Touch Rugby in Manchester: Sessions & Clubs

Touch rugby removes the tackle, the scrum and the physicality that puts a lot of people off the sport, and what you are left with is fast, skilful, genuinely fun to play and very easy to pick up. Manchester Touch Rugby Football Club is the main organised outfit in the city, running sessions that are open to all abilities and specifically designed to be accessible to people who have never picked up a rugby ball. The no-contact rule means the game can be mixed, age-diverse and less intimidating than conventional rugby, and the sessions tend to attract a good mix of complete beginners, former rugby players wanting something lower-impact, and people who just like the running-and-passing format of the sport.

Summer sessions are typically held outdoors at grass parks and sports grounds, which keeps the cost down and keeps the atmosphere relaxed. The sport is fast-growing internationally – World Touch is a proper competitive structure – and that competitive pathway exists if you want it, but most people in Manchester’s touch scene are there for a good game on a weekday evening. If you played tag rugby at school, touch is the adult continuation of it. If you never played rugby at all, the fact that there is no contact makes it a far less daunting first step than joining a union or league club.