In October 2017, I had the pleasure of attending the FIT Annual General Meeting to represent the European Federation of Touch. Whilst a quick trip, I was fortunate enough to sit down with FIT, TFA, TNZ and other major NTA’s within Asia and discuss some significant topics within our fast growing sport. In particular, excellent progress was made in pushing towards a global calendar and
global awareness of what is occurring within Europe so we can plan on a much larger scale for long-term success.
What was very evident through the meetings and the AGM was the brilliant work that NTA’s within Europe and the rest of the world are doing, but also the importance of ensuring we work together as much as possible to achieve our universal goal of getting more individuals involved in Touch! The EFT were in a position to reflect on the experiences of our NTA’s and offer advice and
assistance where necessary to assist other NTA’s in their development and progression.
After the AGM and meetings, I was able to pull on my touch boots and play in the Shanghai International Touch tournament. There was not time for rest or jetlag as I pulled on a number of different shirts throughout the day – after seventeen 20-minute games and 3 different finals, it was safe to say that I slept well on my flight back to Europe. What never fails to amaze me is the
universality of a touch tournament – this tournament was full of enthusiasm, plenty of player referees and an excellent after party – just like Europe! Touch in China is booming and it is very clear that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with at the 2019 Touch World Cup.
The hospitality of the China Touch Association and the Federation of International Touch was outstanding – it was an extremely valuable experience to be present in China for the 3 days, with some significant networking and progress made.
