History
The International Tag Federation (ITF) was officially registered October 19th, 2009. This brought together Oztag Australia and New Zealand Tag Football Incorporated (NZTFI) which only required two nations to form an International sports body. Perry Haddock (Oztag Australia), Claude Iusitini (NZTFI), Darryl Bovaird (NZTFI), and Jason Koroheke (NZTFI) would lay the groundwork for what would become the governing body for tag football called the International Tag Federation.
The foundational stages of the ITF were consulted by former Chairman of Auckland and New Zealand Rugby League Sel Pearson. His governance knowledge, combined with the legal knowledge and historical perspective of Perry Haddock, the game’s creator, played a critical role in ensuring the organisation’s smooth formation as an internationally recognised governing body.
Perry Haddock would become the first Interim Chairman from 2009 to 2011. On Friday 4th February 2011. The first ITF meeting would take place at the Mercure Hotel in Auckland. The discussions at this meeting were the Governance structure, Expressions of Interest to join the ITF, Strategic Planning, Pathways and the ITF constitution. The 2012 Tag World Cup and other International events and the long-term growth of the sport were also on the agenda. This event was attended by representatives from the New Zealand based Māori, Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tonga emerging nations, Perry Haddock would represent the Australian based emerging nations.
In its early stages, the ITF leaned heavily on Oztag Australia, which acted as the secretariat and shouldered the initial costs of running the international body. Oztag Australia also managed the legal aspects until the federation became fully operational. This collaboration was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the ITF’s growth, with the sport now established in globally.
Bill Harrigan, a former high-profile NRL referee and influential figure in tag football, would succeed Perry as the new chairman from 2011 until 2017. His leadership would then be passed on to Stuart McConnell from South Africa Tag Rugby from 2017 to 2023, who with the fellow board members Simon Bewley from Ireland Tag Rugby, Alistair Davis from Great Britain Try Tag Rugby, Bill Harrigan representing Australia Oztag, and Claude Iusitini from New Zealand Tag Football Inc, would play a role in the federation’s continuation.
In 2023, Chris Cowan was appointed the new Chairman at the 2023 at a special meeting held at the Tag World Cup in Limerick, with Claude stepping back and Lisa Iusitini taking over his position on the ITF Board. Bill Harrigan too would step back and focus on ITF tournaments and events to support the sport’s global expansion.
The growth of the sport on the international stage has been remarkable, and this has been showcased by five Tag World Cups held across the globe. The first unofficial Tag World Cup was launched in 2007 at Fowlds Park Auckland with the official ITF World Cup taking place five years later at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, in 2012, followed by events at Sunshine Coast Stadium in 2015, Coffs Harbour in 2018, and the recently postponed tournament in Limerick in 2023. These global events highlight the sport’s increasing popularity and international reach, with the next World Cup scheduled for 2026 in Redcliffe, Brisbane, Australia.
Along with the Tier One Nations of Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain and emerging standalone nations such as South Africa, France and Japan continuing to evolve. Emerging nations and contingents based in New Zealand representing their Pasifika region such as Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Tokelau, Fiji Aoteroa Māori have become part of the ITF family, with Australian based emerging nations and contingents such as Indigenous Australia, Lebanon, Italy, Greece, Malta, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea to name a few adds diversity of participation which is a testament to the ITF’s commitment to growing tag football on a global scale.
The ITF’s primary mission remains clear: to lay the foundations for future generations of tag football players and to ensure the sport’s sustainability, legitimacy, recognition and growth on the international stage.
The ultimate goal is for tag football to become a truly global sport, with aspirations of one day achieving Olympic inclusion. With a strong and steady growth trajectory, the ITF is well on its way to making this vision a reality.