VIDEO – Part 1 An Interview With Dennis Coffey (Fed. Int. Touch)

Please note – this is a ‘Prezi’.  It allows the viewer to navigate around the presentation in his/her own time.  There are several parts to this show.  Simply use the arrows to move to the next section.  You can also use the zoom keys to get in closer to the action!

Dennis talks to Wild West Touch about his role with the Federation of International Touch, potential new FIT members including Afghanistan and U.A.E. and gives his good luck message to Wild West Touch.

The next instalment will look into the origins of Touch and how the game has developed, particularly in Australia.

VIDEO – Dennis Coffey Interview INTRO

Dennis Coffey is one of the most respected figures in Touch.  He is accredited with codifying the rules of Touch and has played and coached for national Australian teams in Touch World Cups.  He is currently Secretary General of the Federation of International Touch.  See another post about Dennis.

This video is a short introduction to the main interview film which will be available shortly.

Preview clip – Dennis discusses the merits of Touch and gives a mention to Wild West Touch in Wales!

Represent Wales at the Euros 2012 / Cynrychioli Cymru 2012

Budding Wales Touch internationals have the chance to show their skills at a trial.

The Wales 30s Mixed team are holding a trial to identify men and women to go to the Touch Euros in Italy this September.  Wales are the current overall European champions, so this is a chance to be a part of Wales’ campaign to recapture the title.

Anyone interested should contact coach, Steve Higgs on sphiggs@westonmoore.co.uk or 07850 177 935

 

 

Wales 30+ Mixed Touch Trial:

8pm-10pm on Friday 17th February 2012 at Gartholwg all-weather pitch

St Illtyds Road (opposite the post office), Church Village, Pontypridd, RCT

Who Would Be A Ref?

Kevin Hobbs (far left) seen here with the other members of the Wales Touch Association

A question many people probably ask is, Who Would Be A Ref?

It’s very often a thankless task, but of course without the referees we would have no game.  I would encourage anyone that plays Touch to give reffing a go some time – who knows, you might catch the bug!

I spoke to Wales’ top Touch referee, Kevin Hobbs, to try and understand the reasons why someone might take up  a vocation whose attractions are a mystery to many.

The National Director for Touch referees in Wales, Kevin recently become Wales’ first FIT Level 5 qualified referee and was one of three Wales referee representatives at last year’s World Cup in Scotland.  He has played or refereed Touch all over Europe as well as in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

The Player

Level 5 Black Badge - one of the few European Referees to reach this level

Born and bred in Pontypridd, Kevin was introduced to Touch through a friend some years ago and began playing in the Cardiff leagues.  However, it wasn’t always an easy transition, as many Rugby Union players will probably testify,

‘It took me a while to appreciate the game – I got frustrated by the over-stepping and Touch-and-pass rule!’

Having played for a few seasons on and off, Kevin had the opportunity to represent Wales at the 2003 World Cup in Japan.  It was there that he noticed the gulf in class between the relative newcomers from Europe and the ‘Big Guns’ from the Southern Hemisphere;

Seeing the quality of the Australian and New Zealand players, I realised what a quick and skillful game Touch is and fully committed to improving my own game after that.

The Referee

Coming from a background of playing the game made Kevin appreciate just how integral the referees role is and having become critical of many officials, he decided that it was only right to give it a go himself.

I realised the importance of good refereeing to the development of the game, so I attended all the courses necessary to get upgraded.

He has recently retired from playing in order to concentrate on refereeing.  This has paid off as he became the first Level 5 or Black Badge Touch Referee in Wales and prior to the World Cup in June 2011 he spent time refereeing at the State Championships in Australia.  Having never refereed any other sport other than one game of rugby union, this is testament to Kevin’s commitment to Touch refereeing.

Committed Administrator

But Kevin is not just a referee.  Touch now takes up a significant portion of his spare time; Kevin sits on the Wales Touch Association (WTA) board of directors with a dual role of referee and financial director.  He is also been appointed as a board member for Touch Europe Referees.

Touch probably takes up about 80% of my spare time and 15% of my work time.  I do it because I want Wales to be able to be competitive on the World stage and the only way to do that is if we get more people playing and refereeing and raise the standard of our domestic tournaments.

Why Should You Referee?

It must be said that it takes a certain type of person to want to referee any sport.  For many referees in other sports it might be because they are too old to play the game.  This is an interesting dilemma for Touch, due to the fact that many people continue to play the game into their 50s and 60s, meaning that the number of ex-players are limited in comparison.

Refereeing does have it’s rewards.  Many refs site the camaraderie with fellow referees – and the honour of potentially representing your country cannot be ignored;

Referees also have an opportunity to travel to competitions around Europe and beyond, the higher the grading, the greater the opportunities

I have done a bit of refereeing myself and it can be enjoyable in a weird sort of way.  I am definitely not about to give up playing to take up refereeing, but doing it now and again to help out when short of refs is definitely part and parcel of the game!

Referee Touch - Would You?

I would encourage anyone that plays Touch to try and attend the Level 1 Touch Referees course as it gives a great insight into the rules of the game and how difficult it can be to keep up with play and make good decisions!  It will make you a better player and you will gain a greater understanding and respect for those that make the game possible.

Contact Wales Touch Association if you would like to know more about becoming a referee or attending courses.

Camaraderie and representing your country at the highest level are two of the main draws to refereeing Touch

Dennis Coffey – Secretary General of Federation of International Touch (FIT)

When you think of Touch, you should think of Dennis Coffey.  Dennis literally co-wrote the rule book way back when and has been involved in the game for over 30 years.  He developed many of the manuals and coaching resources and was Australia’s first Touch Coaching Director.

Dennis teaching the Level 1 Touch Course in Wales, 2010

For the last few years he has been involved with FIT and has been travelling around the world promoting the sport.  I was lucky enough to meet Dennis at an event I organised at Parc y Scarlets for Sports Development professionals with WTA in May 2011.  Dennis told us about how the game started and developed in Australia and the potential for development here in Wales.  Carmarthenshire has already done a lot of work, particularly with girl’s Touch and that looks set to continue with Dennis helping to identify what could be done to develop the game further.

I then attended the Level 1 Touch coaching course in summer 2011 and you could not have a more knowledgable and experienced tutor for a Touch coaching course in Dennis!  It was a pleasure to work with him and I look forward to the Level 2 course in 2012!

It’s an exciting time for Touch in Wales with WTA and the WRU coming together to put Touch right at the forefront of not just junior rugby, but also at adult level with the news that 14 Participation Officers have just been appointed across Wales.  A strong focus for these officers will be Touch and the setting up of leagues and competitions for juniors and adults.  I think we’re going to see an astronomical rise in the number of registered players, which currently sits at less than 3000!  It’s quite amazing that Wales have previously competed so well in World Cups and Euros with such a small player base, so the future looks very good indeed!

Here’s a short clip of Dennis talking about his involvement in Touch and another video of Dennis speaking at the opening of TWC2011 during a highlights video from TWC2011 hosted by Scotland in June.