A record 131 teams have descended on Coffs Harbour for the 2026 DoorDash National Youth Championships, with four days of Touch Football competition getting underway on the Coffs Coast.
The event, one of Australia’s premier youth Touch Football competitions, is being held in Coffs Harbour for the 16th time.
Touch Football Australia is staging the championships in partnership with the City of Coffs Harbour and the NSW Government through Destination NSW.
The championships bring together emerging players from schools, regions, states and territories across Australia and form an important part of Touch Football’s participation and representative pathways.
Among the young players competing this year is Australian Emu Layne Prince, who returns for Queensland Representative School Sport in the 18s Girls division.
Prince was named Player of the Final at last year’s championships after helping Queensland claim the national title, just months after making her Australian Emus debut at the 2025 Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup.
The sport’s strong family connections will also be on display through the Dayberg-Muir family.
Former Australian representative Drumayne Dayberg-Muir returns to the championships as an assistant coach, while his wife Lauren will coach the South Queensland Sharks 16 Girls A side.
Their daughter Aniston Dayberg-Muir will play in the same team.
Aniston was named Player of the Final when the South Queensland Sharks claimed the 12s Girls title at the 2023 National Youth Championships.
Ahead of the opening matches, Touch Football Australia chief executive Marcus Ashcroft joined City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams and Nationals Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh at C.ex Coffs International Stadium to officially welcome the event back to the region.
“We love coming to Coffs Harbour. Many of the players competing here this week will go on to graduate to our senior National Touch League and potentially represent Australia in the future.” said Ashcroft.
“It gives young players the opportunity to compete against the best from around the country, see how they stack up and continue along the pathway towards the highest levels of our sport.”
Singh said the championships would provide an economic boost for Coffs Harbour.
“Events like NYC bring people from all over the country to Coffs Harbour, and they’re staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and cafes and spending across the region.”
“That’s exactly what our hospitality sector needs and demonstrates why events like this are so important for the local economy.”
Williams said the arrival of thousands of players and their families would benefit businesses across the Coffs Coast.
“Having thousands of players and their families arrive on the Coffs Coast is fantastic for our tourism industry, small businesses and hospitality venues.”
“We’re talking about an injection of more than $5 million into our local economy, which is always a fantastic outcome for our city.
“It’s great to see so many people across the Coffs Coast enjoying everything our region has to offer. Our hospitality and accommodation providers, along with small businesses right across the community, all benefit from major events like the National Youth Championships.”
The 2026 DoorDash National Youth Championships will run from Monday, September 28 to Thursday, October 1 at C.ex Coffs International Stadium.
Entry is free, with spectators welcome.
The championships will also be streamed live and free through BarTV and Touch Football Australia’s YouTube channel.
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