International Touch Seoul Tournament
This September the Korea Military Academy in Taerung, will be the venue for the annual International Touch Seoul (ITS) Tournament. With seven international teams, five Korean teams and sixteen expatriate teams entered, the 2008 tournament is looking to be the largest tournament to date. In addition, eight teams of boys and girls will participate in a Junior tournament.
Six months of preparation, planning and stress will all be put to the test come the 20th of September, when the ITS tournament begins. Organizing a total of 25 teams, which includes 3 separate draws for a Men’s competition, Mixed competition and Women’s competition has been no easy feat for the ITS committee.
The profile of Touch in Seoul has grown in recent times with support from some local businesses such as Spire. This local sponsorship has been well received and helped fund a Seoul Representative team being sent to the Hong Kong Touch Tournament where the Seoul Globetrotters performed well against international opposition. Captain of the touring side Suzeanne Liddell said “Hong Kong gave us a good chance to benchmark ourselves against foreign teams and to help draw attention to ITS 2008”. This sponsorship also launched the Spire Touch Series Tournament, which will see a local team named the overall winner at the completion of a series of six tournaments over the entire season. The larger annual tournament however has seen additional sponsors such as Macquarie, Jacobs Creek, Standard Chartered and McDonalds come on board and help lift the profile of the sport.
It has been particularly rewarding to see the interest rise amongst the local Korean teams, highlighted by the entry of five Korean teams to the ITS tournament this year. The Seoul Princes from Yonsei Uni will be a strong contender for the final honors in the Men’s competition with some strong play makers in their team, and their quick, sharp steps taking advantage of the smallest gap in the defensive line. Yonsei have always been an entertaining team to watch, and this upcoming tournament is their chance to break through and show the local Korean audience that they can go on and win tournaments.
It has always been a goal to raise the awareness and profile amongst the community in Seoul, introducing the sport to children and university students. As part of this years ITS tournament, and in attempt to increase the profile of Touch among the younger generation, it has been organized that the students of Pagoda will attend the tournament with activities and events for them to participate in. For those children already playing Touch, a kid’s tournament has also been organized where such teams as the Han River Pirates will participate for yet another year and newcomers Bundang Tigers will also debut.
2008’s tournament see’s the entry of seven international teams, the largest entry from overseas teams the tournament has since its beginning. The ITS Tournament has a growing reputation around Asia, with teams commenting that it is the touch tournament to attend within Asia. It is this reason why many teams have been lured back for another year of Touch. This year however the tournament has gone even further afield attracting a students team from England.
The international aspect these teams bring with them allows the tournament to incorporate other local businesses and sponsors. From accommodation, to transport, to entertainment, bringing in International Teams allows even more of the local community to become involved in this years International Touch Seoul Tournament.
Organizing this years tournament has been no easy task for the ITS Committee. The most difficult of tasks was securing the location and pitches for the tournament to be held. With the size of the tournament reaching this years scale, it has been hard to acquire the pitches and facilities. It was a frustrating ordeal for the committee, as it waded through what appeared to be a lack of support from the local government.
With only two weeks remaining for the teams to train, the warm weather to remain and final details to be organized, this years International Touch Seoul Tournament is looking like one to remember. For both the participants and the spectators. Much like the entry size, this years tournament will be larger, more exciting and an event worth attending.
For more information, please visit the following website: www.koreatouch.com
