Tag Rugby is Ireland's fastest growing adult participation sport and gives everyone the chance to try their hand at the game. Removing the contact element, its emphasis is on running and passing, meaning it can be enjoyed by either long-time players or those taking a ball into their hands for their first time.

Sponsored by Volvic Natural Mineral Water, the Irish Tag Rugby Association's Summer League starts on 22 May and runs on weekday evenings around the country for nine weeks. Illustrating the popularity of the event, the competition has grown from only 36 teams in its first year in 2000 to 864 this season, so over 13,000 people will take part. Indeed, the ITRA Spring League, which begins on 26 March and runs for six weeks, had 50 of its 60 places snapped up within 40 minutes of registration opening.

What makes tag rugby so appealing are its easy-tograsp rules. It is a non-contact seven-a-side sport which takes place on a grass pitch, roughly half the size of a normal rugby pitch, with games lasting 40 minutes. Each player wears a special pair of shorts with velcro-tags attached. When a player with the ball has a tag removed, his team loses possession. There is no kicking and the only way a team can score is through tries, with one point awarded for a man and three for a woman.

This is another dimension to tag rugby, how mixed it is.

Teams can choose to enter one of a number of categories - including Men's Super League, Women's Super League, the Social League or the Veterans' over-35s league - at four different skills levels.

Grade A is for advanced players, Grade B is for Intermediate, Grade C is for those with one season of tag rugby behind them and Beginners, naturally, is for those just starting off.

In each category, teams are placed in eight-team roundrobin competitions, eventually going through to semi-finals and finals. However, regardless of where they finish, each team will get a chance to play until the last weekend and win some silverware.

For the finals are not just reserved for the top-performing teams. There are four trophies up for grabs, from the Cup to the Superbowl so even a team which has lost all eight of its games can end up champions on the final week. Reports of the games will appear in the Sunday Tribune every Sunday while Raymond Weil, official time partner to ITRA, will be rewarding man-of-thematch performances at each level with Tango sports watches.

But the fun doesn't just take place on the pitch, for one of the most popular aspects of tag rugby is its social nature. There are barbeques at each venue every night in order for players to get to know each other, with the craic often carried on to the clubhouse. Indeed, Tag Rugby recently had its first wedding with two players who met on a pitch four years ago getting married. A number of engagements have followed since.

As well as getting to know your local club members however, the ITRA also organises a number of oneday blitzes as well as festivals around the country.

Among the events taking place are a beach competition on Omey Island in Connemara on 1 July and the Galway City of Tribes Festival on 22 July.

Registration is now open for Grade A, with Grade B opening on 21 February and Grade C and Beginners on the 27. The price to enter a team in the summer league is 565 including vat. Teams must contain 12 squad-members while those looking to enter the Social League must have at least three female members on the field at all times. All registration takes place online at www. tagrugby. ie.

So if your looking to meet new people, have a great night out or indeed just want to try your hand at showing Brian O'Driscoll how it's done, Tag Rugby is the perfect sport.