Page 1
THE WA SCOOP
INSIDE THIS ISSUE WA Operations Report
Dates for the Diary
2011 Year in Review
2012 WA Touch Comprehensive Calendar
Around the Grounds
Touch Trivia
Meet Our Sponsors
Issu
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www.touchwest.com
WA Operations Manager’s Report From the Desk of Sophie Maguire
On behalf of TouchWest I would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year. 2012 will be an exciting year for
Touch Football in WA. With a strong and focused strategic direction in place we are effectively positioned to
succeed in reaching our objectives. There is no doubt that we have set ourselves some significant challenges,
but I am confident that with the support of our committed staff team and that of our key volunteers, we will
succeed in driving the sport forward.
A key focus for 2012 will be in our reporting and data capturing techniques. The combined effectiveness of
these two areas will greatly assist us in our understanding of the sports current position within the state sporting
framework, while providing valuable insight into the ways that we can look to improve in our operations.
It is going to be a busy year – so please keep up to date with all of the latest news and information from the
TouchWest website: www.touchwest.com.
Kind Regards,
Sophie Maguire – WA Operations Manager
DATES FOR THE DIARY
5th February: Annual Meeting
th February: Western Tigers AusSquad
Academy Close of Nominations
21st February: Coaching Forum
24th February: Affiliate End of Month Reporting
8th-11th March: National Touch League
20th March: Referee Forum
23rd March: Affiliate End of Month Reporting
31st March – 1st April: Junior State Champs
Page 2
THE WA SCOOP
2011 – YEAR IN REVIEW
2011 was a massive year for Touch Football in Western Australia. TouchWest
had new staff members; Western Australia had 2 World Cup winners as well
as 3 World Cup referees and 1 selector and Southern Districts claimed the
clean sweep of Men’s and Women’s Open at both the Super League Series
and the WA State Championships. After an incredible year on and off the
field it was incredibly hard to pick out these few highlights...
High Performance Weekend
The 2011 high performance weekend was held in February to assist the
NTL Western Tigers Teams and WA players selected in the Alliance Elite 8
Men’s and Women’s teams, fine tune their game plans for the NTL
tournament. The Western Tigers Mixed Open, W35, M40 and M50
Coaches were fortunate enough to receive valuable coaching tips from
visiting Australian Mixed Open Coach Bernie Morrison. Bernie went
through strategies in defence, line defence and effective attacking
methods. Bernie then ran a skills session for the players of the Elite 8 and
Western Tigers players focussing on body and field positioning and strong
defensive methods. A successful weekend all round.
National Touch League
Western Tigers had 4 teams tour to the 2011 NTL in Port Macquarie. WA also had a large representation of
players in the Alliance Elite 8 Men’s and Women’s team and the Alliance Men’s Division 2 team. A total of
14 players were selected in these teams.
The Western Tigers Mixed Open team performed extremely well given the number of major injuries which
occurred during the tournament. The 3 senior teams also had great success at the tournament and I am
sure will be ready to back up their efforts again in 2012 when the teams return to Port Macquarie.
Junior State Champs
The 2011 JSC event saw 32 junior teams from around WA take part in the primary junior event on the WA
touch calendar. The continuous growth of this event is a positive reflection of the timing of the event and
the importance of a standalone competition. It is expected that the 2012 event will see further growth with
the exciting introduction of the Western Tigers AusSquad Academy.
Annual Meeting
TouchWest held it’s Annual Meeting on Saturday the 14th of May at the Department of Sports and
Recreation in Leederville. We were fortunate enough to be joined by Touch Football Australia’s Commercial
Operations Manager Garry Foran. Garry gave a great insight into the current state of the game on a
national and international level.
T he meeting was a huge success as it allowed Affiliates from across Western Australia the chance to discuss
major issues with the TouchWest Staff and the State Executive Council (SEC).
WORLD CUP WINNER
Zoe Dacey –Aiken
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THE WA SCOOP
2011 – YEAR IN REVIEW (continued)
North West Championships
The 2011 North West Championships were hosted by Port Hedland on the 4th and 5th of June. After some
excellent touch on the first day of the 2011 North West Championships Karratha ‘A’ had emerged as early
favourites for the Mixed Open division after a unbeaten run on the first day, however both Newman and
Broome trailed close behind leaving plenty of opportunity for an upset come finals time. The 2011 North West
Championship Mixed Open final saw the Karratha 'A' side come up against the in-form underdogs,
Newman. With both teams lining up with their superstars, an epic display of athleticism and skill were put on
show. Newman put up a brave fight but the champions were again Karratha 'A' side, taking out the final 6
touchdowns to 1.
2011 Federation of International Touch World Cup
The 2011 FIT Touch World Cup took place from the 22nd of June
through to the 26th of June in Edinburgh, Scotland. Western
Australia were represented by Stuart Brierty (Men’s Open) and
Zoe Dacey-Aitken (Mixed Open) as well as Chris Murray, Richard
McIlroy and Ben Morton (Referees). Also in attendance was Ron
Connolly as the Men’s 30’s Manager. In what was an incredible
tournament Australia again claimed the 2011 Federation of
International Touch World Cup, claiming five of the seven
divisions on offer. On top of this, Australia won all three Open
divisions, something that hasn’t been done by the nation since
the 2003 World Cup. Australia came up against New Zealand in
the Women’s, Men’s and Mixed divisions, and each game came
right down to the final siren, with Australia digging deep to claim
each title.
For all World Cup match reports and highlights of every finals game please visit the 2011 World Cup Website
National Youth Championships
The Western Tigers U18 Boys travelled to Caloundra for
the 2011 National Youth Championships held from the
14th to the 17th of September. They had some ups and
downs in their games but they did not stop giving it their
best shot. A new award was brought into the NYC
tournament this year with the inclusion of a Developing
States Champion Final. The Western Tigers boys won the
Developing State shield against Northern Territory with a
7 to 5 victory. Seven different individuals scored
touchdowns in the game which is indicative of how the
boys played for the entire tournament. The Western
Tigers showed how touchdowns can be scored through
all positions in the team. Matt Leddy was named Most
Valuable player for the Western Tigers after a rock solid
performance in all games. Last, but by no means least,
to our Referees: Richard and Brian, congratulations on a
fantastic tournament.
WORLD CUP WA REFEREES:
Ben Morton, Chris Murray and Richard
McIlroy
Zoe Dacey –Aiken
Developing State Champions
Southern Districts
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THE WA SCOOP
2011 – YEAR IN REVIEW (continued)
Corporate Touch Day
In September 2011, TouchWest hosted a corporate Touch Football
competition with the Property Industry of Australia. This event was a
huge success and has been ear-marked as a fantastic opportunity
to promote and grow the sport in different markets. We have
already received different expressions of interest from various
corporations to host similar events in the coming year.
Super League Series
The 2011 Super League Series was played over four different days
involving five rounds and finals throughout October and November.
The Affiliate hosted model was again used with Wanneroo Touch
Association hosting Rounds 1, 5 and Finals, Southern Districts hosting
Round 2 and Fremantle Districts hosting Round 3. All hosts played an
invaluable role in the success of the series.
The 2011 Be Active Super League Series wrapped up on Sunday the
6th of November at Wanneroo Touch Association. Although the
conditions weren't always favourable the standard of play was
always at the highest standard. The Mixed Open Champions were
South West Warriors (3-0 over Peel Districts) with Southern Districts
taking out the Men's and Women's Open Divisions.
Interestingly in Round 1, also played at Wanneroo, Southern Men's (7-6 over Perth Brothers) and Women's (4-
3 over Northern) played their respective Grand Final opponents with the exact same score line in both their
Round 1 Matches and Grand Finals. The Super League Series was a perfect lead up to the State
Championships and the success was a credit to all players, referees and officials.
Be Active WA State Championships
The premier event on the WA Touch Calendar was held on the 18th to 20th of November at McGillivray Ova in
Mount Claremont. Three days of high quality Touch football in excellent conditions ended with two thrilling
finals in what was a very successful tournament. The Affiliate Champions went to Southern Districts who
completed the Super League/State Champs double in both the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions as well
as taking out the Men’s 40’s division.
Day one of the State Championships provided a great start
to the tournament with teams bringing their ‘A’ game from
the very first timeslot. The main movers in day one of the
Men’s Open Division were Wanneroo who opened their
tournament with three victories while Tompkins Park also
showed they were genuine title contenders defeating
Southern 8-7. In the Women’s Open division Tompkins Park
sent a warning to the competition defeating last year’s
Champions Perth Brothers. In the Mixed Open Pool 1
Cockburn City Chiefs started strongly with two victories
while Karratha and Peel had one victory each.
Touch Trivia
1) Who scored the winning touchdown in the drop
off of the Women’s Final at the 2011 WA State
Championships?
2) Who scored the crowd pleasing runaway
touchdown in the Men’s Final at the 2011 WA State
Championships?
3) Who were the coaches of the Women’s Open
Barbarians that won Silver at the 2008 National Touch
League?
4) Which Affiliate President can be seen in the top
picture on the opening page?
Answers can be found on our Sponsors page
Page 5
THE WA SCOOP
2011 – YEAR IN REVIEW (continued)
Each team in Pool 2 of the Mixed all recorded a loss on day one. In the Senior Women division Wanneroo
became early favourites with two victories. In the Men’s 30’s Northern were in sensational form scoring 23
touchdowns and only conceding 3 and in the Men’s 40’s Southern Stars led the competition with two victories
from two matches.
As we began the weekend, day two of
competition didn’t disappoint with a rematch of
last year’s Men’s Open grand final ending in a 9-all
draw between Wanneroo and Southern. In the
Women’s Open, Super League Champions
Southern finished on top following another strong
day. Northern Districts, Tompkins Park and Perth
Brothers finished second, third and fourth
respectively after the round games. Following the
quarter finals in the Mixed Divisions the four teams,
that all had a realistic chance of taking the title,
remaining were Karratha, South West Warriors,
Southern Districts and Wanneroo. In the Men’s 30’s
Northern Spirit finished the round games
undefeated with Southern Districts also finishing
undefeated through two days in the Men’s 40’s.
The Senior Women’s division has now been split in to the Women’s 27’s, with the Grand Final between ECU
and Rosalie played on day three, and the Women’s 35’s where all teams will be fighting out for a spot in the
final.
Sunday the 20th of November was a thrilling and highly entertaining day of Touch Football played in perfect
sunshine. The Finals Showcase began with Men’s 40’s Grand Final between Southern Stars and Northern Spirit.
In a very tight affair Southern held on for a 5-4 victory. In the Women’s 27’s Grand Final ECU defeated Rosalie
3-1 with a come from behind victory in the second half and in the Women’s 35’s Grand Final Wanneroo were
too strong for Geraldton with a 9-4 victory. In the Men’s 30’s Grand Final Northern Spirit dominated from start
to finish running over Rosalie with an 11-2 victory.
The Mixed Grand Final saw Karratha defeat Wanneroo 11-6, with a dominating first half display setting up the
victory. Karratha scored in the opening set, and didn’t take the foot off the pedal, amassing a 7-2
touchdown lead by halftime. A gallant Wanneroo side were determined not to give in, trimming the margin
with 1 minute remaining, Karratha hit back on the full time siren to take the match by five.
In a replay of the Super League Final the Women’s Open Grand Final saw Southern Districts take on Northern
Spirit. The tight fought match was decided in a drop off, after teams were locked at 2-all at full time, with
Southern once again breaking the hearts of Northern. It was an epic battle throughout the match with
Southern opening the scoring in the 3rd minute; however it was Northern that led at halftime 2-1. The game
went end to end with neither team able to capitalise on opportunities in attack. The second half was much
like the first, and it wasn’t until there were under five minutes remaining that Southern levelled the scores with
a dive over from Clare French. In the drop off the Most Valuable Player for the tournament, Kristi Collins,
broke the Northern Defensive line to set up Rebecca Senior who scored for an incredible victory.
Southern Districts – 2011 State
Championships Champion Affiliate
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THE WA SCOOP
2011 – YEAR IN REVIEW (continued) The Men’s Open Grand Final, a repeat of last years, put Australian
Men’s Open team mates Dylan Hennessey (Wanneroo) and Stuart
Brierty (Southern Districts) head to head once again, following a
drawn match in the rounds. It was a thrilling encounter from the
opening whistle until the final seconds with Southern clenching the
title 9-8.
Southern opened the scoring just a minute into the match, with teams
then trading touchdowns to 2-all five minutes into the half. In was a
tight tussle with neither team able to score again until the 15th minute.
With the speed and agility of Hennessy on show, along with the
precision vision and passing of each team the crowd were treated to
spectacular movement, passing and counter attack.
As time counted down, the experience and skill of Brierty and Hennessy was apparent as both created
numerous opportunities in line attack for their respective teams. In the end the defensive pressure from Southern
Districts kept Wanneroo at bay and gave Southern Men’s the Super League/State Champs double.
2012 Strategic Planning Day
In late 2011 TouchWest embarked on the process of undertaking a strategic priority assessment process, in relation
to the current national TFA strategic plan. In August 2011, McLaughlin Sports Consultancy (MSC) was
commissioned to assist TouchWest in this process.
There were various steps involved in this process and the culmination of these steps was the development of a
Pre-Strategic Priority Assessment Workshop Summary Report. As a result of this process, we have been able to
develop the TouchWest 2011-2012 Annual Operational Plan. This plan will optimally align with our prioritisation of
key components of the TFA national strategic plan.
Looking forward to 2012
We had a very exciting and rewarding 2011 and are now fully into the swing of 2012. It is a very exciting time for
TouchWest as we launch new initiatives and implement all new structures. We look forward to building on the
success of 2011 throughout 2012...
2012 WA Touch Comprehensive Calendar Following an extensive consultation process in 2010, Touch Football Australia (TFA) developed its 2011-2015
Strategic Plan. Based on the completion of the TouchWest Strategic Priority Assessment Workshop Activities, by
those who attended the workshop, it became evident that a Post Workshop Action Plan was required to provide
guidance to TouchWest and the SCE in our development of the TouchWest 2012-2013 Annual Operational Plan.
One area that has been identified in the Post Workshop Action Plan was the need for a 2012 Comprehensive WA
Calendar.
The development of the 2012 Comprehensive WA Calendar has been structured based on relevant reporting
details from Affiliates, the strategic plan, WA localised priorities, affiliate voting forms regarding the timing of the
State Championships, survey results from all major TouchWest events.
This calendar has been constructed with the intent that it will be used as a live document. This means that the
calendar will be continually updated as new events arise or existing dates change. As the calendar is now ‘live’
we encourage all parties involved in WA Touch to familiarise yourself with all upcoming events for in 2012.
The Calendar can be located under the ‘Calendar’ menu at ‘www.touchwest.com’
Can be found online and we recommend it as your first point of contact when you want to
find stuff
Page 7
THE WA SCOOP
Around the Grounds
Albany touch football has had a successful first half of its summer season. There has
been a record 18 teams competing of which 6 are high school teams. This has lead to a
large number of new players who have slotted into the post match social side of the
competition effortlessly as well. An over 40's men’s team competed in the State
Championships and there is the possibility of two teams competing next year.
The Broome Touch Association season will commence on 9th February, with a mixed
senior competition, comprising approximately 18 teams and a 4 team junior
competition. Senior divisions range from Social through to Division 1, with a great range
of aged players from diverse cultural backgrounds, creating a fantastic player base and
great competition. Broome will host Beach Touch in March, as well as the upcoming
Northwest Championships in May this year. We are looking forward to hosting a great
regional event, and looking forward to continued growth in Touch through 2012.
Fremantle Districts Touch Association continues its strong tradition as a competitive and
social club. Currently in our summer series we have 8 men’s and 8 women’s teams
competing in the Wednesday night competition and 24 mixed teams in 3 divisions in the
Monday night competition. We continue to be a family orientated club with over 50
juniors, aged 5- 17 years, training and playing each week in preparation for the Junior
State Championships. We are lucky enough to have the wonderful support for senior
referees so don’t have to use a delegate referee system and continue to train new
referees regularly. As a committee we look forward to continuing to grow the club and
the sport in future years.
Northern Districts’ summer competition is progressing well with 40 mixed teams, 30 men’s
teams and 13 women’s team fighting it out for a place in the top 4 of each division to
qualify for finals which start in the second week of February. One pleasing development
this season is the entry of 3 junior teams into our men’s competition and the boys are
giving our older blokes a serious work out.
Summer at Southern Districts has seen us move from three to four timeslots on a Monday
night with a total of 85 teams spread over our Monday and Wednesday competitions.
We were thrilled to see a sizeable number of junior teams register for the senior
competition this year and are excited about the number of junior players interested in
representing us at the 2012 Junior State Championships. Due to the successful trial of
online registrations in winter, our summer teams have been able to register their own
details online using this quick and easy method and also make their payments online
using PayPal. The introduction of team fees as opposed to individual player fees has
also been accepted well by our players.
If you would like to keep the Touch WA Football community updated on your Affiliate
please email [email protected] with a short paragraph by the end of the month
In Issue 2, March 2012 our focus is on Juniors as we explore: the upcoming Junior State Championships, the Western Tigers AusSquad Academy,
the 2013 Super School Series and we also preview the National Touch League
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THE WA SCOOP
Touch Trivia Answers
1) Rebecca Senior: No. 4 Southern
2) Chance Antonievic-Bunce:
No.13 Wanneroo
3) Karon Boston and Nick Smith
4) Mitch Collins – Southern Districts
Meet Our Sponsors