The southern hemisphere’s best juniors to star in Brisbane

The event hosted by Touch Football Australia (TFA) is being held at the magnificent Whites Hill Reserve in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from Friday 12 May, which will be home to the 2032 Olympic Games with New Zealand Under 18 Girls matching up against Asian heavyweight Singapore. On Field 1, the Aussie Under 18 Girls matched wits with Pacific foes Cook Islands.

The APYTC involves twenty-three teams representing nine nations who will compete across under 18 and under 20s mixed, girls and boys divisions.

The event follows the hugely successful Opens Trans-Tasman Test Series, held at the same venue a fortnight ago where Australia retained the title over New Zealand.

The APYTC marks the re-start of international youth competition in the Southern Hemisphere following the cancellation of the 2021 Federation of International Touch Youth World Cup due to the pandemic.

Thousands of visitors have flocked to Whites Hill to attend the showpiece event for the sport of Touch in Brisbane for the three-day tournament adding to the state's action-packed events calendar and reputation as a sporting destination.

The last FIT Youth World Cup was held in Malaysia in 2018, where Australia proved victorious. Besides the traditional matchup between Tran Tasman arch-rivals Australia and New Zealand, Brisbane’s festival of Touch will include teams from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Nui, Singapore and the Philippines. 

Federation of International Touch Director Peter Topp said the event is a welcome sight.

"After the disruption and rescheduling of international events in recent years, we're delighted to see top-flight youth Touch Football return to the global stage." Mr Topp said.

"This event will encourage participation and development from several emerging nations from across the Pacific and Southern Hemisphere, which is critically important as we rebuild the sport globally after the pandemic."

TFA Chief Executive Officer Jamie O’Connor said Touch Football Australia (TFA) is looking forward to the dual role of hosting the event and competing on the field. “After the success of the recent Opens Trans-Tasman Test Series at this venue, we now turn our attention to our youth teams and resuming this critical element of our pathways”. 

“We’re looking forward to witnessing the rivalries resume on the field, but equally looking forward to hosting our friends from the international community off the field and welcoming individuals to Brisbane.” O’Connor said.

The Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup starts 12 May Friday and runs through to Sunday 14 May at Brisbane Metropolitan Touch Association, one of the state’s largest community sporting organisations and home to 800 Touch teams annually.

To catch the action from the Asia Pacific Youth Touch outside of Australia and New Zealand, go to our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/internationaltouch.org/live_videos

If you’re in Australia catch the action live and free on Kayo, or in New Zealand on Sky.

Results are available online at https://www.internationaltouch.org/events/asia-pacific-youth-touch-cup/2023/ or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/intltouchorg.