Touch in line for turbo boost with move indoors

A new modified indoor version of touch is set to hit Hamilton later this month.

Turbo touch is the brainchild of Touch New Zealand and is already being played in Wellington, Auckland and Hawke's Bay, the latter at intermediate school level.

Top-rated Hamilton touch referee Michael Winter and his partner are starting a licensed turbo touch franchise in the new Hamilton Boys' High School gymnasium, with a demonstration night planned for next Wednesday, September 15, and the competition running on Wednesday nights from September 29.

The new five-a-side game is played on a basketball court by mixed teams with three males and two females on court at a time, plus substitutes, playing games of 15-minute halves. Forward passes are allowed.

"It's a smaller version of normal touch, borrowing skills from touch, gridiron, ultimate frisbee and indoor netball," Winter said.

"There are two touches per team and a team has to pass the ball twice before the active zone is open or in other words before they can score."

The Hamilton franchise is aiming mainly at business house teams and university students, similar to the established indoor cricket and netball competitions.

Winter said turbo touch would be the cheapest indoor team sport in Hamilton at $60 per team per game. Touch New Zealand created the new code in order to provide a brand of touch that could be played year round and would help generate funds.

It is trademarked in this country and other touch-playing nations.

Other centres already playing turbo touch have found it is not being dominated by touch players, but a mix of people of all ages from other sports or new to organised sport, with it proving particularly popular with women.

Winter can be contacted on 021-407-731 or hamiltontouchmodule@hotmail.co.nz for more details and to enter the Hamilton competition, while more information on the game can be viewed on www.turbotouch.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News