Touch Module Planning Guide for Community Clubs

It's 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon and you're at the park with a line marker, a bag of cones, and ninety minutes until the first game. Six fields need marking. Corner cones and centre marks on each. Posts at both ends. The draw needs posting on the board. The sausage sizzle needs the BBQ set up, the gas checked, and the sausages defrosted. Three referees have confirmed out of the six you need. And a team has just emailed to say they're withdrawing mid-season, which means the draw needs recalculating before people start arriving.

Running a touch module is a sixteen-week operational commitment. Every Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday) evening from October to March, your club turns a public park into a multi-field competition venue, runs three rounds of games, feeds 300 people at a sausage sizzle, and packs it all down by 9pm. It's logistics, not glamour. And it's the foundation of summer community sport in New Zealand.

This is the planning guide. Field setup, draw management, referee coordination, sausage sizzle operations, and the weekly rhythm that keeps the module running.

Season-level planning

Before the season (August-September)

Team entries: Open entries eight to ten weeks before the module starts. Set entry fees, confirm grades (social, mixed, men's, women's, junior), and manage the registration process. Entry deadlines should be firm - late entries complicate the draw.

Referee recruitment: Start early. You need one referee per field per game. For a six-field module with three rounds, that's eighteen referee slots per evening. Recruit from: club members, senior players, teenagers, parents, and the local referee association. Touch NZ's referee development pathway provides training.

Draw construction: Build the draw for the full season. Each team should play every other team in their grade at least once. Balance home-and-away field assignments if it matters for your module. Publish the full-season draw before the first round.

Council/park booking: Confirm your park booking with the local council for the full season. Confirm field dimensions, access to facilities (toilets, power for the BBQ), and any restrictions.

The weekly timeline

Monday - draw and communication

Publish the draw: Confirm the weekly draw (which should follow the pre-set season draw unless there are byes or withdrawals). Post it on social media, email it to team managers, and prepare the printed version for the board.

Referee confirmation: Contact every referee for Tuesday's games. Six referees confirmed by Monday evening means you have a day to fill any gaps.

Tuesday - game day

3:30pm - equipment loaded

Collect from storage: line marker, lime, cones, posts, draw board, sausage sizzle equipment (BBQ, gas, utensils, esky with sausages, bread, sauce, drinks).

4:00pm - field setup begins (4 people minimum)

• Mark six fields with the line marker (90 minutes for a full setup; 45 minutes if marking over existing lines from last week)
• Place corner cones and centre cones on each field
• Set posts at each end of each field
• Place field number markers visible from the carpark
• Set up the draw board near the main gathering area

5:00pm - sausage sizzle setup

• BBQ positioned and gas connected
• Table set up with bread, sauce, onions, drinks
• Float in the cash box, card reader charged
• Begin cooking - sausages take 15-20 minutes, and you want to be serving before the first game ends

5:15pm - referees arrive and are briefed

• Referees collect their assignments (field number, game sequence)
• Any specific module rules or grade instructions communicated
• Spare whistles available

5:30pm - games begin

• First round starts across all fields
• Module coordinator available for disputes, draw questions, and problems
• Sausage sizzle in full operation

6:15pm - first round ends, second round begins

• Teams rotate according to the draw
• Results from round one recorded
• Sausage sizzle continues

7:00pm - second round ends, third round begins

• Final rotation
• Draw board updated with results

7:45pm - final round ends

• Results recorded and compiled
• Sausage sizzle winds down
• Social time - let people linger

8:15pm - pack-down

• Cones and posts collected from all fields
• BBQ cleaned and packed
• Draw board collected
• Rubbish cleared
• Equipment loaded and returned to storage

Equipment checklist

Field setup:

• ] Line marker with lime/chalk (refilled weekly)
• ] Corner cones (4 per field x 6 fields = 24 minimum)
• ] Centre cones (2 per field = 12)
• ] Touch posts (2 per field = 12)
• ] Field number markers (6)
• ] Draw board and printed draw
• ] Spare whistles for referees

Sausage sizzle:

• ] BBQ (gas, with full cylinder)
• ] Tongs, spatula
• ] Sausages (budget 1.5 per person expected)
• ] Bread, sauce (tomato and mustard), onions
• ] Drinks (water, soft drinks)
• ] Cash float and card reader
• ] Serviettes, rubbish bags
• ] Table and serving setup

Safety:

• ] First aid kit
• ] Emergency contact numbers
• ] Phone for the module coordinator

Volunteer roster (weekly)

| Role | Number | Time | |------|--------|------| | Field setup crew | 4 | 4:00pm–5:30pm | | Module coordinator | 1 | 5:00pm–8:30pm | | Referee coordinator | 1 | 5:00pm–8:00pm | | Referees | 6 | 5:15pm–8:00pm | | Sausage sizzle team | 2-3 | 4:30pm–8:30pm | | Results/draw volunteer | 1 | 5:30pm–8:15pm | | Pack-down crew | 4 | 8:00pm–8:30pm |

Total: 16-18 volunteers per evening. Over a sixteen-week season, that's a significant commitment. Rotate roles to prevent burnout.

Referee management

This is the make-or-break operational challenge.

Recruitment: Cast the net wide. Senior players, parents, teenagers, club members, community volunteers. Pay a fair rate - typically $20-30 per game.

Training: Touch NZ runs referee courses. Invest in training your referees. A confident, trained referee keeps games flowing. An untrained one gets challenged by players and won't come back.

Retention: Pay on time. Thank publicly. Back them when disputes arise. Provide a zero-tolerance policy on referee abuse and enforce it. A module known for respecting referees attracts more officials.

Contingency: Have two reserve referees on standby each week. When someone texts at 4pm to cancel, you need a replacement ready.

Weather decisions

Touch is a summer sport, but New Zealand weather doesn't always cooperate.

Decision timing: Make the call by 4:00pm. Communicate through every channel simultaneously - social media, email to team managers, text to referees and volunteers.

Criteria: Light rain: play on. Heavy rain making fields dangerous: cancel. Lightning: cancel immediately (if during play, clear the fields). Waterlogged fields: cancel to prevent surface damage and injury.

Season impact: Build two reserve dates into the season for rescheduled rounds.

How TidyHQ helps

A touch module with thirty teams generates significant weekly admin - draw management, team communication, referee rostering, financial tracking, and results. Our event management tools handle team registrations, draw publication, and weekly communication. The contact database manages referee and volunteer rosters with automated reminders.

Frequently asked questions

How many teams can we run on six fields?

Thirty teams across three rounds per evening is a comfortable maximum. Each round runs five games (on five fields, with one field resting or running the sixth game). Adjust based on game length - typically 40 minutes including changeover.

How do we handle mid-season team withdrawals?

Restructure the draw to give the remaining teams in that grade a bye in the withdrawn team's slot. Communicate immediately. Consider offering a partial refund or credit to the withdrawing team to maintain goodwill.

How much revenue should the sausage sizzle generate?

A well-run sausage sizzle at a 30-team module can generate $300-500 per evening in gross revenue. Over sixteen weeks, that's $5,000-8,000. Budget for costs (sausages, bread, gas, drinks) and the net contribution is significant. Track it weekly.

Running a touch module is a sixteen-week operational commitment. Every Tuesday, the same routine: mark the fields, publish the draw, brief the referees, fire up the BBQ, run three rounds, pack it all down. The clubs that do this well make it look effortless. The reality is a Monday-to-Tuesday planning cycle, confirmed volunteers, and systems that work week after week.

References

• Touch NZ - The national governing body for touch in New Zealand, including module support and referee development
• Touch NZ Referee Pathway - Referee training and qualification courses
• Touch Game Night Experience Guide - Our companion guide to creating great touch night atmosphere
• Sport NZ - The government agency supporting sport and recreation in New Zealand