COMPETITIONS & EVENTS

Touch football in Canada began with the Montreal Touch Football League, founded by Ron Shipp and Frank Bollo, in 1958. An enthusiastic Shipp and Bollo seeded and grew the sport from a four team league in Montreal to structured leagues across eastern Canada.

In 1971 Football Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Amateur Football Association established the first Touch Football Committee and appointed John Glatzmayer as chairman. John organized fifteen new leagues in Ontario, Maritimes and British Columbia as part of the Canadian Touch Football Association.

National tournaments naturally developed. The 1973 champions in the Canadian Touch Football Association, Picton Tavern, conducted a multi-city tour with the CTFA all stars to demonstrate the sport. The highlight of the tour was demonstrating Touch during the week of Grey Cup festivities.

In 1979, Football Canada added the discipline of Touch to it mandate of developing amateur football. Upon accepting governance of Touch, new committees were formed, including Rules, Officials and a Working committee all devoted solely to touch football.

The committees jointly administered the touch program and planned for events such as the Touch Bowl, which was established in 1970. The Touch Bowl began with one men’s division that included teams from Ontario and Quebec. In 1977 an intermediate division was added that would include teams from Nova Scotia and Manitoba.

1986 marked the first date that Touch Bowl was held outside of Ontario and Quebec as it moved to Vancouver. In 1987 it moved to Halifax and over 1,000 participants came together to reach for the Bowl.

By 1988, the final four divisions were established as the structure for future play: Men’s Senior, Mens’s Intermediate A, Men’s Intermediate AA, Men’s Masters and a Women’s Open.

Football Canada’s Touch Bowl dissolved after the 1994 tournament in Kelowna, BC. The game has not died. On the contrary, Touch Football is played in great numbers throughout Canada. Many adult leagues run independently and annual events are as important as ever.

Tell us about your Touch Football events: admin@footballcanada.com