What England Touch Association does

England Touch Association is the official national governing body for Touch Rugby in England, recognized by the Federation of International Touch (FIT) and the European Federation of Touch. The organization, legally constituted as England Touch Association Ltd (company registration number 07164624, registered in Wales), operates as a volunteer-run, privately held entity headquartered in Lees/Oldham, England. It serves individual players, affiliated clubs, schools, universities, league operators, and elite representative athletes across England through a 7-region franchise structure (North East Raiders, North West Blades, Midland Tigers, West Wildcats, South West Saxons, South East Taipans, South East Sharks) and manages 16 national teams competing internationally.

The organization's core products include the National Touch Series (NTS) for elite club competition (approximately 60 teams per round), the Challenge Touch Series (CTS) for developing clubs, The Nationals tournament for regional sides, and a growing Junior Touch Cup series. It delivers FIT-accredited coaching courses (£30-£100 per participant) and referee certification courses (£20-£28 per participant), school curriculum programs (Boing, Super 6, Priority Touch Rugby), and the BUCS University Touch Championships. Membership provides player and club insurance, competition eligibility, and discounts with partner brands. Digital infrastructure is minimal: a website (maintained by third-party Fuse Collaboration) and the JustGo platform for self-serve membership and event registration; no proprietary technology, app, or API exists.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring membership and club/league affiliation fees (undisclosed pricing), tournament and event entry fees (e.g., £12 per team for league entry, with NTS Division 1/2 closed and Division 3 open entry), coaching and referee course fees, and ancillary commercial partnerships (sponsors such as EV2, SPORTTAPE, 2XU UK, plus Sport England grants for grassroots programs). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on affiliated club networks, school programs, and word-of-mouth rather than direct sales. Leadership comprises a volunteer Board chaired by Tim Loveridge with Vince Mayne as CEO, supported by regional leads, director-level functional heads, and a predominantly volunteer operational base of 11-50 paid staff.

Name

England Touch Association

Legal name

England Touch Association Ltd

Website

https://englandtouch.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

England Touch Association is the volunteer-run national governing body for Touch Rugby in England, recognized by FIT. It serves individual players, 100+ affiliated clubs, schools, universities, and 16 national teams through competition series, coaching/referee certification, and regional franchise development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lees

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing insurance for players and clubs, eligibility to compete in England Touch competitions, and access to member benefits and discounts with national brands.
2. Tournament and Event Entry Fees: Clubs and teams pay entry fees to participate in National Touch Series (NTS), Challenge Touch Series (CTS), Touch Nationals, and other sanctioned competitions. Entry fees are typically per team.
3. Coaching and Referee Course Fees: Revenue generated from coaching courses (Level 1 at £50, Introductory at £30) and referee certification courses. These support development of qualified coaches and referees within the sport.
4. League and Club Affiliation Fees: Affiliated clubs and leagues pay annual affiliation fees to be recognized as official England Touch members, with Norwich Rebels example of £12 per team entry for summer league.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

England Touch Association is the national governing body for Touch Rugby in England, providing membership subscriptions (with player/club insurance) and sanctioning competitive tournaments including the National Touch Series (NTS), Challenge Touch Series (CTS), The Nationals, Junior Touch Cup Series, and University Touch Championships. It operates FIT-accredited coaching and referee education courses, manages 7 regional franchises and 16 national teams, and runs schools-based development programs.

Product overview

England Touch Association is the national governing body for Touch Rugby in England, operating as a membership-based sports organization. The core offering consists of competitive tournament programs including the National Touch Series (NTS) for elite clubs, Challenge Touch Series (CTS) for developing clubs, and The Nationals for regional teams. The organization supports 16 England national teams across various age and gender divisions. Additional services include FIT-accredited coaching and referee courses, a seven-region development program for talent identification, schools programs for primary and secondary education, and the Junior Touch Cup Series for youth players. The University Touch Championships serve the higher education sector. Membership provides insurance, competition eligibility, and access to these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• England Touch Membership Annual subscription membership providing player and club insurance, advice and support for leagues, special discounts with national brands, and eligibility to play in England Touch-sanctioned competitions. Targeted at individual players, clubs, and venues across England.
• National Touch Series (NTS) The highest level club tournament in England, with multiple divisions including closed Division 1 & 2 competitions and open Division 3 entry, hosting approximately 60 teams each round. Targeted at competitive touch rugby clubs across England.
• Challenge Touch Series (CTS) A tier below the NTS designed for developing and new clubs to establish themselves on the Touch scene. Targeted at emerging touch rugby clubs seeking competitive play.
• The Nationals A 2-day tournament where the seven regional franchises compete for the national title, forming the basis for player development and the pathway to national squad selection. Targeted at regional representative teams and elite players.
• Coaching Courses Federation of International Touch (FIT) accredited coaching courses at Introductory/Community, Level 1 Intermediate, and Level 2 Advanced tiers, plus Presenters Courses for delivering coaching qualifications. Targeted at coaches and aspiring coaches in the touch rugby community.
• Referee Courses Referee training and certification courses at Level 1 and Level 2, with development pathways and badge upgrades supporting tournaments with trained officials. Targeted at aspiring and existing touch rugby referees.
• Regional Development Program Development program run through seven regional franchises (North East Raiders, North West Blades, Midland Tigers, West Wildcats, South West Saxons, South East Taipans, South East Sharks) conducting trials, development days, and talent identification. Targeted at players seeking regional representation.
• Schools Program Touch rugby programs for primary schools (Boing skill development, Super 6 Touch Rugby) and secondary schools (Priority Touch Rugby online resources), plus Try Sports Schools Touch Competitions. Targeted at primary and secondary schools in England.
• Junior Touch Cup Series Competition series for junior and youth players with U12, U14 and U17 Boys, Girls and Mixed Divisions, including Junior Touch Cup North, Junior Touch Cup South, and the flagship National Junior Touch Cup. Targeted at young players and youth clubs.
• University Touch Championships Annual national university touch rugby competition delivered in partnership with BUCS, with teams competing for the CIMA BUCS University Touch Championships title. Targeted at university touch rugby teams across England.
• England National Teams Program 16 England national teams representing the country in international Touch competitions, with selection pathways for Men's Open, Women's Open, Mixed Open, Men's 30s, Women's 27s, Mixed 30s, Men's 35s, Men's 40s, and Masters divisions. Targeted at elite players selected for international representation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Growing youth participation with 25 teams in National Junior Touch Cup 2025, up from inaugural event in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 2XU UKminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 November 2012Partnership announced November 2012 with 2XU UK as official kit partner for elite squads, providing performance apparel to England's elite athletes.
• BUCScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Universities & Colleges Sport partnership delivers the annual BUCS University Touch Championships. CIMA is the naming sponsor of the championship.
• In2TouchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeague and event operator running Touch Rugby competitions and programs across the UK. Operates as an affiliated league/event operator delivering competitive touch opportunities.
• EV2minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSportswear sponsor providing kit and apparel support to England Touch and its members.
• SPORTTAPEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tape supplier to England Touch elite squads. Provides 20% discount (code ETA20) for ETA club members and affiliated players on kinesiology tape products.
• Medway TouchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal affiliate running Medway Touch Association, participant in Sport England-funded 'Finding Fitness is Fun' project introducing Touch Rugby to Medway residents.
• Norwich Rebels TouchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLatest England Touch Association member, organizing social Touch league in Norwich area. Affiliated in 2013 to run summer league programs.
• Try SportscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor touch events organizer and league operator. 2026 Affiliate League/Event Operator of the Year winner. Operates Try Sports Schools Touch Competitions.
• Bhubesi Pride / United Through SportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngland Touch supports and endorses the Bhubesi Pride charity mission in Africa, working with United Through Sport to promote Touch Rugby internationally through coaching missions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• England Netball: National governing body for netball in England. Operates the same NGB model — membership, leagues, coach/referee education, schools programmes — and is comparable as a peer NGB structure serving amateur participants.
• England Rugby (RFU): The Rugby Football Union governs rugby union in England. While not a direct Touch competitor, it is the broader parent sport and offers an instructive benchmark for the NGB membership/insurance/event-revenue model at much greater scale.
• England Hockey: National governing body for hockey in England with a similar membership, club affiliation, and competition model. Comparable as a peer amateur-sport NGB facing the same volunteer and grassroots-funding dynamics.

Direct peers

• Federation of International Touch (FIT): International governing body for Touch of which England Touch is a member nation. Directly comparable as the apex sanctioning body for the same sport, providing the framework England Touch operates within.
• Touch Football Australia: National governing body for Touch Football in Australia — the largest Touch nation. Most directly comparable peer given shared role as country-level NGB running national teams, leagues, and coaching accreditation.
• Scottish Touch Association: National Touch governing body for Scotland operating the same membership, leagues, and national team model as England Touch, but serving the Scottish market.
• Touch New Zealand: National Touch governing body for New Zealand, a major Touch nation. Comparable as a country-level NGB operating the same sport with national teams and grassroots club structures.
• Welsh Touch Association: Welsh counterpart running national Touch teams and domestic leagues; comparable as a neighbouring country NGB with the same sport and FIT affiliation structure.

Emerging players

• In2Touch: UK Touch Rugby league and event operator running affiliated competitions under England Touch sanctioning. Comparable as a downstream operator within the same Touch ecosystem, monetising participation at the league level.
• British Wheelchair Basketball: UK governing body for wheelchair basketball — a smaller niche NGB with comparable scale to England Touch, operating membership, leagues, and elite pathways within a specialised sport segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/englandtouch
• Facebookfacebook.com/EnglandTouch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/england-touch-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/englandtouch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about England Touch Association