The NSWTA is fully supportive of the NSWTA Regions and the view that the National Touch League (NTL) should remain as a regional based representative pathway event.
NSWTA is aligned with the Regions in being willing and ready to work with the Touch Football Australia (TFA) to improve the NTL to aid it reach its full potential as the national representative pathway event via Regional representation.
In March this year, TFA released their plan for the event’s future. A memo was distributed to the membership outlining several recommendations for the 2024 and 2025 NTLs.
The key recommendation advised that TFA would move the NTL to a format for the next two years open to all Regions, Affiliates and Alliance States to enter teams in all divisions, including Opens, Masters and All Abilities.
In July TFA provided further detail of how the event would be structured including a shortened three-day format, in line with feedback previously received from event stakeholders.
While the latest information released by TFA has provided detail on how this revised competition would look or operate, it remains clear that participants will be able to continue participating with their Regions or choose to represent their local affiliate.
The NSWTA is supportive of the representative pathway system that is inclusive of Regional representation. We are committed to the NSWTA representative pathway structure, which flows from Affiliate to Region to State.
We understand that not all affiliates will be able to facilitate this new format and the challenges it likely will present.
As such, NSWTA will continue to undertake its talent identification program at all NSWTA-run events where participants represent their Affiliates. At the NTL, our selection teams will be focused on the NSWTA Regional teams.
