This year the Bundaberg Cup touch football competition will be the biggest yet, with 80 teams having already registered for the premiere event.
Described as one of Australia's richest touch football knockouts, the event is set to attract hundreds of competitors to the Bundaberg Region next month for the ninth community sporting experience.
Queensland Touch Football’s Rachael Harpur said there were a number of contributing factors that helped grow the numbers this year.
“We are currently at 80 team registrations, which is the largest in the history of the event, (this) is super exciting,” she said.
“I think there are multiple things that has contributed to this.
“Mostly, I believe, it is because we now have game development officers in the region proactively pushing the development of touch football in the local area, which forms part of our overarching QTF strategic plan to grow the sport.”
The Bundaberg Cup is a social community touch football event that has been held in Bundaberg since 2015 by Touch Football Australia and Queensland Touch Football.
The competition caters for elite to social players in open divisions and provides development opportunities for junior teams.
Last year Bundaberg Cup kicked goals for the region’s economy with 777 competitors in 52 teams taking to the field to compete.
While the event provides an opportunity for local teams to vie for the top prize, 71 per cent of attendees travel from outside of the region to take part.
Supported by Bundaberg Regional Council since its inception, funding has been approved under a three-year-partnership agreement with $60,000 in assistance delivered to the Bundaberg Cup through to next year.
Rachael said it was pleasing to see the touch football grow across the region and this year Queensland Touch Football had also organised for players to meet at the local beach prior to the competition starting.
“We have organised a beach activation on the Friday afternoon at the Bundaberg Surf Club which we’re really excited about,” she said.
Bundaberg Cup team registrations close on 18 January, to register a team in click here.
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