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Touch Football Australia (TFA) today announced that Steve Mitchell will stand down from his role as Chief Executive in February 2019 to become Chief Executive of the Gold Coast Titans.

Mitchell will continue his work with TFA in an advisory capacity to the TFA Board, to assist with the progression of the NRL/TFA Alliance and the NRL Touch Premiership.

TFA has seen significant structural change during Mitchell’s time as Chief Executive. These changes include the relocation of key national managerial and operational staff to the NRL’s headquarters, Rugby League Central, in Sydney, to work directly with NRL management teams.

A heightened commercial focus in the organisation has resulted in successfully securing nine new national commercial partners, enhanced digital content, improved sports delivery resourcing, and the introduction of new formats of the game to drive participation.

The close working relationship with the NRL also provided an opportunity for Mitchell to lead the TFA team to transform Touch Football Australia’s elite domestic competition into the new NRL Touch Premiership. In 2019 the NRL Touch Premiership will be even bigger than in its inaugural year – it will see eight NRL clubs, including the NZ Warriors, field elite men’s and women’s sides in a 17-week competition broadcast on FOX Sports.

“I am extremely grateful to Anita Hagarty and the Touch Football Australia Board for giving me the opportunity to join the organisation and to work closely with them to achieve the advances we’ve made over the past 15 months,” said Mitchell.

“Touch Football is a fantastic sport with a huge participation base, great athletes and a very bright future. I’m looking forward to assisting its development in the years ahead in an advisory capacity.”

On behalf of the TFA Board, TFA Chair Anita Hagarty is grateful for the fantastic contribution Mitchell has made to the sport during his time as Chief Executive.

“In 2017, the Board saw the need to set a new direction and put Touch Football on a more commercial, strategic and professional path to achieve future growth. Stephen’s appointment as Chief Executive has been integral to achieving success in this endeavour. By any measure, Stephen has done an amazing job driving our sport forward with his passion, commitment and energy.

“We look forward to his ongoing involvement over the coming years in an advisory capacity. He leaves us with a team of very hard-working professionals that will lift the sport to new heights, and in particular, the continued progression of the NRL/TFA Alliance over the coming years, which will be important to the futures of both organisations.”

NRL Chief Executive, Todd Greenberg, agreed, applauding the advances Mitchell has made in strengthening the NRL and TFA’s Alliance, and said he looked forward to continuing working with Mitchell as the Titans’ Chief Executive and advisor to the TFA Board.

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