Level 1 Refs Course Date Change

The referees course will now take place on Wednesday 25th April from 6pm – 9pm (location TBC) instead of this Sunday 25th March.  Use the previous form below to register.  The course is a great first step into Touch refereeing, of course, it is also useful for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge of the rules.

Fe fydd cwrs dyfarnu ar nos Fercher 25ain o Ebrill (lleoliad i’w gadarnhau) yn hytrach na dydd Sul yma, 25ain o Fawrth. Defnyddiwch ffurflen flaenorol isod i gofrestru. Mae’r cwrs yn gam cyntaf i ddyfarnu Cyffwrdd, wrth gwrs, ond mae’n ddefnyddiol i unrhyw un sydd eisiau gwella eu dealltwriaeth rheolau Cyffwrdd.

Ref App Form 2012

Refereeing Touch – 10 good reasons to get qualified

Maybe you’re new to Touch, maybe you’re a casual player who wants to better understand the rules, or maybe you have ambitions of playing or refereeing representative Touch.  Perhaps you already referee rugby or another sport and are looking for something to keep you busy in the summer.

Whatever your situation, here are 10 good reasons why you should commit three hours of your life to doing the Level 1 European Touch Referee Course:

1. Your understanding of the game will improve – that is beneficial to both players and referees
2. You will be valued – referees are integral to the further development of the game in Wales
3. You can earn some extra cash – Cyffwrdd Sir Gâr Touch pay £5 per game (usually three games per evening)
4. You could represent your country at top level tournaments around the world
5. Your fitness will improve – imagine doing shuttle runs for forty minutes (and that’s just one game!)
6. You will enjoy it – refereeing is fun!
7. You will enjoy the great camaraderie that exists amongst Touch referees
8. You will gain a sense of satisfaction from facilitating games and helping others
9. You can receive ongoing coaching and development from WTA referee director, Kevin Hobbs
10. More qualified referees = more games played = higher standard of Touch

Level 1 European Touch Referee Course organised by WTA and Cyffwrdd Sir Gar Touch 

Kevin Hobbs – Wales Touch Association Referee Director

WTA Referee Director and Level 5 qualified referee, Kevin Hobbs will be running the course.  Kevin recently returned from representing Wales as a referee at the Touch World Cup in Scotland.  He has refereed all over the UK, Europe and the southern hemisphere and is Wales’ only level 5 qualified referee at this point in time.

Wednesday 25^th April, 6pm – 9pm

Location – TBC

More information available by emailing touch@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or phone – 01554 744 354

Complete the application form (link below) and send along with a cheque for £12.00 (payable to WTA) – no prior learning required for this course.

Ref App Form 2012

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.

Johnny or Shane – Which Retired International Would Make the Best Touch Player?

Johnny Wilkinson - 91 England Caps (1,179 pts 6 tries)

Shane Williams - 87 Wales Caps, 58 tries

Now that an end has come to two glittering international careers, I’m sure Johnny and Shane will both be looking for new challenges in the forthcoming years.  Representing your country at the highest level is the pinnacle for any sportsman.  Once a player retires, for most, the only way is down.    How can that regular high be recreated elsewhere?

Richard Parks and his 737 Challenge proved that hanging up the rugby boots after a career-ending injury does not mean an end to testing your mind and body against the odds.   Unfortunately, not all ex-pros react in a positive way to the end of their career.  Many suffer from depression, alcoholism or addictions to drugs or gambling.

I imagine that both players are ultra-competitive and would be keen to keep sport on their agenda.  I would suggest that both Johnny and Shane would find Touch to be the perfect pastime.  A huge amount of Touch players have come to the sport following cessation of playing full contact rugby and with the possibility of competing on the international stage, perhaps they could be attracted into the game.  There are differences tactically, but tactics can be learnt – natural ability cannot.  Both players have this in abundance.

I have often wondered how players such as Shane would fare on the Touch pitch.  My guess is, extremely well!  He has the speed, ability and downright genius to twist anyone into a knot whilst trying to close him down, so I am sure Touch would greatly suit his style.

Johnny has such good distribution, organisation and leadership qualities, he would be an outstanding Touch player, likely to direct play from the middle position.  Although, his trusty left boot would be of no use to him in Touch!

How about a ‘Top Trumps’ type comparison?  I have tried to include characteristics that are relevant to both Rugby and Touch

Johnny Wilkinson, Fly-Half and Captain

• Defence – 10
• Distribution – 10
• Finishing – 7
• Leadership – 10
• Speed – 7
• X-factor – 7
• Total = 51/60

Shane Williams, Wing

• Defence – 7
• Distribution – 8
• Finishing – 10
• Leadership – 8
• Speed – 10
• X-factor – 10
• Total = 53/60

So, Shane just pips it for me then!

What do you think?  Answer the poll and leave comments below

Is Sport Only for the Time Rich?

I played rugby union throughout my teenage years and 20s and on the whole really enjoyed it. I love the physical challenge of rugby, working as a like-minded group to overcome challenges, pitting your wits against your opposite number and winning games was always a great bonus. But what happens when external and internal factors force you to re-prioritise your recreation time and you can no longer afford the time to play?

Family Priorities

I am a step-dad to a 13 year old girl and dad to two boys under 2, I commute 40 miles each way to my full time job Monday to Friday, my wife is a free-lancer who has to balance childcare with taking on work and therefore usually works at least one day on the weekend. I have just moved house and have a quickly growing jungle in the garden, rooms full to bursting with still unpacked boxes and scores of odd jobs that need doing. Where does sport fit into this?

I don’t think I appreciated this at the time, but I invested more than 20 hours a week in rugby and it’s peripheral activities! That’s almost a full day each week!

At the moment it is a struggle to grab an hour or two to do any kind of sport. I now live 10 minutes drive away from Brechfa Forest, one of Wales’ prime mountain bike trail hubs. In six months of living here I have managed one 2 hour ride! I have been for plenty of walks with the dog and my sons, but until the invent a kiddies protective bike trailer that can withstand the berms, table tops and drop-offs on the Gorlech trail I’ll have to stick to walking!

There is evidence to suggest that I am not the only one. Many people with young families are in exactly situation. One of the fastest growing sports in the UK is five-a-side football. Purpose built football centres such as Gôl in Cardiff are packed every night of the week with hundreds of punters playing games of 15 minutes each way.

Regular 5-a-side footballer, Dai John, noted;
I play five a side with a few mates in the Tuesday league. It’s great fun, competitive, well organised and a good sweat – I love it!

Purpose built 5-a-side centres are becoming more popular

Dai’s not the only one, I have played in a similar league and the fact that you were done and dusted in the hour was very appealing. It certainly beat going to the gym – working as a team trying your best to win a game forces you to put in far more effort than running on a treadmill will ever do.

When it comes to small versions of sports though, my personal favourite is Touch (Rugby). Closely related to both rugby codes, the game was developed in Australia in the 60s by a group of ex-rugby league players that wanted to keep fit and play competitive rugby into their 40s and 50s.

Touch can be played together by men and women

Roll on 50 years and the game has spread to over 40 countries and has it’s own World Cup showcase every 4 years. It is played by both men and women, often playing on the same team. The worldwide governing body is the Federation of International Touch (FIT) and in Wales, Wales Touch Association (WTA) is the NGB.

For me the beauty of the game is that it is very fast (lung-bustingly so!), skill-full, competitive and has very few player injuries associated with it (therefore a small risk of missing work).  As opposed to rugby, I directly contribute to the game with ball possession for far longer and I don’t have to roll about wrestling fat blokes in the mud!  Bonus!

Perhaps playing the full versions of sports is only for the time rich, but a new generation of adapted games is helping those with that competitive bug to continue to play their chosen game, even if time is at a premium.

Do you have a similar experience to share? Add comments below

Other versions of popular sports:

20/20 Cricket, Rugby 7s, 5-a-side football, beach volleyball