Cooke Warriors Touch Club – Cooke Warriors Touch Club

Belfast's first touch rugby club

We bring people together through sport

Touch rugby is for girls, boys, and adults who want a fun, inclusive non-contact sport to enhance their fitness with new friends.

Are you looking for a new experience?

Are you looking to meet new people, have some fun or find another way of getting fit without the expense or experience of the gym.

Haven't quite found what you are looking for?

Have you considered playing a low cost social sport that is fun and played in over 50 countries.

Give touch rugby a try

Touch rugby is a low cost fun social sport enjoyed all over Ireland with clubs in all four provinces. Come and give it a try with Cooke Warriors Touch Rugby Club at Shaws Bridge Sports Association.

Why play touch rugby?

Social

We run two sessions a week, one for those members who just want to play at a social level and meet other people and the other for members who start off as social players and want to learn more about touch.

Fun

Whether it’s our coaching in schools or our sessions, it’s all about having fun and enjoyment. Touch rugby is a participation sport, the foundation is based on mixed teams of males and females.

Fitness

Touch rugby is a non-stop game with continual interchange of players so every player gets to participate. You will notice your improved fitness within a few sessions while having fun.

Want to know more?

Juniors

Our junior section is for girls and boys from eight years old. The junior seasons start in March and September and run for six weeks.

Adults

Our adult section is for males and females from 14 years old to 60 plus. Adult sessions take place all year round. The first four sessions are free so new people get time to settle in and learn the basics.

Our Sessions

Juniors: Sunday 9:00 to 10:00.
Social: Wednesday 19:30 to 21:00
Coached: Sunday 10:00 to 12;00

Pathway

While we encourage social participation, some members enjoy playing at a higher level. The club provides a pathway for both juniors and adult members to represent the club, Ulster, and Ireland at international tournaments.

Coaches

All our coaches are qualified or supervised by a qualified coach while they obtain their coaching accreditation.

Referees

The club has several qualified touch referees who referee our social games and assist in developing our member’s understanding of the rules of touch.

What do our members say?

As a mum of a young girl, touch rugby has been great for her confidence. My daughter loves playing as it maximises game skills without physicality. I like that touch rugby allows girls and boys to play together in the same team. My daughter has made many new friends in a welcoming and friendly environment. The coaches are all parents and are fantastic with the kids. It's a great way to start a Sunday.

Carol

Player and junior parent

The club has put in place a number of initiatives to develop our junior players using games to promote fun and enjoyment. For adults the focus is to provide social touch rugby for our newcomers so they can learn the basics of the game. If junior or adults want competitive touch, we provide this through our coaches and higher level competition pathway that can lead to representing Ireland.

Paul Brown

Head Coach

I love touch rugby because it's great fun. Every week you get to learn new skills and everyone is able to join in. We learn how to pass the ball, catch the ball and how to play together as a team and communicate well. We get fitter and faster and I love a bit of competition.

Harry

P5 student

Frequently asked questions

Most frequent questions and answers

What if I have never played?

This is common with some of our new players. Our social touch sessions and games are designed to teach the fundamentals of the sport through playing games.

How do juniors join?

The club currently runs two junior programs each year, in March and September. We advertise through social media and flyers in primary schools. We can also be contacted via our social media channels. Contact juniors@cooketouchclub.com

Can males and female play together?

The largest social touch rugby participation is mixed teams. As such, males and females of all age categories can play together in a safe environment as the rules of touch specifically state “minimum force necessary to make a touch“. There is no tackling, scrums, line outs, or kicking of the ball. The focus is on team work and continuous play.

Is touch rugby in schools?

The club runs programs in primary (p4, p5, and p6) and high schools. If you would like the club to run a 6-8 week program in your school contact our secretary at secretary@cooketouchclub.com

How is touch rugby different to tag?

Touch is a faster game.
Touch does not have tags on the shorts. With minimum contact, a touch is made anywhere on the opposing player or ball.
There are no markers.
There is no kicking the ball.
Tries are worth one point regardless of who scores, male or female.
It is much more inclusive for girls and women.

Touch, touch rugby, touch football, which is it?

The official name of the sport is Touch, it is more commonly known as touch football in the southern hemisphere and touch rugby in the northern hemisphere.
The sport was founded in Australia in 1968 and there are over 50 countries, including Ireland, affiliated with the Federation of International Touch, the world governing body.

How much does it cost?

The first four sessions are free. This gives new players time to learn and enjoy the game and social environment of the club. After the four sessions, you join as a paying member for as little as £3 a session. We also run coached sessions at no additional cost for members once they have learnt the fundaments of the game.

When is touch rugby played?

Cooke Warriors Touch Rugby Club runs adult sessions all year with a break from late December to early January. You can join any time by contacting our secretary at secretary@cooketouchclub.com. See the Juniors and Our Sessions above for timings.