UAE Touch hope holding an ambitious club championship in Al Ain this November will showcase the country’s suitability to host the 2019 Touch World Cup.
The Emirates are set to welcome 56 teams, and between 2,000-3,000 competitors, this winter with sides from England, France, Wales, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar already making their interest known.
Abu Dhabi Sports Council has given the one-day event the green light with the tournament set to take place on November 14, at Al Ain Rugby Club.
However, it is the Touch World Cup that remains UAE Touch president John Larkins’ end goal.
“Location is a big thing for us here. So our ultimate goal is to hold the 2019 World Cup. Because next year, in terms of pure numbers, they’re saying there are 130 teams from over 30 different countries and they might have 3,000 competitors.”
That would make it the biggest Touch World Cup ever held. But with the sport’s two main power bases split between northern Europe and Australasia, Larkins believes the UAE could hold a bigger event as it offers a central meeting point.
“There are probably more countries playing in the northern hemisphere but they don’t all want to travel all the way down to Australia and New Zealand,” he added.
“We had the international federation (Federation of International Touch) here last year for three weeks and showed them around. We have the infrastructure from the playing fields point of view, what we don’t have is the referees, etc.”