GET ready – it’s another OzTag weekend coming up from May 14 – 16, at C.ex Stadium Coffs Harbour.

“It’s a big weekend,” confirmed Bill Harrigan, General Manager and Tournament Director at Australian OzTag.
Heading to Coffs are 221 teams competing in the Senior State Cup.

“It’s the biggest Senior State Cup we’ve ever had,” said Bill, “Despite being postponed back in March owing to extreme wet weather and now losing 25 teams who’ve moved on to their winter sports commitments.”

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OzTag has been coming to Coffs for 17 years and the teams love it here, according to Bill.

“There’ll be around 4,000 participants and around 1,000 spectators.

“C.ex and Leisure Park is the best in the state, it’s an impressive stadium where we can put effective COVID restrictions in place.

“We have access to 26 fields at C.ex and an extra eight fields over at Geoff King Motors Park.

“We can ‘cut’ the venue into five zones where teams can play their division games which keeps a number of people in one area.

“It minimises transfers and contact – we’ve used this method in previous matches this year and it works very well.”

Bill said the Coffs home teams’ player ability has really improved since OzTag started bringing tournaments here, which has inspired local interest across men’s, women’s and junior players.

Nationwide the interest in OzTag is growing with Under 6 teams seeing players as young as four and five learning how to play the game.

“It’s very much a pathway sport leading all the way up to the World Cup,” said Bill.

An Australian-created recreational sport, by former Rugby League player, Perry Haddock, in 1990, OzTag has taken off as a craze over the past 30+ years for its non-contact style, inspired by rugby league.

NSW teams competing this weekend come from all over the state, including the ACT in the South, to Northern Rivers in the North and out to Tamworth and Warialda in the West.

Does Bill envisage a day when OzTag is in the Olympics?

“Never say never,” he tells News Of The Area.

By Andrea FERRARI