DIEHARD
29-08-11, 09:54 AM
Tag footy the fix for junior slump
Phil Gould
On Sunday, September 25, in conjunction with OzTag Australia, the Penrith Panthers will hold a giant gala day to launch a new recreational form of rugby league.
This new game, called SuperTag, has been modelled on the popular OzTag game. It's a full-field game of tag football that can be played by women, girls, men and boys of all ages. It's an alternative winter sport for those who don't wish to engage in tackle football.
I urge all junior league officials, community groups, corporate sponsors and government officials to come along and view the action so they fully comprehend the potential of this wonderful initiative. We will stage competitions for boys and girls in three age groups on the gala day: 12, 14 and 16 years. Teams have been nominated from the Central Coast, Sutherland Shire and the junior leagues of western Sydney. The games will be played at Centrebet Stadium and several surrounding grounds. All the finals will be played on the main arena with prizes for the winning teams.
This is an exhibition day to highlight one of our most important strategies of engaging fans of all ages in western Sydney and making the Panthers and rugby league a part of their healthy lifestyle - for life.
Up until now, OzTag has been kept exclusively as a summer sport. Junior league teams play real footy in the winter and many play the recreational form of the game in the summer to keep players together. OzTag has stayed away from winter timetables to avoid pulling players away from junior league clubs.
SuperTag now provides a winter alternative to tackle football that can be run by junior league clubs in collaboration with the Penrith District Junior League and the OzTag Australia organisation. I have no doubt it will be extremely popular with women, men and children of all ages. It will also help tackle some of the many challenges facing our game at junior and senior levels.
I see this as a great way to engage those people who don't know a lot about rugby league and are simply looking for a recreational sport. This is especially important due to the multicultural diversification in western Sydney. Over 600,000 people in western Sydney are from overseas. I can also see SuperTag attracting kids who play football (soccer), rugby, netball, softball and other sports. They may play other sports but they follow an NRL team. SuperTag can give them an involvement with a form of rugby league.
It's all about fun and participation. It is rugby league without the tackle. There's a skill level to accommodate everybody. Club ovals and facilities can be used to play the traditional tackle game. On the same weekend, the clubs can also offer a non-tackle version of our sport. For junior league clubs it will provide new revenue streams; not to mention increased patronage of club canteens and licensed premises.
SuperTag will boast colourful ?-length-sleeve uniforms in bright team colours. There will be special gloves to make ball handling and tagging that much easier. It looks great. SuperTag has all the league skills of passing, kicking and shots at goal. The game is overseen by qualified referees and competitions are monitored by experienced officials.
We at the Panthers see SuperTag and OzTag as great solutions to a number of the issues our game faces. It also helps tackle worthy causes such sports participation, healthy lifestyles, child obesity and diabetes, and fosters community spirit. Some kids don't like playing tackle football.
Tag football is the answer.
In junior league we see a huge number enrol for their first league experience at a very young age. We see drop-out rates increase as we go through the age groups. Numbers decrease in the 9-10-year age groups as kids and parents get disillusioned with their early experiences. We see another decline around 13-14 years of age as size differences start to take effect and collisions begin to become a real issue.
We see a significant drop-off in participation rates in the 16-18-year age groups as young men leave school and start tertiary education or join the workforce. They don't have time for midweek training sessions and they can't afford to get injured playing a contact sport because they can't miss work or studies.
I've talked about this so often in this column over the years. Now is the chance to do something about it. SuperTag provides the safe and fun way to stay involved in the game. There's no need for midweek training sessions. It's a stress-free, low-maintenance, time-convenient social interaction for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Most importantly, SuperTag provides a winter version of rugby league participation for women and girls. I want to see the ladies involved. My daughters play OzTag. The mums play OzTag. My son plays OzTag in a mixed team with his sister. They love it. Once they try SuperTag I'm sure they'll love it, too. They can play this game for as many years as they feel young at heart.
SuperTag will also provide legitimate pathways for kids to be recognised and recruited into tackle rugby league at older ages. There will be elite levels of the game including representative competitions at district, state and national levels. I can't see why international competitions won't emerge in this sport. SuperTag answers the problem of rugby league at both junior and senior levels becoming too much of a power game, dominated by the big boys who just tuck the ball under the arm and stomp over the smaller kids. This game develops speed, agility, passing and space awareness. The smaller kids really get a chance to enjoy their rugby league experience rather than being intimidated. It will also teach the bigger boys there is more to football than merely collision and wrestle.
I can see this leading to the development of more halves and playmakers at the senior level. We sure need them and current development pathways are not producing anywhere near enough. Small kids with potential are giving the game away too early or are being ignored by junior league coaches in favour of the powerfully built ball-runners.
I also intend for the Panthers and OzTag Australia to provide free midweek competitions in some under-privileged areas throughout western Sydney for kids and adults who might normally struggle to meet the financial requirements of organised sporting competitions. This will be one of our very important community initiatives. We want everyone to feel a part of rugby league.
So mark down September 25 at Centrebet Stadium. You can inquire at the Penrith Junior League offices or go to the OzTag Australia website for more details. A number of NRL stars will be there checking out the action and interacting with the kids. It will be great fun.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/
Phil Gould
On Sunday, September 25, in conjunction with OzTag Australia, the Penrith Panthers will hold a giant gala day to launch a new recreational form of rugby league.
This new game, called SuperTag, has been modelled on the popular OzTag game. It's a full-field game of tag football that can be played by women, girls, men and boys of all ages. It's an alternative winter sport for those who don't wish to engage in tackle football.
I urge all junior league officials, community groups, corporate sponsors and government officials to come along and view the action so they fully comprehend the potential of this wonderful initiative. We will stage competitions for boys and girls in three age groups on the gala day: 12, 14 and 16 years. Teams have been nominated from the Central Coast, Sutherland Shire and the junior leagues of western Sydney. The games will be played at Centrebet Stadium and several surrounding grounds. All the finals will be played on the main arena with prizes for the winning teams.
This is an exhibition day to highlight one of our most important strategies of engaging fans of all ages in western Sydney and making the Panthers and rugby league a part of their healthy lifestyle - for life.
Up until now, OzTag has been kept exclusively as a summer sport. Junior league teams play real footy in the winter and many play the recreational form of the game in the summer to keep players together. OzTag has stayed away from winter timetables to avoid pulling players away from junior league clubs.
SuperTag now provides a winter alternative to tackle football that can be run by junior league clubs in collaboration with the Penrith District Junior League and the OzTag Australia organisation. I have no doubt it will be extremely popular with women, men and children of all ages. It will also help tackle some of the many challenges facing our game at junior and senior levels.
I see this as a great way to engage those people who don't know a lot about rugby league and are simply looking for a recreational sport. This is especially important due to the multicultural diversification in western Sydney. Over 600,000 people in western Sydney are from overseas. I can also see SuperTag attracting kids who play football (soccer), rugby, netball, softball and other sports. They may play other sports but they follow an NRL team. SuperTag can give them an involvement with a form of rugby league.
It's all about fun and participation. It is rugby league without the tackle. There's a skill level to accommodate everybody. Club ovals and facilities can be used to play the traditional tackle game. On the same weekend, the clubs can also offer a non-tackle version of our sport. For junior league clubs it will provide new revenue streams; not to mention increased patronage of club canteens and licensed premises.
SuperTag will boast colourful ?-length-sleeve uniforms in bright team colours. There will be special gloves to make ball handling and tagging that much easier. It looks great. SuperTag has all the league skills of passing, kicking and shots at goal. The game is overseen by qualified referees and competitions are monitored by experienced officials.
We at the Panthers see SuperTag and OzTag as great solutions to a number of the issues our game faces. It also helps tackle worthy causes such sports participation, healthy lifestyles, child obesity and diabetes, and fosters community spirit. Some kids don't like playing tackle football.
Tag football is the answer.
In junior league we see a huge number enrol for their first league experience at a very young age. We see drop-out rates increase as we go through the age groups. Numbers decrease in the 9-10-year age groups as kids and parents get disillusioned with their early experiences. We see another decline around 13-14 years of age as size differences start to take effect and collisions begin to become a real issue.
We see a significant drop-off in participation rates in the 16-18-year age groups as young men leave school and start tertiary education or join the workforce. They don't have time for midweek training sessions and they can't afford to get injured playing a contact sport because they can't miss work or studies.
I've talked about this so often in this column over the years. Now is the chance to do something about it. SuperTag provides the safe and fun way to stay involved in the game. There's no need for midweek training sessions. It's a stress-free, low-maintenance, time-convenient social interaction for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Most importantly, SuperTag provides a winter version of rugby league participation for women and girls. I want to see the ladies involved. My daughters play OzTag. The mums play OzTag. My son plays OzTag in a mixed team with his sister. They love it. Once they try SuperTag I'm sure they'll love it, too. They can play this game for as many years as they feel young at heart.
SuperTag will also provide legitimate pathways for kids to be recognised and recruited into tackle rugby league at older ages. There will be elite levels of the game including representative competitions at district, state and national levels. I can't see why international competitions won't emerge in this sport. SuperTag answers the problem of rugby league at both junior and senior levels becoming too much of a power game, dominated by the big boys who just tuck the ball under the arm and stomp over the smaller kids. This game develops speed, agility, passing and space awareness. The smaller kids really get a chance to enjoy their rugby league experience rather than being intimidated. It will also teach the bigger boys there is more to football than merely collision and wrestle.
I can see this leading to the development of more halves and playmakers at the senior level. We sure need them and current development pathways are not producing anywhere near enough. Small kids with potential are giving the game away too early or are being ignored by junior league coaches in favour of the powerfully built ball-runners.
I also intend for the Panthers and OzTag Australia to provide free midweek competitions in some under-privileged areas throughout western Sydney for kids and adults who might normally struggle to meet the financial requirements of organised sporting competitions. This will be one of our very important community initiatives. We want everyone to feel a part of rugby league.
So mark down September 25 at Centrebet Stadium. You can inquire at the Penrith Junior League offices or go to the OzTag Australia website for more details. A number of NRL stars will be there checking out the action and interacting with the kids. It will be great fun.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/