The New South Wales Touch Association (NSWTA) is proud to announce the 50th Anniversary- Golden Jubilee Celebrations are set to take place throughout 2022.
It is quite a milestone to reach your 50th Anniversary, and the Board has signed off on the program to recognise this important time in the history of the NSWTA. We have come a long way as an organisation since Ray Vawdon, and Bob Dyke first formed the New South Wales Touch Football Association with six (6) Affiliates and 1500 participants. So it is only suitable that we recognise this milestone with several activities within the program.
Following is a brief of the program that will have further details provided as we move into 2022.
AWARDS
The NSWTA will recognise contributions to the game via re-naming a number of our current Awards. They will be re-named in the same vein as the Rod Wise Medal, Boland and Smith Medals, and Matthew Medal. Those Awards to be re-named will be:
- President of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Male Player of the Year
- Female Player of the Year
NB – Rod Wise Medal is for Volunteer of the Year, Matthew Medal is for Referee of the Year, Boland Medal for the Best and Fairest Men’s Premier League Player during Vawdon Cup, and the Smith Medal for the Best and Fairest Women’s Premier League Player during Vawdon Cup.
JUNIOR REGIONAL’S
The NSWTA will recognise contributions to the game via re-naming DIVISIONS. These will be re-named in the same vein as is the case for the Junior State Cup Divisions.
LONGEST-SERVING
The NSWTA will conduct a competition to search for our current longest-serving park-level player, referee, coach, and administrator.
STATE OF ORIGIN- TEAM NSW
The NSWTA will engage with members of the playing group with a view to “bringing back” a replica on-field kit from our storied history.
We will also conduct a contest to find a ‘nickname’ for our State Teams. A name that can become iconic to the NSW Touch Football state teams.
GOLDEN JUBILEE DINNER
The NSWTA will hold a black-tie dinner to officially celebrate our first 50 years.
50th ANNIVERSARY TEAMS
The NSWTA will mark the occasion and our history by the naming of these teams. We plan to announce and present the teams at the Golden Jubilee Dinner. We will also name coaches, referees, and selector for each category. Those teams will be:
- Men’s Open
- Women’s Open
- Mixed Open
- Men’s Seniors
- Women’s Seniors
- Indigenous Allstars (Mixed)
RETURN OF CITY v COUNTRY- THE BOB DYKE SHIELD
The NSWTA, in collaboration with the New South Rugby League (NSWRL), will reintroduce the City v Country fixture for the Men’s Open and Women’s Open. The matches will be played alongside the NSWRL City v Country fixtures during the NRL Magic Round.
To support the program, throughout 2022 there will be a social media campaign to reminisce and celebrate our history. We are also considering a small merchandise program to run in conjunction with the celebrations.
We will provide further details as we lead into the celebrations.
