Issue 08/18 2nd March 2018
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BAFRA ANNUAL CONVENTION – SAT 7TH AND SUN 8TH APRIL 2018
Week 6 Update
It’s great to see that registrations are heading towards the 90 mark. There’s still time to register, for those yet to decide. The Scottish officials are getting their annual ‘tour quiz’ sorted for the journey south, but that doesn’t mean that they will win the Saturday night quiz (they haven’t done so yet). On the main Convention news front – the Schedule of Events is almost complete; and it promises to be interesting, topical, informative, and hopefully entertaining.
The following 86 people have registered to attend the convention. If you are not listed, it may be because you have only recently confirmed your registration. An updated list will be published next week.
Stuart Alger, Francis Bevan, Tom Blakson, Jim Briggs, Roger Brown, John Burns, Derek Burridge, Darren Carr, Alan Christopher, Phil Clarke, Martin Cockerill, Graham Coleman, Norman Cox, Steve Currie, Jeff Dahle, Alisha Darkins, Ian Davies, Steve Egan, Tim Fisher, James Ford-Bannister, Ben Gadsby, Ronald Gaffin, Gordon Galloway, Barry Gent, Martin Gibson, Kenneth Glover, Roger Goodgroves, John Griffin, Ben Griffiths, Steven Hall, Krister Halvorsen, Graham Hedges, David Hewitt, Dan Holt, Heather Horner, Barbara Jacquin, James Kilbane, Bill LeMonnier, Tzvi Lindeman, Andrew Lovell, Richard Madge, Gaby Martinez, Oliver Maskell, Alistair May, Liam McCullough, Jason Mead, Adrian Miller, Darryl Morton, Russell Newton, Dave Norton, Tim Ockendon, Ian Papworth, Davie Parsons, Pete Parsons, Euan Paterson, Jack Pearce, Michael Prentice, Henry Richardson, Tony Rivers, Mike Roberts, Graham Smith, Ian Sneddon, Shawn Sombati, Jack Spicer, Kevin Stanton, Darran Sterling, Paul Sutton, Andrew Swift, Lee Taylor, Susannah Taylor, Pete Thom, Frank Thomson, Paul Todd, Steve Tonkinson, Billie Walker, Kymie Walker, Perry Wayman, Sean Welsh, Richard Whitby, Keith Wickham, Mark Wilson, Lee Wood, Liam Wooton, Dean Wright, Brian Yates, Stuart Young.
Guest Speaker
Our guest speaker will be Jeff Dahle. He has excellent experience both as an official, and as an instructor and mentor for PAC-12 officials.
Location
The Convention will be held at Yarnfield Park Training & Conference Centre, Yarnfield Lane, Yarnfield, Staffordshire, ST15 0NL. Yarnfield Park is a leading Training and Conference centre in the heart of the UK.. You can look over the facility on their website where you can also find details of the location and directions: www.yarnfieldpark.com.
Registration
To register to attend the Convention, you need to send an email to Sean Welsh at convention@bafra.info Again we will be making up personalised Convention Packs, ID Badges, Presentation handouts, Programme of Events, Game Day Paperwork, etc. As such you do need to pre-register.
Accommodation
In our efforts to make the Convention more accessible to everyone, this year we have again negotiated excellent rates for accommodation which are detailed below. In addition, the BAFRA Board has also agreed to provide some funding to keep down the costs. The rates indicated are per room and include all discounts and a full breakfast.
Single Room: £44.00 per night
Twin Room: £44.00 per night (So will cost only £22.00 per night if you share with someone)
Remember, to take advantage of the above rates you must book your room with Sean at
When you send your email to Sean please provide the following important information:
Payment
Payment for Convention rooms are due by 23rd March , and payment can be made electronically or by cheque.
By cheque; with full payment included, should be made payable to BAFRA Ltd and sent to Charles Young at 25 Daffodil Close Haslingden Rossendale BB4 6NG.
By electronic payment; please ensure your payment reference is your full name and BAFRA number e.g. “Roger Brown 469” and use the account number 10255350, sort code 16-16-11, BAFRA Ltd, RBS, Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
By electronic payment plan; It is appreciated that some people may wish to spread the cost and make multiple payments over the weeks leading up to 23rd March. Please use the same instructions as above. If you wish to make multiple payments, then you must make the payments electronically and not by cheque.
Please let us know how you wish to pay by including this information in your email to Sean Welsh at convention@bafra.info when you register.
Unfortunately, payment for the Convention cannot be taken from Game Fees. The administration work involved is far too time consuming and does not fit well with our electronic process of paying Games Fees by direct transfer to your bank account.
Friday Night
Last year many attendees stayed on the Friday night to save an early rise and travel on the Saturday morning. As such the above rates are available again for both the Friday and Saturday nights.
Ian Sneddon & Susannah Taylor
Convention Delivery Team
REARRANGED PLAY-OFF GAMES
As you will be aware most of the play-off games due to be played this weekend have been called off due to the adverse weather. However it has been agreed that those un-played games shall take place over the weekend 10th/11th March. Can officials make sure the availability is accurately reflected in Arbiter as once the new dates and times of the games are confirmed we will be looking to assign crews.
The Premier Division Bowl game has been confirmed for Sunday 25th March so the BAFRA Selection Committee will now choose officials for that game.
Richard Vernon
GAME DAY ROSTERS
This year the BAFA National League management team have reviewed the competition regulations and removed the option of allowing teams to add players to the roster after the 5pm cut-off point, on the Friday prior to the game.
This means that no player can be added to the official game day roster that is run from the BAFA Registration system after the cut off point. This removes identification and insurance issues that generated problems in previous years. In all cases any request to add someone to the roster should be denied and the 2018 Competition regulations stated as the reason for refusal. Teams can also be advised to discuss this with the BAFANL competitions management team.
Teams are aware of the changes to the said regulations. Under no circumstances should you allow any additions to the roster.
If any Team ignores the regulation, then please put the details in your game day report.
Davie Parsons
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF BAFRA LIMITED
As always, the Annual General Meeting of BAFRA Limited will be held at 5:00pm on the Saturday of the Convention, 7th April. It is open to all members. A full agenda will be circulated to members nearer the time.
As per our Regulations, four directors finish their term of office each year and this year it is the President, the General Secretary, the Director of Training (not as I erroneously stated last week!) and the Director without Portfolio #1. Of those three have indicated they will be seeking re-election, the President, the General Secretary and the Director without Portfolio #1 and one, the Director of Training, has indicated that he will be standing down when his term of office expires at the end of the AGM.
All qualified members are entitled to stand for any of the four positions and the directors encourage all qualified members to consider applying. Nomination forms have been sent electronically to all qualified members. Full instructions for completion of the forms are in the attached e-mail and if anyone has any queries about this then should contact me. Should anyone wish to have more information about the role they are considering applying for, they are free to contact me or, if they prefer, another director. Nomination forms must be returned to me, electronically, by 5:00pm on 10th March 2018. All nominations will be formally acknowledged.
Each week, I will publish an updated list of all nominations received. As of midday on 28th February, the situation was as follows:
President:
David Parsons #425; Nominated by Steve Tonkinson #99; Seconded by Les Connor #152.
General Secretary:
Paul Sutton #312; Nominated by Stuart Young #33; Seconded by Lee Taylor #183
Director of Training:
Tzvi Lindeman #381; Nominated by Henry Richardson #25; Seconded by Liam Wooton #478
Lee Wood #517; Nominated by John Griffin #598; Seconded by Alisha Darkins #573
Director without Portfolio #1
Peter Parsons #321; Nominated by Richard Moger #472; Seconded by Susannah Taylor #335
Full papers regarding the AGM will be sent to all members by 17th March.
Paul Sutton
BAFRA CHARITY 2018
As in previous years, BAFRA intends to sponsor a charity in 2018. We are looking for suggestions as to which charity it should be this year. All members are entitled to make a suggestion and member attending the Saturday of the Convention will be asked to vote to decide the final selection.
If you wish to nominate a charity, please send me the name of that charity by 17th March.
Paul Sutton
DATA PROTECTION AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER
The BAFRA Board is looking to appoint a Data Protection and Compliance Officer from amongst its members. Reporting to the President, the role will require someone who is knowledgeable around all aspects of the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations. He/she will be responsible for updating and devising policies and procedures to cover all aspects of this area, keeping the Board informed about any future changes in legislative requirements and ensuring that BAFRA is compliant at all times.
If you think that you may be interested in this role please contact either the President (president@bafra.info) or myself for further information. Closing date for applications, which should be sent to me, is 6th March 2018.
Paul Sutton
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Mykel Nixon | 4 | Stirling Clansmen | FGT | 4 | Stirling #4 tackled Durham #1, by grasping his face mask. When he took him to the ground he then punched him, so was ejected. | 04/03/18 v Swansea Titans? | |
Roy Smith | 51 | Glasgow Tigers | TGT | 4 | The Hull QB scrambled then slid, thus giving himself up on the play. Glasgow #51 came in late, hit the QB when he was obviously down and led with his helmet. | Unknown | |
Muzakkir Hossain | 77 | KCL Regents | FUC | 3 | After a play, the player flagrantly kicked a defenceless opponent who was on the ground. | 04/03/18 v Queen Mary Vipers? | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Kent Falcons | Well marked 90-yard field in red with other sport markings in white, yellow and blue. No limit lines, numbers or 9-yard marks and team areas marked with cones. Changing room small but well equipped and lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | 04/03/18 v Reading Knights? |
Canterbury Chargers | Played at Park Wood Field, University of Kent. Well marked 90-yard field in red with other sport markings in white, yellow and blue. No limit lines, numbers or 9-yard marks and team areas marked with cones. One stake broken in the 2nd quarter and only partially repaired, but plaudits to the stake operator for coping manfully with the situation. Changing room small but well equipped and lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
Exeter Demons | Blue field markings for 100 yards marked on 90 yard field. No numbers/9-yard marks. Cones used to mark team areas. Euan Paterson #165 | Unknown |
Northumbria Mustangs | 4G field marked in yellow with NFL hash marks. Markings very faint, especially with low sunlight. No players box however used sideline numbers to create area. Changing rooms not locked during game. Daniel Johnston #347 | Unknown |
Solent Redhawks | Crossbar of the goals overhang the end line and at approximately a yard in bounds. David Knight #135 | Unknown |
Southampton Stags | 90 yard field - yellow markings difficult to see from one side because of the sun glare. Lots of other markings some of which appear to be old hash marks painted over in green David Knight #135 | 04/03/18 v Essex Blades? |
Chichester Spitfires | 90 yard field, with shorter endzones, painted over a rugby pitch. Field quality was acceptable. Viktor Janvari #63 | Unknown |
Liverpool Raptors | Reasonably well marked 90 yard field. Point after marks were at the two yard lines instead of the three. No 9 yard marks. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
Gloucester Gladiators | Balls were worn and kept deflating during the game. Home team had to keep inflating them. Chain crew not presented until close to kickoff and not experienced. Linesman need extra time to brief them and this caused the start of the game to be delayed three minutes. Mike Lefevre #341 | Unknown |
Oxford Lancers | Markings were very poor. Flour was used effectively to enable the game to go ahead Mike Roberts #32 | Unknown |
Leeds Gryphons | 80 yard field. No 3 or 9 yard marks.Sideline hashes were once again missing. Coaching and team areas were absent but other sports lines and cones solved the problem. Due to a tyre blowout officials Dan johnston and Frank Mcparlin were unable to attend the game despite kick off being put back 30 minutes. This meant the third official on the game was Leeds gryphons assistant coach Paul Matthews who is a bafca registered level one coach. As this met rule 13-5-5 on the requirements for a game to proceed we were able to cover the game as a three man crew. Many thanks to Paul for stepping up to help and conducting himself with composure and neutrality in the best traditions of BAFRA. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
UWE Bullets | Field at SGS College WISE Campus well marked except black markings are fading, especially in 'High Traffic' areas such as hash marks, etc. thus sometimes difficult to see. Limit lines too close to sidelines. Albert Lambert Jnr #461 | 04/03/18 v Plymouth Blitz? |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: On a try attempt at Team B's 3 yard line, Team B is flagged for lining up in the neutral zone at the snap. B80 blocks the kick, recovers the ball, and returns it until A18 tackles him at Team A's 45 yard line by grasping and twisting his facemask. Ruling? |
Last week | Play: Team A's ball, 4th and 5, on Team B's 9 yard line. Runner A33 is hit and fumbles the ball in front of the neutral zone on Team B's 3 yard line. A80 catches the ball in flight in Team B's end zone. |
MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: 4th and 12 at the A40. Punter A4 kicks the ball downfield. The ball hits the ground and is rolling around as returner B22 makes a 'get away' signal by waving both arms at waist level. The ball is rolling at the B12 when B22 races to the ball and picks it up. He runs to the A45 before he is tackled. Ruling? |
Last week | Game Situation: When, before the snap, a defensive player moves and an offensive player reacts, which officials must have a conference and why? |
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2018 | ||
May 12th (Sat) | BAFRA Board Meeting | |
July 21st (Sat) | BAFRA Board Meeting | |
November 17th (Sat) | BAFRA Board Meeting |
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Paul Sutton | ||
Finance | Roger Brown | Operations | Richard Vernon | ||
Recruitment | Lee Taylor | Training | Pete Thom | ||
Director without Portfolio #1 | Peter Parsons | Director without Portfolio #2 | Steve Tonkinson | ||
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.info. Deadline for articles submitted by email (newsflash@bafra.info) is midnight Tuesday. |
