Shepparton is an untapped rugby goldmine and parents are about to change that

Try the time.

This was Shepparton’s touch rugby scene and it exploded like you wouldn’t believe.

In the 2000s and early 2010s, gaming wasn’t just a sport; it was a cultural glue, drawing farmers, students and weekend warriors to compete.

That’s where friendships were made and rivalries played out under the spotlight.

But the scene faded, as scenes sometimes do, leaving behind a void that was never truly filled.

However, Shepparton is ready for a comeback, one attempt at a time.

A group of passionate parents who were involved in touch rugby’s heyday see the current void of opportunity on their doorstep and are looking to make a change.

Sarah Kautai, whose daughters are rising stars showing real promise in the game, is one of those crusaders.

“We know there are so many talented juniors here who are good at touch and they just don’t have a place to play,” she said.

“For juniors to play touch, the closest junior competition is Melbourne, but a designated junior is hard to come by.

“Traveling to Melbourne, I think selfishly, that’s what keeps us from having to travel to Melbourne every week for training and weekends for competition.

“We’d like to keep it local here.”

Brett Church is another parent keen to see touch rugby revived in Shepparton.

His son Joss is now a Victorian Storm representative, but while his son was too young to experience the Shepparton competition, Church remembers the cut and thrust of a 38-team Wednesday night extravaganza.

“I’m not sure, commission-wise, if it went down or exactly what happened there, but my recollections of it are that it was very family-oriented,” he said.

“It didn’t matter who you were – a footballer, a cricketer, someone trying to get fit or just someone trying to be involved in something different – ​​everyone was there.

“We don’t have trials, we don’t have to be a certain height, we can be anyone, anyone – it’s very inclusive.”

So how do these parents lay the groundwork for Shepparton’s touch-crazy teenagers?

First, Kautai urges people to attend the upcoming AGM on December 4 at the Overlander from 7 p.m.

From there, they hope to bounce ideas off each other and start small, first with a junior program and then launch a more extensive senior competition down the road.

“We’re really looking for anyone who wants to come to the AGM and be on the committee,” Kautai said.

“We’re rebuilding from the ground up really, so every position is open and we really need people to jump on board.

“Hopefully it won’t be too much work once we’re all in position because it’s just going to be kind of a short six to eight weeks.”

Kautai admits there is a lot to tick off before tapping starts again in Shepparton.

Finding a venue, gauging interest, organizing referees, scheduling and more must be done before the whistle can blow again.

But it has to start somewhere and soon.

The land awaits. The whistle is ready. All that’s left is for the players to come back.

“There are kids in Melbourne who play touch two or three times a week and competitions on the weekend, and our kids are really limited to what we have here, which isn’t much,” Kautai said.

“Country kids are often behind the eight ball already with opportunities and access, so we’re really proud of the kids’ efforts and dedication – time away from friends, they get to that age where they have competing interests like work, so that we would really like to keep it as local as possible.

“Ultimately in the future I would love to see a Country Vic team sent to these national tournaments so we can train locally, have our trials locally and showcase the amazing talent that we have locally.”

Kautai encouraged those who would like to get involved to complete an expression of interest form on the Shepparton Touch Association Facebook page.