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Playing Touch Football – Basic Rules and Terminology

Introduction

Taren Point Touch Association (TPTA) will conduct their competitions under the current Touch Football Australia (TFA) Rules, 7th Edition & Amendments. However, the TPTA By Laws – Junior and Senior Competition Rules specify supplementary conditions and procedures to be applied by TPTA.

All players, coaches, managers, officials, etc. participating in any TPTA competition agree to be bound by TFA and TPTA rules and procedures.

TPTA Executive Committee have appointed a Competition Manager to administer our local competitions and a Ground Manager to run the actual game day operations and to ensure all local competitions are conducted in adherence to TPTA’s By-Laws.

The Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a legal requirement that applies to persons who work or volunteer with children (U18). It checks the background of persons who work or volunteer with children in sport clubs. All coaches, managers, team contacts and referees, who are aged 18 or older, must have a current WWCC or be exempt from holding one under the law. A parent, who coaches a team that their child plays in, is no longer considered exempt from holding a WWCC for that activity.

The TPTA Executive Committee reserves the right to alter any local rules it deems fit.

Game Terminology and Rules

 Touch Football, like any sport, has a number of unique terminologies and rules; see below for a list of the most common with their explanation.

Aim of the Game

• The objective of the game is to score more touchdowns than the other team
• Each touchdown is counted singularly i.e. one point
• The winner of the game is the team with the most touchdowns at the end of the game

Attacking Team

• Is the team in possession of the ball

Defending Team

• Is the team without the ball

Team and Players on the Field

• A touch football team may consist of as many as 14 players
• A maximum of six players are allowed on the field at any one time
• Modification for Under 7s and 9s – only 5 players are allowed on the field, with up to 5 substitutes
• Players not participating in the game are to remain behind the sideline in the interchange box until a teammate steps off the field
• The interchange can only be made from one side of the field. The interchange must take place from an ‘onside’ position, or after a touchdown, when players can substitute at will
• An unlimited number of interchanges between players is allowed

Field of Play

• A touch football field is half the size of a Rugby, League or Soccer field
• The full size of a touch football playing field is 50 metres wide and 70 metres long (not including the interchange box or the touchdown zone). It is bound by sidelines and scorelines, which extend five (5) metres past the scoreline. (See Figure 1). Players must stay within these confines
• Modification for Under 7s and 9s – Taren Point Touch use a smaller field measuring thirty-five (35) metres wide by fifty (50) metres long

Halfway Line

• Is the line that divides the field into halves and the line which attackers must stand behind for the commencement of, or recommencement of, play

Halfway Mark

• Is the point in the centre of the halfway line from where play is started or recommenced

Length of Game

• The game is 40 minutes duration with two x 20-minute halves and a five-minute halftime break

Toss

• The referee will ask for a ‘toss’ of a coin with both captains, with the winning team having the choice of tapping off or defending and also choosing the direction in which they will run. ‘Rock Scissor Paper’ is also an accepted method of determining the toss

Commencement

• The game is commenced, or recommenced after a touchdown is scored, by placing the ball on the centre of the halfway line by the team in possession performing a tap. The tap is taken in the latter case by the team scored

The Tap

• A tap is the only form of kick in the game, no other kicking is permitted
• A tap is used to commence or recommence play (at the start of the game and at the restart after halftime, after a penalty, or after a touchdown has been scored)
• A tap is taken by placing the ball on the ground on the location of the mark (given by the referee) and releasing it from the hands, tapping the ball gently with the foot and retrieving the ball cleanly from the ground
• The person who performs the tap is able to score a touchdown without having to pass the ball

Pass

• A pass is the action of throwing or otherwise propelling the ball to a teammate who is beside (but not in front of you) or behind you.

Six Touches

• The attacking team maintains possession of the ball until six touches have been effected unless a touchdown is scored or an infringement causes the ball to be handed over to the opposition
• Once six touches have been completed, the attacking team hands the ball over and becomes the defending team
• Play is then recommenced with a roll ball or in the instance of a penalty, a tap

‘Onside’ and ‘Offside’

• This refers to a player’s position on the field and affects both attackers and defenders

Attack Onside/Offside

• Onside (in attack) means being in line with or behind your teammate who is currently in possession of the ball
• For an attacker to be in an onside position, they must be ‘behind the ball’ relative to the direction in which their team is running i.e. spread out behind the attacking player who is currently in possession of the ball. The ball must be passed backwards
• All players must be in their own half of the field at the start of play
• Offside (in attack) means being in front of your teammate who is in possession of the ball

Defence Onside/Offside

• Onside (in defence) means being in line with or behind the referee at the time of the rollball or tap
• The defending team must retreat 5 metres which is normally to the point that is in line with the referee after every touch. Defenders can move forward and make a touch once the attacking team has performed a roll ball and dummy half touches the ball
• Offside (in defence) means being within five metres of the play when the attacking player rolls the ball in defence or within ten metres of a tap (and not making an effort to retire to a point either in line or behind the referee)
• An offside player cannot directly involve themselves in the play until they have moved to an onside position. If they involve themselves in the play while in an offside position, they will be penalized
• The defending team may move forward to effect a touch as soon as the Dummy Half touches the ball
• Modification for Under 7s and 9s – the defenders can only move up when the first receiver catches the ball, and/or the dummy half runs with the ball.

Scoring a Touchdown

• A team in possession of the ball may score a touchdown by placing the ball on or over the score line (within the boundaries of the extended sidelines), without being touched
• Players must place the ball on the ground in a controlled manner in order to score a touchdown
• Please note players do not have to run around to the middle of the try line and score ‘under the posts’, score the touchdown where you can
• Each touchdown is worth one point
• After a touchdown is scored, play re-commences with a tap from the halfway mark
• The team that was scored against re-starts with the ball

Making / Effecting a Touch

• A touch is any contact on any part of the body, hair, clothing or ball and can be made by the defending player or even an attacking player
• If a touch is made on a player in possession, that player must return to the mark and perform a rollball
• The game is based on a great degree of honesty, so if you get touched you need to play the ball and likewise if you are defending you should never call a ‘touch’ if you did not actually touch the attacking player (this is called a ‘phantom touch’)

‘The Mark’

• The mark is the position on the field where the attacking player, in possession of the ball, is at the time the touch is made
• When a player is touched with the ball they have to return to the mark to perform a ‘rollball’ or ‘play the ball’ (you will be penalised for not playing the ball on the mark)
• The mark is also the place on the field, indicated by the referee, where the attacking team will recommence play following an infringement

Roll ball / Play the Ball

• Is the action of restarting play after a touch or after a changeover
• The ‘rollball’ must be taken on the mark, (where the touch was made), without delay
• It is performed by placing the ball on the ground and stepping over it or rolling the ball gently through the legs (not more than one metre) to a player designated as the ‘dummy half’
• The player performing the rollball must stand parallel to the sidelines
• Unlike rugby league, the player does not need to touch the ball with their foot, the player just needs to step over the ball. This is also called the ‘rollball’

Markers

• There are no ‘marker’ defenders in touch football like in Rugby League
• All players must retreat 5m after a touch has been made

Half / Acting Half / Dummy Half

• Is the first player to touch the ball following the rollball
• The dummy half cannot score, and if they are caught with the ball it is an immediate changeover and the other team receives the ball

Intercepts

• This occurs when the ball is caught by a defender while it is still in the air
• The defender is now the attacker and is entitled to continue running providing they are neither touched or they drop the ball
• After taking an intercept and being touched, the touch count is deemed to be at ‘zero’

Knockdowns

• The touch count is re-started if the ball is touched in flight deliberately by a defender and possession is regained by the attacking team

‘Change of Possession’ or ‘Turn Over’

This is the situation in which the attacking team becomes the defending team and vice versa. There are a number of instances throughout the game that this will occur, these include:

• Six (6) touches have been made without the attacking team scoring a touchdown
• The attacking team makes a mistake, for instance, a ball carrier running out of the field of play
• The attacking team drops the ball in any direction i.e. there is no knock-back as in Rugby or League
• Acting half is caught with the ball

Penalties

These are awarded for infringements of the rules and can be taken as a tap. A penalty is awarded to the non-offending team when:

• Passing the ball after being touched by a defender (late pass)
• A defender not retreating five metres from a rollball (offside)
• Not playing the ball on the mark (off the mark)
• Attacking player standing and receiving the ball in front of the player with the ball (forward pass)
• Obstruction – when the player with the ball uses a teammate as a shield to avoid a touch
• Performing a rollball before being touched
• Running on after being touched or throwing the ball away (delaying play)
• Disputing a referee’s decision
• Incorrect substituting i.e. not waiting for a team member to come off the field before going on

Coach

• Modification for Under 7s and 9s – Coaches are allowed on the field but must remain at least 5 metres behind their team
• Coaches are not permitted to talk to the referees. We have a Zero Tolerance to abuse of referees!

If you have any further questions on the rules or terminology used in touch football, feel free to contact Taren Point Touch via email tarenpointtouch@hotmail.com

Parents FAQ

What Parents Want To Know

Touch Football is an accessible sport, played by both boys and girls from three years old with equal fun and opportunities. After discovering Touch Football, most children continue playing through their entire childhood and adolescence.

Perfect For Your Child’s Development

There is no other sport more conducive to child activity than Touch Football. It’s a minimal contact sport that actively encourages fitness, communication, team spirit, coordination, and decision making; it contributes positively to your child’s development. Medical and sport doctors describe Touch Football as a low injury physical activity, perfectly suitable for kids in their phase of physiologic awakening and acquisition of movement skills.

Perfect For Busy Parents

Parents like Touch Football firstly because it’s a great sport for their children but also because it doesn’t require a lot of equipment to buy and wash! Competitions have convenient scheduling of times without a formal requirement to train, which suits busy parent’s lifestyles.

Children Love It Too

Children love Touch Football for many reasons including:

• It’s a sport they can start and enjoy immediately at any age;
• Size and shape plays little influence on how competitive a child can be;
• Touch Football is fast and dynamic, and it’s all about chasing each other;
• It combines well with multiple sports, and can be played similarly with other football codes;
• Boys and girls can play together and have fun around a commonly appreciated activity.

A Family Bonding Activity

Touch Football can also be a passion for you, or simply an activity that you share with your children. Because age is not a barrier in Touch Football, you and your family members can play together and it becomes an occasion to spend quality time together.

Volunteering

Volunteers play a major role in the delivery of sports and children activities. Parents and volunteers are the cornerstone of the Touch Football community, and your involvement will be greatly valued by your child and all members of the community.

To get involved with your local club, simply contact your Competition Coordinator – he or she will tell you how you can contribute to the sport and form part of the Touch Football community.

Player Pathways