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Latest News
New National Squad Coaching & Management Team assembled
Following the recent recruitment process the WTA are pleased to confirm the coaching and management personnel for the Wales National Squad. This group will be fully responsible for preparing the Wales teams for the 2010 European Championships in Bristol.
To view the National Squad coaching and management set up click here.
Preliminary Details for the 2010 European Touch Championships published.
The 2010 European Touch Championships is to be hosted by the England Touch Association (ETA). The tournament will run from 22nd - 25th July 2010 and will be held at Filton College, WISE Campus (West England Institute for Specialist Education), Bristol Academy of Sport.
To view the FIT's preliminary brief on the trournament details please click here
Wales will be seeking to send a strong squad to the championships and the preaparations have already begun.
Men’s Open National Squad return from Toulouse Touch Festival.
The Wales Men’s Open Squad have recently returned from Toulouse where they took part in the first ever Tri-Nations competition with their counterparts from England & France, held over the weekend of the 12th to 14th June.
The tournament formed part of Toulouse’s ‘Festival of Rugby’ designed to celebrate all forms of the game. Although it was not an official test match series it was certainly played with the intensity of a full test with some great touch on display from all teams. Wales ultimately came up just short finishing second behind England.
The tournament provided great preparation for the squad as they join with Wales’s other squads in building towards the Home Nations tournament in Scotland.
Three players, Adrian Thomas, Tom Ogden and Huw Waythe all had their first taste of international level competition which gave coach Matthew Burns and captain Kieran Hopkins plenty of opportunity to see how the side was developing.
The matches began on Friday evening with Wales competing in shortened warm-up games in the shadows of the magnificent Toulouse Football Stadium. Wales lost narrowly to England before beating France comfortably. This was followed by an exhibition game with France, England and Wales all combining to play a Pacific Islands team. All of the games were covered by France2 and a regional TV station (TLT Toulouse) to help promote the game of Touch in France.
The Tri-Nations tournament took place on Saturday in glorious sunshineat the impressive Stade Ernest Argeles (Blagnac)with temperatures rising to over 34 degrees. In a mirror of the events of the night before, Wales again lost to England before defeating France in an extremely exhausting and hard-fought round of games.
The Wales Touch Association would like to thank the French Touch Association and Toulouse Touch for organising a fantastic tournament against a stunning backdrop. The hospitality extended by Toulouse Touch and the French Touch Association was second to none with particular thanks to Cedric Savignac for helping put this event together.
For photos from the tournament click here http://photos2touch.free.fr/index.php?/category/1
Wales has an excellent reputation on the international stage. We have had representation at the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups and at every bi-annual European Championships since 1996.
We have achieved considerable success at a European level in recent times. It is the WTA’s aim that the Wales squads are able to compete effectively on the world stage.
"For the social participant, Touch is a fun, healthy and invigorating activity. At the elite international level, Touch is a fast paced competitive sport that attracts highly skilled athletes."
The demands of the game at the elite level are rigorous and very real. The WTA have a national coaching co-ordinator as well as a dedicated conditioning coach and a fully qualified physiotherapist.
Wales operate 4 squads to compete in major championships. Mens, Womens, Mixed, Masters. Refer to the individual tabs for current squad members and recent results.
Development squads exist to improve the performance of individuals, in particular juniors and women, identified as having the potential to thrive within the sport under the guidance of the national coaching co-ordinator. These squads has already proved to be a success, with two products of the development system both currently 18 years old, becoming members of the full men’s squad for the 2003 European Championships.
As participation levels increase, it is the WTA’s future intention to establish a full junior international structure in Wales.
All participants of leagues in Wales have the opportunity to try for a place within the various Wales squads through the league structure. Players identified as demonstrating a talent for the sport through the league network are invited to trial for one of the national squads. This is now supplemented by the introduction of Regional sides, selected from the best players taken from the various leagues to expose a greater number of players to a higher level of competition.
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