Whet your hot-stepping appetites, because touch football is about to be back on the menu.

Shepparton Touch Association has been whittling away over the past few months mapping out the blueprint for a senior competition to be revived locally, hoping to draw similar interest to its former glory days.

Hundreds used to flock to Shepparton Sports City for white line fever on the rugby field, and given the success of its junior competition earlier this year, the STA wants to step it up a notch.

Vice president Brett Church gave a breakdown of what has been going on behind the scenes.

“We’re hoping to get a senior comp going; we’ve had some good interest so that’s quite handy,” he said.

“We’ve put out on our socials for rego nights and come and try days.

“The start was our junior comp at the start of the year and that was a great success - we had about 62 participants.

“It was really well supported by Shepparton Bulls Rugby Club, they really helped us out.

“It’s pretty much the same committee, and we’re just keen to get a senior comp going for Shepp.”

The STA ran a junior competition throughout February and March, kick starting touch footy’s pulse in Shepparton after years of dormancy.

Following its success, the STA was able to field an under-16 girls and an interclub under-10 mixed team with Melbourne Harlequins at the Victorian State Cup, with the under-16s named runners up and the mixed snaring a grand final win.

Clearly the resurgence was a hit amongst kids.

Now the challenge is to replicate that model with adults.

Church stated STA president Sarah Kautai has been laying the groundwork with Touch Football Victoria to get the ball rolling on an eight-week season that begins with a registration night on October 10.

“We’ve got a rego night on Friday October 10 - that’s 5:30pm juniors and 6:30pm seniors - and then we’re hoping to do a game scenario after that,” Church said

“Friday October 17 will be our grading night, and then it’ll be an eight week comp from October 31 to December 12.”

Church also noted Greater Shepparton City Council has approved the use of Shepparton Sports City’s northern fields for junior and senior competitions for the competition.

And while touch football is bubbling away at grassroots level in Shepparton, two local starlets are ready to put the city on the map.

Giann and Alyssa Williamson are heading to the National Youth Championships from October 1-4 in Coffs Harbour, representing Victorian Storm on the big stage.

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Friday, 6th August 2027

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