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England Touch Leagues hits Cheltenham
The brand new England Touch League in Cheltenham got off to a sunlit start this week.
Half-a-dozen teams made up of 72 players, including former England international and Gloucester Rugby star Olly Morgan, headed to Cheltenham RFC. The conditions were perfect for the three matches that took place, each lasting 40 minutes, and set the standard for the 10 weeks of competition still to come.
England Senior Mixed international Ollie Stills has set up the England Touch League in Cheltenham in partnership with the England Touch Association, and with the town having been host to an O2 Touch team for the past year he knew that there was going to be strong interest for this new competition.
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Opening night of the Cheltenham League, a great night of fun![/caption]
“It has taken lots of hard work to get the England Touch League up and running in Cheltenham, but it’s been really worthwhile,” he says. “I’ve played in social Touch leagues in Bath and Bristol and the game is thriving in the west country.
“Friends, friends of friends, O2 players, ex-team mates, and even the local police force have entered teams, and it was really good to have so many people who had not played Touch before take part.“It was a really fun evening; everyone left with a smile on their faces and we’re already looking forward to the next round of competition.”To find out more about the Cheltenham England Touch Leagues email chelttouchleague@gmail.com
The England Touch League 'in a box' product has been the brainchild of England Touch CEO, Gregg Cropper, who has been at the forefront of the development and implementation of the project. Touch is becoming increasingly popular across England, in many forms, with well over 25,000 registered players participating in both social and coached sessions in 2015, with over 150,000+ hours attended.
"To see the first England Touch League successfully open in Cheltenham and be part of it every step of the way has been great and personally very rewarding," he said. "Creating this easy to use product, engaging those sports enthusiasts and entrepreneurs is a perfect way to get our sport out to to the masses."Now the time is right for us to spread our reach and take our sport to more communities and sports clubs nationwide. By creating a UK-wide network of England Touch Leagues, engaging those sports enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, we can make our sport even more accessible, more competitive and more sociable for all those who want to play."
England Touch League are a great opportunity for individuals or clubs to run their own league in partnership with the England Touch Association. Running an England Touch League is about encouraging participation in the sport and providing a quality experience for all involved. It’s also about creating and maintaining the social buzz around it too.
We know that Touch players are like minded, like to have fun and socialise together, so it’s our job to help them do this! Join us and you will benefit from an authorised ‘League in a box’ product, with first class training, continuing support and backroom assistance.
CLICK HERE for more information!
