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!

We’re excited to announce that we’ll once again be hosting the New Zealand Fistball Association on Australian shores in 2026! 🇦🇺🇳🇿

The dates are locked in for (appropriately enough) the ANZAC Day weekend, running from Friday to Saturday at King Lloyd Reserve in Geelong, VIC.

Somewhat incredibly, this will be the first Trans-Tasman Championships to feature both the Australian men’s and women’s fistball teams battling it out for the Pavlova Plate since 2018! This follows the restart of the format in 2024, with the Wombats contesting standalone championships against the New Zealand men’s team in 2024 and 2025.

This tournament will be an important and exciting matchup with the Kiwis as we look ahead to the Asia-Pacific Fistball Championships in Prebbleton, New Zealand, this November. With that on the horizon, 2026 is shaping up to be a bumper year of international fistball.

It will also mark a critical first step for the Wombats on the road to the Fistball World Championships in 2027.

Anyone wishing to nominate for a national team (men’s, women’s, or masters) must be a fully paid-up 2025/26 Fistball Australia member in order to receive the nomination form. If you’re not yet a member, the link is in the comments below.

Fist on! 👊

As part of the formalities at the 2025 Australian Fistball National Championships in Canberra last weekend, we were proud to present the peer-voted National Team Awards for both 2024 and 2025.

After every international tournament, players are asked to cast their votes for who they believe was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Team Player (BTP) from their team for that tournament, using a 3-2-1 preference system to ensure a broad and balanced spread of votes.

When two or more international tournaments occur within a single calendar year, votes are combined to determine the deserving recipient. Conversely, when there is no international tournament in a given year, no awards are presented.

The most recent awards covered the following tournaments:
🏆 2024 IFA Women’s Fistball World Championships (Women’s National Team)
🏆 2024 Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships (Men’s National Team)
🏆 2025 Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships (Men’s National Team)

This system has remained largely unchanged since our first World Championships campaign in 2015 and continues to represent the highest individual honour one can achieve within Fistball Australia.

Congratulations to the award recipients announced last Saturday in Canberra:
👊 Josh Bevis – 2025 Men’s National Team MVP*
👊 Jackson Bowen – 2024 Men’s National Team co-MVP
👊 Lewis Jupp – 2024 Men’s National Team co-MVP*
👊 Tahnee Ashworth – 2024 Women’s National Team MVP*
👊 Josh Bevis – 2025 Men’s National Team BTP
👊 Ben Abbott – 2024 Men’s National Team BTP
👊 Carley McKay – 2024 Women’s National Team BTP

*second time winning this award

Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be another bumper year of international fistball, with both the 2026 Trans-Tasman Fistball Championships (currently planned for April in Geelong) and the 2026 Asia-Pacific Fistball Championships (November in Prebbleton, NZ) set to return both the Australian men’s and women’s teams to the international stage. For the men, these tournaments will be critical steps on the road to the 2027 IFA Men’s Fistball World Championships.

Fist on! 👊

And just like that, the 2025 Australian Fistball National Championships is done and dusted!

This past weekend marked a milestone in Australian fistball history: the first-ever fistball tournament hosted in the ACT. Not just the first Nationals – the first fistball tournament of any kind in the territory! In total, eight teams – six men’s teams and two women’s teams – descended on the nation’s capital to battle for the title of National Champion across two days of competition.

And what a battle it was.

We saw blisteringly hot and sunny conditions on Saturday, reaching 35 degrees before easing to a more forgiving 26 degrees on Sunday. Across both days, strategic set placement and smart hitting were critically important, as consistently blustery winds swirled across the three courts and shaped the play.

Congratulations to our men’s and women’s fistball national champions – the Western Fisters (men) and Victoria Country (women)!

🏆 Men’s Tournament 🏆

The Western Fisters came into the tournament determined to make amends after falling just short in 2024 – and make amends they did, emphatically so. The boys from the West were rewarded for an intense training regime leading up to the tournament, not dropping a single set on their march to a comprehensive championship victory over reigning champions Victoria Country.

Such was their dominance that they claimed three of the five places on the All-Tournament Team for the second year running (Jackson Bowen, Bevan van der Leest and Jacob Watson), with Jackson also taking home the Klemens ‘Fistols’ Kronsteiner Medal as MVP of the men’s tournament.

Victoria Country showed once again the value of veteran leadership on the field. Despite an inconsistent round robin performance, they breezed through their qualifying final against Vic Metro and then broke the hearts of the young NSW men’s team – coming back from a 7-9 deficit in the third and final set with four straight points to pinch their spot in the final.

New South Wales will certainly look to make amends after that late loss - once again falling just short at the final hurdle. Though they will take pride in the selection of the dynamic Nila Poudal to the All-Tournament Team in his return to Australian competitive fistball. Ultimately though, they finished in third.

In fourth, South Australia showed that age and experience continue to pay dividends in tournament play. They fought hard to win their qualifying final over the ACT, before falling just short in the semi-finals and placement games against arguably more favoured opponents.

Rounding out 5th and 6th place were the new kids on the block – the ACT – and the older kids who have been hanging around the block for a while – Victoria Metro.

The ACT entered their first-ever tournament with a team of young and athletic (mostly) volleyball players and made an immediate statement: defeating NSW in their first outing, then backing it up with a gritty win over South Australia. After later falling to SA in the qualifying finals, they finished their campaign with a strong win against a fading Victoria Metro - an impressive end with hints of an exciting future.

Victoria Metro, on the other hand, took home the wooden spoon, relieving Western Australia of its burden for the first time since its introduction. On the positive side, Metro’s Josh Bevis was again recognised by his peers, earning his third straight selection to the All-Tournament Team – adding another piece to his rapidly expanding fistball trophy cabinet.

🏆 Women’s Tournament 🏆

Arguably, the fiercest battles of the weekend took place in the women’s competition.

Victoria Country entered the tournament full of confidence, with most of the squad fresh from a successful World Championships campaign and eager to keep building. New South Wales, however, were more of an unknown quantity – with recent national player Dhara Modhwadia leading a team of new recruits out of Sydney. What followed was an arm wrestle for the ages.

After competitive round robin matches against men’s and women’s teams, the head-to-head series began on Sunday morning in a two-match showdown to decide the title.

After dropping the first set 7-11, the NSW women regrouped brilliantly, winning the second set 11-9. As both teams threw themselves at the ball with reckless intensity – hitting clean winners and saving desperate points – NSW edged out a dramatic 14-12 victory in the third and deciding set, claiming their first win of the tournament.

The second match was another back-and-forth marathon, with momentum swinging both ways before Victoria Country’s experience finally shone through. They outlasted NSW to win the second match in three sets and claim the championship by the narrowest of margins – a +4 point differential over the two games.

Both teams shared All-Tournament honours with Tahnee Ashworth and Clare Woodhouse from Victoria Country, and Dhara Modhwadia, Tara Holstege and Nicole Fong from NSW. Tahnee also deservedly claimed the Fistols medal after an exceptional attacking performance.

With such a thrilling women’s competition taking center stage in Canberra, we can only hope to see even more women’s teams at the next Nationals!

A massive thank you to everyone involved – both those who led the organising effort behind the scenes and all the volunteers on the day: referees, scorers, linespeople, equipment wranglers, barrier carriers and more. Without your efforts, this tournament would not have been possible – or at least, nowhere near as enjoyable.

A special shout-out to the players and teams who travelled across the country to compete. As with the tournament in Perth last year, your willingness to travel, invest in the sport, and compete with passion is a critical step in building and strengthening this incredible Australian fistball community.

Thank you also to Lewis Jupp and the team at Volleyball ACT for providing the venue and equipment, and for helping to assemble the first-ever ACT fistball team.

A huge thank you to our dedicated sponsors:
• Deenz – All-Tournament Team prizes
• Mt Pleasant Brewery – tournament beers
• Procure Print – tournament shirts and banners
• Kennards Fyshwick – fencing support
• ID Athletic – our reliable fistball playing gear provider

Please see the full results below.

Fist on!

Full Results:
P1 - VIC C (M) def VIC M (15-8)
P2 - ACT def NSW (M) (15-11)
P3 - WF def SA (15-8)
P4 - VIC C (W) def NSW (W) (15-11)
P5 - ACT def SA (15-14)
P6 - WF def VIC C (M) (15-10)
P7 - NSW (M) def VIC M (15-14)
P8 - NSW (M) def VIC C (M) (15-6)
P9 - VIC M def VIC C (W) (15-14)
P10 - WF def NSW (W) (15-2)
P11 - SA def NSW (W) (15-11)
P12 - VIC C (W) def VIC C (M) (15-13)
P13 - WF def ACT (15-4)
P14 - SA def VIC M (15-11)
P15 - NSW (M) def NSW (W) (15-12)
P16 - VIC C (M) def ACT (15-10)
P17 - WF def VIC C (W) (15-5)
P18 - NSW (M) def SA (15-12)
P19 - VIC M def NSW (W) (15-3)
P20 - ACT def VIC C (W) (15-10)
P21 - WF def VIC M (15-10)
P22 - VIC C (M) def SA (15-13)
P23 - VIC C (M) def NSW (W) (15-9)
P24 - VIC M def ACT (15-8)
P25 - NSW (M) def VIC C (W) (15-9)
P26 - WF def NSW (M) (15-14)
P27 - ACT def NSW (W) (15-8)
P28 - SA def VIC C (W) (15-2)
QF1 - VIC C (M) def VIC M 2-0 (12-10, 11-9)
QF2 - SA def ACT 2-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-9)
SF1 - WF def SA 2-0 (11-7, 11-5)
SF2 - VIC C (M) def NSW (M) 2-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-9)
MC 5th - ACT def VIC M 2-1 (11-8, 4-11, 11-6)
WC #1 - NSW (W) def VIC C (W) 2-1 (7-11, 11-9, 14-12)
MC 3rd - NSW (M) def SA 2-0 (11-7, 11-9)
WC #2 - VIC C (W) def NSW (W) 2-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-8)
MC 1st - WF def VIC C (M) 2-0 (11-7, 11-7)

Final Standings:
Men's Championship
1. 🟨⬛️ Western Fisters 🏆
2. ⬜️🟦 Victoria Country
3. 🟦🟦 New South Wales
4. 🟥🟦🟨 South Australia
5. 🟦🟨 A.C.T.
6. 🟦⬜️ Victoria Metro 🥄

Women's Championship
1. ⬜️🟦 Victoria Country 🏆
2. 🟦🟦 New South Wales

Men's All-Tournament First Team:
Attacker - Jacob Watson (🟨⬛️WF)
Attacker - Nila Poudal (🟦🟦NSW)
Setter - Bevan Van Der Leest (🟨⬛️WF)
Defender - Jackson Bowen (🟨⬛️WF)
Defender -Josh Bevis (🟦⬜️ VIC M)

Women's All-Tournament First Team:
Attacker - Tahnee Ashworth (⬜️🟦 VIC C)
Attacker - Tara Holstege (🟦🟦NSW)
Setter - Nicole Fong (🟦🟦NSW)
Defender - Dhara Modhwadia (🟦🟦NSW)
Defender - Clare Woodhouse (⬜️🟦 VIC C)

Most Valuable Player (Klemens 'Fistols' Kronsteiner Medal):
Men - Jackson Bowen (🟨⬛️WF) 🏅
Women - Tahnee Ashworth (⬜️🟦 VIC C) 🏅

For those paying attention, you might have noticed that we have two women’s teams competing at the 2025 Australian Fistball National Championships this weekend… and that’s because we’ll be awarding our first ever Australian Women’s National Championship trophy!

These two sides will be throwing fists against each other and the men’s teams during the lightning round-robin, before slogging it out in a two-match head-to-head series to decide the 2025 Women’s Champions.

We hope this is the beginning of a growing women’s competition across Australia - but for now, just revel in the glory of this delightfully shiny trophy.

Fist on!

Not content with simply hosting a Nationals competition, this coming Saturday evening we will also be presenting these beauties to the winners of the 2024 and 2025 National Team awards!

Each year, after competing in an international tournament, the Australian national men’s and/or women’s players cast their votes for two awards: Most Valuable Player and Best Team Player. These awards recognise players who have helped lift Australian fistball to new heights - those who have demonstrated their mastery of the Fundamentals, impressed with their Individual play, shown outstanding Sportsmanship, and embraced true Teamwork.

That’s right - their F.I.S.T.

This year, we will be presenting the legendary crystal fists to:
• the 2024 Possums (WWC),
• the 2024 Wombats (TTFC), and
• the 2025 Wombats (TTFC).

For those attending the National Championships in Canberra, please stay tuned for the confirmation of Saturday night’s dinner and presentation venue.

Fist on!

The 2025 Australian Fistball National Championships fixture has been locked in!

Check out the full schedules for Days 1 & 2 in the images here.

Featuring 8 teams - including 2 women’s teams - from five different states and territories, this year’s tournament is shaping up to be our biggest yet!

Day 1 will effectively act as a classic “fistival” of fistball. All teams will play each other once in a rapid-fire, first-to-15 single-set round robin across three courts before breaking for lunch.

After lunch, the best-of-three-sets games begin, with the 3rd–6th ranked men’s teams playing off to earn the right to challenge the top two men’s teams in the semi-finals. This is followed by the women’s teams splintering off for the first of two women’s championship matchups. The day will be capped off with an exhibition match between the 2015 Wombats and the 2025 Wombats - a fitting (and hopefully entertaining) tribute to the 10-year anniversary of our first World Championships campaign.

Day 2 will be a more focused battle for positions. The men’s semi-finals kick off the day across two courts, before the remaining positional games funnel onto a single court to maximise the spectator experience as teams duke it out for their final championship placings. These will all be best-of-three clashes as well.

With the weather forecast currently looking hot hot hot, we’ll ensure plenty of water and sunscreen are available on site.

If you have any questions regarding the schedule, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Fist on! 👊