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Life bans imposed over wild brawl at OzTag championships

A father and son have been banned from the recreational sport of OzTag for life over a wild brawl at the NSW state championships.

Former NRL referee Bill Harrigan, the tournament director at the titles in Coffs Harbour, says he was disgusted by the violence.

A father and son have been identified among those behind it, and will be facing life bans from the sport, he told Today this morning.

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"We've got a couple of parents involved, which is unacceptable and we won't tolerate it."

Footage taken and shared by 2GB's Mark Levy shows the melee erupting when players from the Port Macquarie and Wollongong under-17 teams shook hands after their game last Saturday.

Insults were exchanged, triggering the intervention of adult spectators who stormed onto the middle of the field as chaos erupted.

Part of the footage shows a man in a white shirt running in and hitting a player from the side before he is thrown to the ground.

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Harrigan thinks an insult between the teenage players may have sparked the brawl, but says officials from Australian OzTag are still investigating.

"We'll sift through all the video that we've received, the reports that we've got from the officials … It could be more life bans," he said.

Harrigan said those involved in the violence ignored signs warning spectators to respect players and referees and remain on the sidelines.

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