With the 2023 Festival of Touch underway, Queensland Touch Football is excited to announce that the Gold Coast has secured hosting rights of the event for an additional two years.
One of the largest touch football festivals in Australia, the Festival of Touch is inclusive of six separate events running over a 10-day period, offering an opportunity for the community to come together both on and off the field.
A hallmark event on the touch football calendar, the Queensland State Cup, brings together thousands of domestic and international players, and shows no sign of slowing down, with the 2023 edition of the event attracting more than 130 teams, the most since the Festival’s inception.
Queensland Touch Football (QTF) CEO Greg Denny said he is excited to secure the event a home on the Gold Coast for the next two years.
“We are very pleased to be back here on the Gold Coast for the 2023 Festival of Touch, and excited to be announcing an extension to our partnership with Experience Gold Coast for this event,” Denny said.
“The Gold Coast has provided the ideal backdrop for the Festival of Touch over the last 3 years, with world class venues, plenty of accommodation, great activities for our participants and spectators to enjoy, and fantastic weather to top it all off.
“The event is continuing to thrive domestically, and even establish itself on the international scene, with 11 teams from around the world joining us on the picturesque Gold Coast this year. We are so excited to see what the future holds with such a great host location locked in for the next two years.”
Gold Coast City Council Mayor Tom Tate said the event is a highlight of both the local and state sporting calendars.
“What a coup to again host this amazing Festival of Touch,’’ said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.“Events of this calibre showcase our city’s facilities and guarantee competitors, officials and spectators an amazing 10 days in Australia’s favourite playground – the Gold Coast.’’
“The Festival of Touch just gets bigger and better every year, attracting thousands of Australian and international athletes and their supporters to the Gold Coast to enjoy this celebration of touch football and everything else this destination has to offer,” said Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn.
“For the Gold Coast to secure this premier event for another two years is recognition of how successful the Festival of Touch has been over the past three years. Mass sporting events like this are an important part of our annual calendar of events and provide a significant economic injection for the local economy.”
QTF Ambassador and former NRL star, Scott Prince is thrilled to see the festival locked in until 2025.
“The Festival of Touch is a fantastic celebration of touch football, and it’s an event that I know I look forward to being a part of every year with my clubmates from Brothers Touch Association,” Prince said.
“It’s great to see the Queensland touch football community continue to mark the date of the Festival in their calendars months in advance, and I’m so excited that we’ll continue to see the passion and sportsmanship of the touch footy community on display at the Gold Coast year after year.”
The Festival of Touch features plenty of on and off the field action, including events such as the Queensland State Cup, Queensland Touch Football Awards, Affiliate and Sport Performance Conferences, SEQ Schools Gala Day and Queensland All Nations.
The 2023 Festival of Touch gets underway on the Gold Coast from November 24 to December 3. For more information on the festival, please visit the Festival of Touch website.
