England Launch National Touch Series

England Touch is pleased to announce the launch of the 2008 National Touch Series, sponsored by Canterbury of New Zealand. The sport of Touch has over 12,000 players in England and the 2008 NTS is a reflection of the growth of the sport. This exciting new initiative is designed to bring together existing Touch events into a co-ordinated Series, allowing teams to test themselves against the best teams in the country across 8 events throughout the summer and rewarding teams for attending as many events as possible, not necessarily winning every one. The events - kicking off on May 17th in Nottingham - are run by affiliated England Touch members, and include Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Tonbridge, London, Nottingham, Newcastle and Thames Valley. Each event will run either Menâ€−s, Mixed and Womenâ€−s divisions, or a combination of all three.

As well as an event winner, each team will be awarded points for their final placing at any one NTS event, these points are tallied in a League table which will result in an overall NTS winner at the end of the Summer. A team can enter as many NTS events as they like and will not be forced to play in all 8 events.

It is hoped that the NTS will provide a bridge between local leagues and international Touch, exposing players and referees to a higher level of competition, thus strengthening the game in England.

England Touch are pleased to announce Canterbury of New Zealand as the NTS title sponsor, this is part of a new association which also includes Canterburyâ€−s support of the England national squads and the English Club Championships. Canterbury will be working closely with England Touch to produce a range of playing kit to meet the demands of Touch.

Jeremy How, President of the ETA, commented, “We are delighted to be launching the inaugural National Touch Series with the support of Canterbury of New Zealand. Touch has been growing rapidly both at a grass roots and elite level for several years and the NTS is designed to bridge the gap between the two".

Entries to the NTS will be co-ordinated by each affiliated member. Check out the England Touch website for provisional dates & further info.