The NRL Touch Premiership was introduced in 2018 and included three partner entities from the Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers. Sydney Scorpions were aligned to the Parramatta Eels. This elite Open Men’s and Open Women’s competition is a League where the top 45 players in each gender are selected by the State Selection Panel.
In 2019, the second year of this elite touch football tournament expanded significantly, with more NRL clubs involved, and about four times as many game-days at many more stadiums across the country.
In 2020 the NRL Touch Premiership was to take on a different look with a number of NRL club changes. With the Parramatta Eels no longer set to take part, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles were added to the competition with the Sydney Scorpions aligned to the Sea Eagles. However COVID-19 put a halt to the competition. There is plans that the event will recommence in 2023. Further information can be found via Wikipedia.
2020 NRL Touch Premiership
2019 NRL Touch Premiership
8 NRL clubs: The tournament expanded from six NRL clubs in 2018 to eight in 2019, with the Sydney Roosters and the New Zealand Warriors joining the Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast Titans, Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys in this elite touch football tournament.
240 elite athletes: Each of the eight NRL clubs will field both an elite women’s and elite men’s touch team, meaning that more than 120 female and 120 male athletes will be competing to win their club a Premiership.
26 game-days: The tournament will also significantly extend in game-days – from just seven in 2018 to 26 in 2019. The tournament will run across five months of the NRL season, from 6th April to 18th August.
12 stadiums: Matches will be played at all major stadiums throughout Australia (including ANZ, Suncorp and CBUS Stadiums), as well as the brand new Western Sydney Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Glen Willow Stadium in Mudgee and Mt Smart Stadium in New Zealand. The ready-made audience of 680,000 Australian touch participants, and 260,000 in New Zealand, plus the related rugby league fan-base, will have the opportunity to spectate live in stadium.
