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The video is a brief sports update on the most recent news in tennis,basketball,oztag,AFL and soccer. Our various correspondents throughout Sydney; Sarah(tennis), Patrick (basketball), Emily (Oztag), Brendan(AFL) and Zilun (Soccer) covered a particular sport that they were familiar with.

Check out our video below 

Variations of Oztag

Getting tired of playing Oztag and want to try a new variation of the sport? Well, in Australia, not only has Oztag become an exciting alternative to Touch Football, there are now exciting alternatives to Oztag itself. Here are just some of them.

Supertag

For those who want to play Rugby League, but are not fond of the tackling that comes with it, Supertag is a fantastic substitute. Supertag is a winter sport played with 10 senior players and 11 junior players on a full sized Rugby League football field. This allows you run to your hearts content just as you would if you were play the contact sport. The game commonly runs for 15-20 minutes halves and focuses primarily on the passing, catching, tagging and kicking aspects of Oztag or Rugby. Commonly, there would be 10 a side for senior teams with mixed division playing 5 males and 5 females and eleven a side for junior teams with mixed division playing 6 boys and 5 girls. Also unlike Rugby, Supertag is played to encourage the non-tackling rules of Oztag and allows players of all skills, size, weight and ages to participate. It hence reduces the intimidation by larger players, increases diversity and different social interactions. 

Beachtag

Clearly from the name you can tell that this is Oztag played on the beach. Despite assuming that playing on sand would be difficult, Beachtag is fast paces and dynamic. It is set on a modified field of 50m x 30m and consists of 6 players with a maximum of 10 on the field at any time, running for 10 minute halves. Competitively, Mixed divisions would consist of 3 males and 3 females. Of course, if you're heading to the beach this weekend with your friends and decide to get active, Beachtag would be great fun for everyone, especially here on the sunny beaches of Australia!

League Tag

This sport may or may not be considered a variation of Oztag, but I thought I'd give you a brief idea on what it is. League Tag is a version of Rugby as it maintains the basic structure of the original game. However, rather than tackling players would 'tag' the ball to represent a tackle. This way, it can be used as a coaching aid to give players a rough idea of Rugby League without them sustaining any injuries, were contact involved. Also uniquely different to Oztag, League Tag allows the ball carrier to try and prevent the ball from being tagged. For example, you can knock the defenders arm away when they reach for your tag and hold-them off. Of course, you cannot hold defenders off in anyway that would injure them such as fending to their face. Personally, I think this is a great variation because 'tagging', or rather 'touching' a ball, sounds a lot easier than pulling flapping tags from a moving person.

And there you have it, a list of Oztag variations that you can try out yourself, both competitively or just with friends and family! I'm positive there are plenty more different variations of tag out there to be found, some of which may not even be official. In fact, why don't you challenge yourself to create your own version of Oztag?

Find Oztag near you

Australia has countless places supporting and holding Oztag events near you! It isn't hard to find a competition or tournament to enter. However, I'm here today to show you some of the Oztag events that take place at different states in Australia and where you can find a game/team for yourself.

In 2016, the Trans-Tasman Oztag tour took place at Auckland, New Zealand. The term 'Trans-Tasman' is used to signify the interrelationship between Australia and Zealand. At this event, selected teams from both Australia and New Zealand are picked to battle it out and see who dominates. This year, a massive number of teams from the Tagaroos and Kiwi Tag Blacks were there at the scene, with categories such as Senior Mixed, Boys 18's and Womens Masters. There was a total of 19 divisions and 5 match test series. The tournament lasted a good 3 days (from 1st-3rd April) with Open Mens and Mixed grades sewn up and 8 grades going into deciders.

In Sydney specifically, there are Junior Competitions, Sydney City Competitions, Canterbury, Homebush, Ryde Eastwoord, Meadowbank, Carlingford and many more competitions available no matter where you live. Oztag can be found almost anywhere in Australia and you can create your own team to enter the competitions.

Register a team for Sydney now!

Meanwhile in Queensland, there are a range of Oztag events going on. One might even be near you! The Queensland State Cup is held for not only Juniors, but also Seniors. So if you're a senior living in Queensland with a passion for Oztag, there is a Queensland State Cup for Seniors happening in 2017 just for you! Not only this, but the state also held the State of Origin for Oztag with thousands of prizes to be won. The prizes valued at over $10,000 and included 2 mini getaways. Not bad aye? Be sure to check out their events page so you can be ready for 2017's State of Origin!

Here is a video of the Queensland State Cup Promo for 2016

If you're interested in finding a tournament near you, then click here!

Oztag...Give it a 'try'!

Ever heard of touch football? Well Oztag is similar that, but with tags.

Oztag is a sport played Australia wide, with somewhat simple rules that anyone can learn and enjoy. So, if you're interested in playing this thrilling and speedy sport, read on, because I'm going to give you everything you need to know to become a star on the field.

The objective of the game is to ground the ball past the opposing team's try line, exactly like touch football. Now to do this, you would have to run, pass or kick the ball to your team members in order to move further downfield. Of course, while you're doing so, your opponent's aim is to 'tag' the ball carrier and prevent your team's advancement. When in possession of the ball, your team will be allowed six 'tags' or 'plays'. If you do not score or kick the ball before your last play finishes, there will be a changeover. This means the attacking team becomes the defenders and vice versa.

Here are some additional terms and meanings that you might not find in a touch football rule book.

Tag - When the ball carrier is tagged.

Late Tag - When the ball carrier is tagged after they've already kicked or passed the ball.

Pre Tag - When a player is tagged before they've received the ball.

Dummy-half - A player who takes the position behind the ball player during the 'play-the-ball'.

Obstruction - Preventing defenders from tagging the ball carrier.


Alrighty, now that I've let you know the basic game play of Oztag, go ahead and give it a 'try' yourself! Play this sport competitively or even socially with family and friends and see why Australian's love it. Men, women, children; anyone can play it!

Also be sure to look out for more posts on Oztag and other popular sports played in Australia.

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