BAFRA Newsflash

http://www.bafra.org

Issue: 26/16

1^st July 2016

CHAIN CREWS FOR NFL INTERNATIONAL SERIES GAMES AT WEMBLEY 2016

In previous years BAFRA has supplied officials for the Chain Crew for these games (eight officials at each game). I am pleased to report that we have been asked by the NFL to provide Chain Crews for all three games this year. The game details are as follows:

2^nd October at 1430 hours: Indianapolis Colts v Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley Stadium)
23^rd October at 1430 hours: New York Giants v Los Angeles Rams (Twickenham Stadium)
30^th October at 1330 hours: Washington Redskins v Cincinnati Bengals (Wembley Stadium)

Please note the start times for each game. Also that accommodation arrangements near the stadium have yet to be confirmed.

Expressions of Interest to be part of the Chain Crews for these games are now invited from all eligible officials. All BAFRA members who have either never worked on a Wembley NFL Chain Crew, or have only done it on one occasion are welcome to apply. Please clearly state for which games you will be available. Note: Ideally we need to schedule officials for two games in a row to ensure crew continuity. The selection criteria is clearly explained in the members area of the BAFRA website and I would encourage all eligible officials to consider applying. However please be aware that we are always heavily over-subscribed.

If you require further information about any aspect of this important role please contact me directly for an informal discussion.

The closing date to inform me of your interest will be Friday 15^th July 2016. On submission of your Expression of Interest you will receive an acknowledgement from me. If you do not receive a reply then contact me to ensure your application has been received.

Richard Vernon

operations@bafra.org

10^TH JULY FIXTURES

We have a large number of fixtures on this date and an unusually low number of active officials. If you are showing unavailable but are now able to work a game please contact operations@bafra.org. I am sure we will have a game for you. Your assistance will be much appreciated.

Richard Vernon

operations@bafra.org

ELITE TRAINING DAY

The next BAFRA Elite Training Day will be held at the Premier Inn, Glasgow (Argyle Street) on 30^th July 2016.

The clinic will start at 10:30 and finish around 16:30, refreshments and lunch will be provided. All Elite Panel members are expected to attend and all BAFRA members are welcome to attend. If you wish to attend, please register by emailing elite@bafra.org.

Ben Griffiths & Pete Thom

Elite@bafra.org

BRITBOWL AND OTHER FINALS

Can all officials ensure their Arbiter availability is fully updated, as the Selection Committee is meeting on 16^th July. I will publish a list of all Bowl Games together with dates, venues, etc shortly.

Richard Vernon

operations@bafra.org

SPREADSHEET INFORMATION

I have now circulated personalised information to officials who have requested it concerning the BAFRA Spreadsheet. If you have requested it and not received it or would like to know this detailed information please contact me at my email address that is on the BAFRA website.

Richard Vernon

operations@bafra.org

BAFRA CHARITY WEEKEND – 2^ND AND 3^RD JULY

At the Convention this year, you again voted for Cancer Research UK to be the BAFRA Charity for 2016. This coming weekend has been designated as the BAFRA Charity Weekend and you are requested to contribute all or part of your game fee to this worthy cause.

Each year since we have been running this, the amount donated has increased so let’s see if we can keep breaking records.

There are a number of ways in which you can make your donation:

Where teams have pre-paid or where you want money deducted from payments coming from BAFRA, please send a note to BAFRA finance saying how much you wish to donate and this will be deducted from any payment sent.
Where teams pay on the day by cheque, they can be asked to add the amount of the donations to the admin fee cheque which is then sent to finance by the referee as normal. The referee should note the amounts of donations on the back of the cheque.
Individuals may also send a personal cheque to BAFRA finance
Payments may be made directly into the BAFRA account. Please send to Royal Bank of Scotland: Sort Code: 16-16- 11 Account Number 10255350. If using this method, please let BAFRA finance know you have made the donation.

If you have any queries, please contact either me or BAFRA finance directly. BAFRA finance may be contacted on finance@bafra.org. If sending cheques, please send to:

BAFRA Finance

18 Southgate

Whitworth

Rochdale

OL12 8UQ

Thank you in advance for your support of this initiative.

Paul Sutton

secretary@bafra.org

DISCIPLINARY CASES

NAME	#	TEAM	CODE	Q		OFFENCE	SUSPENDED
New this week
Lee Lamb	98	Halton Spartans	FGT	4	In retaliation to taunt from opponent (see below), threw a punch.		24/07/16 v Leeds Bobcats
Barry Williams	38	Chester Romans	FGT	4	After the play, stood over an opponent and taunted them, causing the opponent to retaliate with a punch.		03/07/16 v Leeds Bobcats
Kevin Keohane	56	London Warriors	TUF	2	The player committed two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, both for contact fouls that occurred after the ball was dead.		03/07/16 v London Olympians
Pete Horgan	60	Merseyside Nighthawks	FGT	4	Player grabbed an opponent by the face mask with 1 hand & punched him with the other.		03/07/16 v Sheffield Predators
Kevin Gray	70	East Kilbride Pirates	FPF	3	After the play was over, the player head butted an opponent		10/07/16 v Coventry Jets
Previous weeks
Alfanso Litchmore	99	London Hornets	FGT	2		Kicked an opponent after the play.	03/07/16 v Cambridgeshire Cats
David Trevor	44	Shropshire Revolution	TGT	4		Player made forcible contact to an opponent using the crown of his helmet.	03/07/16 v Leicester Falcons

GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS

HOME TEAM	REPORT	NEXT HOME GAME
New this week
South Wales Warriors	Field markings (especially the inbounds hash marks) were faint. No numbers or 9-yard marks. Amir Brooks #593	10/07/16 v London Blitz
Bristol Aztecs	Changing room was not lockable Julian Mallia #336	03/07/16 v Farnham Knights
Swindon Storm	No limit lines. Chain set broke multiple times during the game. One member of the chain crew changed during the game. Changing rooms not lockable. Pete Parsons #321	Unknown
Manchester Titans	Good field markings except for marking of 3 yard line (at nine yards!), no numbers or nine yard markings - we used rugby field markings to denote nine yards. No visible team areas. Down box (numbers) in need of urgent TLC Mike Cavanagh #465	Unknown
Jurassic Coast Raptors	Field markings were generally good. Changing rooms not locked during game, the whole building was supposed to be locked but this did not seem to happen in the second half. Game was very chippy but controlled well by the crew David Knight #135	10/07/16 v Swindon Storm
Tamworth Phoenix	Game abandoned with 7 minutes remaining in the 4^th quarter due to lack of fit linemen for Coventry. Plaudits and thanks to the Coventry players who changed the referee's tyre after the game when a puncture was discovered. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395	07/08/16 v Merseyside Nighthawks
Outstanding items from previous weeks
Lancashire Wolverines	After the pitch had been remarked for the junior game which preceded this game we had 5 yard lines, endzones and hash marks in the middle. The coaches boxes and sideline hashes were faint but the official agreed the game could go ahead. By the end of the game the central hash marks had all but disappeared due to the inclement weather Lee Taylor #183	03/07/16 v Tamworth Phoenix
Kent Exiles	Plaudits to the game day staff for remarking lines between games which had become faint in the heavy rain of the first game. Lee Wood #517	10/07/16 v Solent Thrashers
Solent Thrashers	Field markings were faint in comparison with some other sports' lines. Goals beyond end line by about a yard. Jim Briggs #31	17/07/16 v Sussex Thunder
Staffordshire Surge	Field markings quite faint. Game delayed for approximately ten minutes in the second quarter due to a stake snapping after it was hit by a player. Eventually a repair was fashioned using a tree branch and copious amounts of tape. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395	03/07/16 v Lincolnshire Bombers
Dundee Hurricanes	The balls presented by the home team did not have white stripes - the away team did not object or offer any alternate balls. Ian Sneddon #427	24/07/16 v Northumberland Lightening
London Blitz B	There was no team area. Hash marks went into the endzone (although the centre markings were erased by the team) and the down box broke during the day preventing a 1st or 2nd down being shown K Wickham #423	03/07/16 v Wembley Stallions
Essex Spartans	Changing rooms not lockable, no private shower/toilet. Numbers marked on field are too wide - although correctly placed with the top at 9 yards. Phil Clarke #262	10/07/16 v London Blitz B
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts	End zones are only 7 yards deep. Field markings were faint and became fainter after a mid-game shower. Field surface uneven with patches without grass. Jim Briggs #31	10/07/16 v Bournemouth Bobcats
London Warriors	90-yard grass field, although surface was uneven with patches of bare earth interspersed with large tufts of uncut grass. No numbers, 9-yard marks or limit lines and team areas marked out with cones. Two of the game balls provided were under-inflated and all were well worn. Away team were offered the option to provide game balls in better condition but declined. Away team changing rooms were a tent compared with the home team changing indoors. Prior to the officials taking the field there were reports of altercations between players interfering with opponent's practices by entering their half of the field. Tim Ockendon #481	03/07/16 v London Olympians
Hastings Conquerors	Well marked 90-yard field although markings were quite faint. Inbounds lines not always 1-yard apart & numbers too large and at incorrect depth. Tim Ockendon #481	10/07/16 v East Kent Mavericks
Bournemouth Bobcats	The standing water meant one end line was incomplete and the game was played using only one goal Julian Mallia #336	07/08/16 v Maidstone Pumas
Bristol Apache	Field is generally well marked out, but the limit lines are too close to the sidelines (approx 6 foot), and the coaching areas are only marked out to the 30 yard lines. Colin Edwards #76	10/07/16 v Torbay Trojans
Glasgow Tigers	Endzones were 8 yards. Shawn Sombati #15	03/07/16 v Dundee Hurricanes
Farnham Knights	No limit lines. Other than that, a well marked field. Pete Parsons #321	26/06/16 v London Blitz
Birmingham Bulls	One set of goalposts were too wide: they were Gaelic football posts. Darryl Morton #493	31/07/16 v Ouse Valley Eagles
Lincolnshire Bombers	On arrival I was informed only 1 set of goal posts were available. So all offensive plays were played towards the goal. 4 different colours painted on field and the ones we use were in dark red and not that visible. 90 yard pitch only. Larry Rigby #269	17/07/16 v Humber Warhawks
Cornish Sharks	The field is generally well marked out, although the sideline yard marks were too short. The goals were soccer goals with long planks strapped to the uprights, and are therefore wider than regulation (24', rather than 18'6"), and the crossbar is lower than regulation (8' rather than 10'). Only one ball boy was provided by the home team, leading to the down box man acting as ball boy. With approximately 6 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, the game was suspended for 10 minutes to treat a suspected neck injury. He later requested to re-enter the game which the home team head coch initially disagreed with. After lengthy discussion between the head coaches and medical staff (which led to the half time interval lasting for more than 30 minutes), the registered paramedic who was providing medical cover cleared him to play. Amir Brooks #593	10/07/16 v Oxford Saints
Merseyside Nighthawks	Field markings in yellow - generally very good but not always level across field Mike Cavanagh 465	17/07/16 v Tamworth Phoenix
Oxford Saints	Nine yard marks were marked near the hashmarks. No numbers on the field. Changing room was too small for a five man crew and not enough seats for all officials. Mike LeFevre #341	03/07/16 v Bristol Apache

END ZONE

PLAY OF THE WEEK:

New this week

Play: 4th and 5 at the Team B 22 yard line. Team A line up to kick a field goal. After the snap, B90 rushes past the offensive line and towards the holder. B90 kicks the ball out of the possession of holder A12 as he is holding it in place for the kick. There is a scramble for the ball, and eventually the ball is blown dead with A12 in possesion at the Team B 29 yard line. Ruling?
Ruling?

Last week

Play: A's ball, 4th and 1, on B's 6. The score is tied with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. A4's attempted Field Goal is wide. Team B was offside at the snap. The penalty is enforced with seven seconds on the clock. The referee starts the clock on the ready for play and time expires before the ball is snapped. Can the officials correct this timing error?

Ruling: The clock was stopped at the end of a legal kick play and so should have started on the snap (3-3-2-d-8). Timing errors on the game clock may be corrected but shall be corrected only in the period in which they occur (3-2-2-b). It is reasonable to assume that this is still the 4th quarter even though time has expired. The referee, after restoring order, will put seven seconds on the clock and give the ready for play signal. The period is not extended with an untimed down. A's ball, 1st and goal, on B's 3. The clock starts on the snap.

MECHANICS:

New this week

Game Situation: True or False: the Umpire should give a tipped ball signal (S11) when the kicked ball is partially blocked at the line of scrimmage?
Answer next issue...

Last week

Play: As team A are huddling before a PAT, the Linejudge on a 5 man crew notices that the Referee is rolling his hands above his head. What is the Referee trying to signal? How should the Linejudge respond?
Answer: This is supplementary signal Sup10, signalling that team A are 'going for it' rather than kicking for 1 point. The Linejudge should quickly move so that he is positioned underneath the post on his side of the field. The Backjudge should move across accordingly.

CALENDAR

Date	Event	Contact for details
2016
July 23^rd (Sat)	BAFRA Board Meeting	secretary@bafra.org
July 30^th (Sat)	BAFRA Elite Training Day	elite@bafra.org
August 27^th (Sat)	Britbowl
19^th November (Sat)	BAFRA Board Meeting	secretary@bafra.org

BAFRA Directors
President	David Parsons	president@bafra.org	General Secretary	Paul Sutton	secretary@bafra.org
Finance	Charlie Dean Young	finance@bafra.org	Operations	Richard Vernon	operations@bafra.org
Recruitment	James Meredith	recruitment@bafra.org	Training	Pete Thom	training@bafra.org
Director without Portfolio #1	Peter Parsons	dwp1@bafra.org	Director without Portfolio #2	Steve Tonkinson	dwp2@bafra.org

The opinions expressed in this Newsflash are those of the contributors, and not necessarily of BAFRA or its Directors.

All Incident Reports to be submitted via www.bafra.org.

Deadline for articles submitted by email (newsflash@bafra.org) is midnight Tuesday.

Editor: Dean Wright - Email: newsflash@bafra.org