Rockhampton to host Queensland Touch Football’s Junior State Cup
Published on 16 November 2022
Queensland Touch Football CEO Greg Denny announced today that the Queensland Touch Football’s 2023 Junior State Cup will be hosted at Cyril Connell Fields and Norbridge Park in Rockhampton, proudly supported by Rockhampton Regional Council.
The Queensland Touch Football (QTF) Junior State Cup is the premier junior affiliate competition in Queensland. The event will be held 6-8 July 2023 and is expected to attract over 230 teams, bringing together more than 3000 junior touch players from across Queensland to represent their affiliate in Rockhampton.
Rockhampton has been confirmed to host the flagship event biennially in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031.
Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said that Council will work closely with QTF to ensure the city comes alive for the anticipated arrival of one of the biggest junior events in the state and will continually invest in the venue over the next 10 years.
“Rockhampton is home to national, international and Olympic standard sporting facilities that nurture beginners through to professional athletes, and we are proud to add the QTF Junior State Cup to our future major events calendar,” Mayor Williams said.
“Major sporting events like these are not only good for our economy, but they also evoke a sense of pride amongst our community.
“It will be great to see our region buzzing with markets and third-party events to complement the competition program and activate our public spaces during the event week.”
Advance Rockhampton’s Executive Manager Greg Bowden said that as the lead tourism, marketing and major event agency in the region, hosting a sporting event of this size presents a significant boost to Rockhampton’s visitor economy.
“We’re continuing to put Rockhampton on the radar as a destination of choice amongst state and national sporting peak bodies, and are yet again providing a major event that will give an economic boost not only to Rockhampton, but neighbouring councils across Central Queensland as visitors choose to stay longer,” Mr Bowden said.
“This event is a significant boost to our visitor economy, expecting to attract between 8,000 and 10,000 attendees per day, filling our hotel rooms, hospitality venues and tourism businesses.
“Promoting our region to peak bodies such as Queensland Junior Touch aligns with Advance Rockhampton’s economic development strategy, and we will continue to promote our world-class sporting facilities and advocate for events like these over the coming years”.
Queensland Touch Football CEO Greg Denny said since its inception in 1996, the event has grown to over 230 junior affiliate teams in Queensland and growing. The new location will comfortably accommodate the Junior State Cup and provide further growth opportunities with more than 22 accessible fields, 12 of which are under lights.
“Rockhampton is a heartland for touch football, and we are excited to partner with the Rockhampton Regional Council to host our flagship junior event,” Mr Denny said.
“With its central location, we are hopeful many of our northern affiliates will be drawn to Rocky to attend the tournament, many for the first time, and provide growth opportunities for our event and draw more visitors to the region.
“This event showcases some of the best young talent in touch football and we’re excited about what the region can offer our touch football community”.
For more information on the QTF Junior State Cup go to https://juniorstatecup.qldtouch.com.au/