Keen to stretch those summer vibes a little further? Get to Kiama on 9 March

If you’re not quite ready to let go of summer, head to Kiama for some sun, sand and fun on 9 March.

The third annual Kiama Beach Tag competition will kick off at 8:30 am and run until 9 pm, with plenty of food and entertainment options to enjoy.

Keiron Duncan and Steve Emmett are the tournament directors, and they’re excited to announce this year is the biggest competition yet, with more than 75 teams from across NSW and the ACT signing up to play.

“We’ve got teams coming from the Central Coast, Canberra, the Shoalhaven and all across Sydney, as well as local teams from Kiama and Gerringong, Shellharbour and Wollongong,” Keiron said.

“Everyone is excited to be part of it after the fun we’ve had in previous years, which is good, we’re almost at capacity.

“Playing on the sand adds a summer vibe to the tournament; it can be tough on the legs, but kids and some adults love to take big dives, and you can jump in the ocean to rinse of between games.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a team say they’re not coming back so that’s a positive thing.”

Divisions this year include seniors with mixed men’s, mixed women’s, over 35s and mixed 18s, and then juniors with 13s boys and girls and 15s boys and girls.

The competition is run as a round-robin style event in the morning, with semi-finals beginning after lunchtime.

Keiron hopes the addition of the juniors division will encourage more families to make a day of it.

“We’ve never run a kids event yet so to have the kids involved is a great thing,” he said.

“We’re after a fun vibe; they are playing for prizes and a $20,000 prize pool, but we’re focusing on running a strong local community event where everyone comes together to have a bit of fun.”

Keiron said the wider Kiama community had thrown their support behind the event, and without that enthusiastic backing the day wouldn’t be possible.

Supporters include the Kiama Knights Rugby League Football Club, the Kiama Lions Club, the Kiama Surf Life Saving Club, and a number of local businesses, including major sponsor the Hill Bar.

“We make a donation to all the community clubs and associations who help make the day possible at the end of the event,” Keiron said.

“It builds a bit of community atmosphere, along with local businesses who sponsor the event and donate to our prize pool.

“Hill Bar is going to set up a licensed bar on the grass and sand for adults to kick back and have some refreshments in the afternoon, and we’ve got a variety of local food and coffee trucks, including Pines ice-cream.

“We’ll also have some merchandise stores and live music from local musicians; there’s plenty to do on and off the sand.”

As part of the entertainment paratroopers will land on the beach during lunch – shortly after 1 pm – and a surprise lineup of NRL legends have been teed up for an exhibition Oztag game on the beach.

In addition to being a cracker day out, Keiron says organisers hope to inject some energy – and funds – into the town as summer winds to a close.

“A lot of out-of-town teams decide to stay for the weekend as well, so the local holiday park benefits from that as well,” he said.

“It’s a busy hectic day around the area, but Kiama Council and Destination Kiama have helped us put management plans in place; they’ve really supported us.”