WHAT IS TOUCH RUGBY?

Touch Rugby (also known as Touch Football or simply Touch) is a variant of rugby which originated in Australia in the late 1960s, as a contactless alternative to rugby league. It replaces tackles with touch, and is played by two teams of six players each. There is no kicking, and each team has six attempts (“touches”) to score a try, otherwise possession will be awarded to the opposition. Not it is a full-fledged sport in its own right, with a World Cup and national competitions.

Touch is an ideal way to enjoy fitness and fun without the contact of Rugby Union. It’s played mixed-gender and can accommodate people of all skill levels and physiques. It is now a growing sport in Germany and worldwide due to the ease of learning it, the minimal equipment, and it being suited to any age, gender, and skill set. But above all, It’s a lot of fun!

OUR TOUCH TEAM

The Berlin Irish Mixed Touch Team was established in June 2024 as the first non-rugby BIRFC team, to create a space to play this exciting sport in the same friendly atmosphere that characterizes our club. We want as many people as possible to try touch and experience how easy and wonderfully fun it is. We are the most welcoming touch team in Berlin, specially for newbies, and thanks to that we have grown into an inclusive team with players from over a dozen nationalities, most of whom never played rugby before. Our regular training sessions enable us to compete across the Berlin-Brandenburg region throughout the year. In 2026, we joined Touch Deutschland, the German governing body for our sport, which allows us to also take part at national level tournaments.

Everyone is welcome to join!

Head Coach
Jack Neary (AUS 🇦🇺)

Assistant Coaches
Diego Verbrugghe (ARG 🇦🇷), Manuel Asnar (FRA 🇫🇷) & Marius Kröger (GER 🇩🇪)

Team Manager
Marco Meneghetti (ITA 🇮🇹)

Trainings

We have two weekly sessions. Usually, we recommend newcomers to join us on a Sunday, since then we do a quick introduction and soon enough jump into a fun, casual game.

You only need to bring water, comfortable clothes, sneakers with good grip (or even better if you have: boots with rubber/plastic studs), and excitement to run around 😁

Sign up

Sign up for the touch team using the contact form or directly come to our Sunday Social Touch.