!

Nothing but pathetic, hybrid trash. And you know it.