Fistball Federation of Australia

The time has come for the fourth iteration of the Asia-Pacific Fistball Championships, this time to be held in Prebbleton, New Zealand later in 2026!

The tournament is currently scheduled to run from Thursday 12 November to Sunday 15 November, and at this stage the tournament is expected to feature men’s, women’s, masters and youth divisions — subject to final team registrations — with teams currently anticipated from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Samoa, Pakistan and potentially India.

Held only once every four years, the Asia-Pacific Championships are one of the most important events on the international fistball calendar for the Oceania region. The tournament acts as the qualifying pathway for future IFA international events and will also serve as the Oceanic qualification tournament for the 2027 Men’s Fistball World Championships in Brazil. This will be the first time the Asia-Pacific Fistball Championships have been held in New Zealand, after last being hosted in Geelong, Australia in 2022.

As the final major international tournament in what is shaping up to be a significant year for Australian fistball, the 2026 Asia-Pacific Championships will play an important role in shaping the future direction of Australia’s international programs heading into 2027 and beyond - particularly for the Wombats and Possums.

Nominations are now open for national team selection across four categories - men’s, women’s, masters and youth teams - with selection trials (where necessary) expected to be held throughout the year.

Nomination link in the comments.

More details to come regarding the tournament itself, but in the meantime if there are any questions or concerns about the tournament details, selection process, or the nomination form itself - these can be directed to [email protected].

Fist on!

While we have announced the team results from the most recent Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships, we would be remiss not to also acknowledge the players in the All-Tournament Teams, as agreed upon by the coaches of each team at the conclusion of the tournament!

Please see the selected All-Tournament Teams below, with accompanying photos (in random order) from returning champ Luke Hemer - Photographer once again.

Futures Series:
🏅 Jon Yaw - 🇦🇺 Australia A
🏅 Lucas Fletcher - 🇦🇺 Australia A
🏅 Reuben McKeown - 🇳🇿 New Zealand U18 Boys
🏅 Reuben Wheeler - 🇳🇿 New Zealand U18 Boys
🏅 Rohan Kumar - 🇦🇺 Australia A

Men's Masters Championship:
🏅 Brent Lehmann - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Carl Creasey - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Dave Dowall - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Derek Dobson - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Sam Leautuli - 🇳🇿 New Zealand

Women's Championship:
🏅 Brieana Crosbie - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Caitlin Steele - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Gracie Pilgrim - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Nicole Fong - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Tahnee Ashworth - 🇦🇺 Australia

Men's Championship:
🏅 Andrei Tomkinson - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Emlyn Evans - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Jackson Bowen - 🇦🇺 Australia
🏅 Jesse Kempf - 🇳🇿 New Zealand
🏅 Sam Kempf - 🇳🇿 New Zealand

Fist on!

And so concludes yet another Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships on Australian soil, and one that was comfortably the largest held to date!

Not only were the Men's, Women's and Men's Masters Championships held at the same Trans-Tasman tournament for the first time since 2018, this event also hosted an exciting series between New Zealand's U18 Boys team, in their first international matchup before they travel to Switzerland for the U18 Fistball World Championships, and an Australian Development Team (aka Australia A), fielding a mixture of exciting new talent and returning veterans.

All in all, the tournament featured 19 matchups over two days in near-perfect sunny and calm conditions, aside from some challenging winds late on the final day.

Congratulations to the New Zealand Fistball Association for retaining the coveted Pavlova Plate on the back of strong championship victories once again in the Men's and Women's divisions, ensuring those trophies will be heading back over to the Land of the Long White Cloud and allowing them to continue to lay claim to the Plate that has eluded Australia since it was last held in 2018.

Despite the similar final result, the tournament was anything but one-sided, with all four series featuring impressive levels of play from both teams, ensuring that each championship needed to be fought for to the end.

One of the most notable milestones from the event was for the Possums, who improved remarkably game on game against the Fistball Ferns before recording their first ever win against New Zealand in a seven-set thriller to close out their series.

The other milestone of note was for the New Zealand U18 Boys team, who experienced their first taste of victory against Australia A in their second game, fighting back from a 4-8 deficit in the final set to celebrate a defining win for the young team and, hopefully, a boost of confidence as they head to Switzerland in July.

And of course, we can't forget our enigmatic Men's Masters team, the mighty Dugongs, who helped the Aussies claim back at least one trophy from New Zealand in an incredibly tense, back-and-forth three-match affair that also featured an impressive display of soft-tissue injuries on both sides.

Of course, we need to thank anyone and everyone who assisted in one way or another in the lead-up to and during the tournament. These tournaments cannot happen without the tireless efforts of the organising committee, all of whom were also juggling multiple roles as players, coaches and referees throughout the event. They also cannot happen without the competing players and fervent supporters, both from Australia and New Zealand, who were willing to help, support, champion and celebrate everyone involved, both on the field and off.

So, from the Fistball Federation of Australia, we would like to extend a mighty, heartfelt thank you to our beloved Trans-Tasman fistball community. We cannot wait to match fists again in November at the Asia-Pacific Fistball Championships in Prebbleton, NZ!

Stay tuned for more photos, video and details from the tournament, but for now... fist on!

Futures Series:
M1. 🇦🇺 Australia A def 🇳🇿 New Zealand U18 Boys, 3:1 (7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9)
M2. 🇳🇿 New Zealand U18 Boys def 🇦🇺 Australia A, 3:2 (5-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9)
M3. 🇦🇺 Australia A def 🇳🇿 New Zealand U18 Boys, 3:1 (11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6)
🏆 Futures Series Champions - 🇦🇺 Australia A (2-1)

Men's Masters Championship:
M1. 🇦🇺 Australia def 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 3:0 (13-11, 14-12, 11-8)
M2. 🇦🇺 Australia def 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 3:1 (15-13, 11-13, 15-13, 11-2)
M3. 🇦🇺 Australia def 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 3:2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10)
🏆 Men's Masters Trans-Tasman Champions - 🇦🇺 Australia (3-0)

Women's Championship:
M1. 🇳🇿 New Zealand def 🇦🇺 Australia, 3:0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-7)
M2. 🇳🇿 New Zealand def 🇦🇺 Australia, 3:1 (9-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-6)
M3. 🇦🇺 Australia def 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 4:3 (11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5)
🏆 Women's Trans-Tasman Champions - 🇳🇿 New Zealand (2-1)

Men's Championship:
M1. 🇳🇿 New Zealand def 🇦🇺 Australia, 4:2 (11-2, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-1)
M2. 🇳🇿 New Zealand def 🇦🇺 Australia, 4:1 (11-5, 14-15, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6)
M3. 🇳🇿 New Zealand def 🇦🇺 Australia, 4:0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9)
🏆 Men's Trans-Tasman Champions - 🇳🇿 New Zealand (3-0)

🍽️ Pavlova Plate: 🇳🇿 New Zealand (Retained 2:2)

The 2026 Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships begin today at King Lloyd Reserve in Geelong!

This tournament will see the Men’s, Women’s and Men’s Masters trophies being challenged for the first time at the same tournament since 2018, as well as a Futures series involving the U18 New Zealand boys team and an Australian A development team.

If you’re in the area today or tomorrow, come on down and cheers the Aussies as they try to take back some trophies from the Kiwis!

See the full schedule below.

Fist on!