Issue 20/18 24th May 2018
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BAFRA ELITE PROGRAMME (BEP)
Now that the Annual Examination is complete the process of selecting the 21 members of the BEP can commence. Should you wish to be considered then you must apply in writing to the Director of Operations at operations@bafra.info. Applications will be accepted immediately and the closing date is Sunday 10th June 2018.
Applications will only be considered from Qualified BAFRA members who meet specific criteria. Full details of the criteria can be found in the Elite Programme Policy in Section 7 of the Members Handbook.
Also, as part of the criteria includes your rating on the Selection Spreadsheet, which must be 80% or above, I would also recommend you read the Scheduling and Selection Policy which can be found in Section 6 of the Members Handbook. If you wish to know your current rating on the Selection Spreadsheet before making your decision on whether or not to apply, please send an email to operations@bafra.info and I will come back to you in early June with a detailed breakdown of your scores.
If it is your intention to apply then I would recommend that you read the document in full. If you are considering applying and would like an informal discussion please contact me.
Richard Vernon
BAFRA WELFARE OFFICER
As part of BAFRA's implementation of the BAFA Safeguarding Policy the board are looking to appoint a Welfare Officer.
The Welfare Officer will be responsible for establishing and promoting guidelines, procedures and training opportunities, as well as keeping relevant records related to safeguarding and welfare matters. If any member wishes to put themselves forward for this role or wishes to understand in more detail as to what the role entails, please contact dwp1@bafra.info.
The deadline for submissions of interest is 1st June.
Pete Parsons
NORTH WEST REGIONAL TRAINING EVENT
North West officials are holding a regional meeting on Thursday 21st June at 19:15. The meeting will be held at the The Magnet Freehouse, 51 Wellington Road North, Stockport, SK4 1HJ. The venue is just off junction 1 of the M60 and right by Stockport train station.
The event is aimed at officials of all levels and is open to all BAFRA officials, if you are in the area, feel free to come along. If you require any further information or are planning on attending please contact me using my details on the BAFRA members area of the website.
Ben Griffiths #228
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Liam Holebrook | 13 | Merseyside Nighthawks | FUC | 4 | Player ran from team area with no helmet to join and escalate a fracas late in the game. | 03/06/18 v Sheffield Giants | |
Joel Senford | 90 | East Essex Sabres | FGT | 3 | Player was underneath an opponent at the end of a play. He shouted to “get the hell of me” and then punched him in the leg twice. | 03/06/18 v Norwich Devils | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Adam Adeniji | 30 | Hertfordshire Cheetahs | TUF | 1 | Player threw a ball at an opponent. Subsequently the player shoved an opponent when returning to the sideline. | 03/06/18 v Bournemouth Bobcats | |
Dave Mead | 7 | Lancashire Wolverines | TUF | 4 | Told the referee he needed to learn the rules, then in the 4th quarter started swearing in dissent at a call. This was the player’s second ejection in a 12 month period. | 03/06/18 v Leeds Bobcats | |
Elliott Yates | 53 | Lancashire Wolverines | TUF | 4 | Called for one unsportsmanlike act after challenging a call, left the field, then came back on the field swearing at the umpire. This was the player’s second ejection in a 12 month period. | 03/06/18 v Leeds Bobcats | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Sussex Thunder | Field marks had hash marks in the NFL position in the middle of the field and were extremely long. Markings were faint. No line to separate the coaches box from the players box. David Knight #135 | 03/06/18 v Oxford Saints |
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts | Field marked really well with good lines however the hash marks in the middle of the field were marked as NFL hash marks. Balls were delivered late and were under inflated and had to be adjusted. David Knight #135 | 24/06/18 v Bournemouth Bobcats |
Solent Thrashers | Goal crossbars overhang the end zone by approximately 2 yards. Markings in yellow except for both 10 yard lines (blue) and halfway (white). Euan Paterson #165 | 03/06/18 v Berkshire Renegades |
Humber Warhawks | No limit lines, 9 yard marks,or 3 yard marks. Sideline hashes were joined to the sidelines. Coaching boxes were incorrectly marked between the 30 yard lines and the line separating the coaching area and players area was missing. All 3 game balls were underinflated and required pumping up. The chain set broke on several occasions requiring repair. David Hewitt #607 | 17/06/18 v Staffordshire Surge |
Wembley Stallions | Perfectly marked and equipped 100 yard field that scored 0 on the field audit and an excellent overall game management experience. There was one football lost onto the railway line during an extra point in the second half. Officials changing area is a private corridor area with seating provided and has private access to toilets and shower facilities, we're given a key to the outside door and there is no other access so it is secure. Phil Clarke #262 | 10/06/18 v Kent Exiles |
East Essex Sabres | Pitch in same condition as last week, however there were key lines, ie goal lines, with poor visibility. Game was delayed by 30 minutes while game management painted lines and rectified the issue. Both head coaches agreed with the delay and were happy the issue was resolved. Alisha Darkins #573 | 17/06/18 v Norwich Devils |
Morecambe Bay Storm | Game abandoned with 12 mins and 49 sec remaining in the third quarter, this was due to an serious injury to a player. Ambulance was called and after 65 mins the air ambulance arrived and landed in the middle of the pitch, we could not carry on the game as the air ambulance had to wait for a land ambulance to arrive. This decision was taken after consultation with both head coaches Tony Newsham #302 | 05/08/18 v Chester Romans |
Cornish Sharks | Game took place on a rugby field of a small local club. Field was only 80 yards plus endzones and hash marks were inconsistent location, length and direction!. No 3 yard markings. Due to local restrictions one set of goal posts could not be used - so it was agreed by both HC's that the game would go ahead with no FG or PAT kicks. Changing rooms could only be described as 'small' and only WC's were outside the main changing rooms. Francis Bevan #474 | 29/07/18 v South Wales Warriors |
London Olympians | No inbounds lines only hashes at the 5 yard lines. No team areas or coaches areas marked, although cones were used to demarcate the 25 yard lines Brian Yates #29 | 10/06/18 v London Warriors |
Edinburgh Wolves | No Limit lines marked. No Coaching or Team area marked out so cones were used. During the card check it was noted that Martin Punter was within the Edinburgh team area. Edinburgh's HC was informed and he removed Mr Punter from the team area. Mr Punter was marked on the Edinburgh game day roster as having game day status "S" . Edinburgh's Down box is broken and no suitable replacement was available . Down box was set at 1 and left that way for the entire game. Downs were recorded by officials and information replayed to coaches Henry Richardson #25 | 10/06/18 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Farnham Knights | No limit lines marked. Peter Parsons #321 | 15/07/18 v London Warriors |
Lancashire Wolverines | Field was well marked, although lines were quite faint in the sun. No coaches boxes marked, but players box present. John Roberts #145 | 03/06/18 v Leeds Bobcats |
Doncaster Mustangs | Very well marked field with only the limit lines missing, the game management were extremely slow in finding enough assistants to be trained. Chris Jarvis #10 | 17/06/18 v Coventry Jets |
Torbay Trojans | 90 yard field. Field is tight in the surroundings causing limit lines to be less than 18ft. Euan Paterson #165 | 01/07/18 v Cornish Sharks |
Kent Exiles | Well marked 100 yard field, however some lines were quite faint in places so could do with re-marking. Changing room is a portacabin which is lockable but is also storage for some team equipment meaning that a larger sized crew [>5] might have space issues. Game management and officials' assistants were all to the Exiles’ usual very high standards. Phil Clarke #262 | 24/06/18 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
East Kilbride Pirates | With only a short time before kick off Game management was informed that the paramedic had a family emergency and could not attend. Fortunately the Game Day Manager was able to arrange for a substitute, and the game kicked off with only a 30 minute delay. Ian Sneddon #427 | 03/06/18 v Manchester Titans |
Gateshead Senators | Played at Gateshead Stadium due to waterlogged pitch at Monkton. Pitch had been remarked incorrectly (NFL hash marks / endzone had hazard in middle). Old lines were still clearly visible and used for the game. Condition of Astroturf very poor with some tears. Game stopped on one occasion to replace area of Astroturf. Dan Johnston #347 | 24/06/18 v Glasgow Tigers |
Manchester Titans | The pitch is only 80 yards long Murray Gibson #268 | 24/06/18 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Northumberland Vikings | Very well marked field, missing team area lines. Game management was brilliant throughout the day, Vikings intend on live streaming all of their home games. Liam Wooton #478 | 17/06/18 v Yorkshire Rams |
Crewe Railroaders | During card check, prior to the game, Crewe Railroaders player #81 Craig Edmondson went down on one knee and proposed to marry Becky Hathaway. Becky accepted. The BAFRA crew sends its warmest wishes and congratulations to Becky and Craig. Andrew Lovell #559 | 01/07/18 v Knottingley Raiders |
Bristol Aztecs | There were a number of sets of soccer goals located close to the end line that had to be moved prior to kickoff. Jen Brookes’Lewis #395 | 10/06/18 v London Blitz |
Chester Romans | Second half KO was delayed due to a change in chain crew. Home game management were charged with a DOG. John Roberts #145 | 03/06/18 v Carlisle Sentinels |
Cambridgeshire Cats | With 4.30 left in the first half one stake broke and we had to use only half with the temporary measures continually breaking. John Griffin #598 | 17/06/18 v Wembley Stallions |
Hastings Conquerors | A rugby game was taking place on a parallel field, which was only 1 yard from the back of the team area. We agreed with coaches before the game that if a rugby player or ball entered the field at any time, we would immediately blow the ball dead and apply inadvertent whistle procedures. Fortunately, we never actually had to do this, as rugby balls only entered the field while the ball was dead. Ben Gadsby #564 | 01/07/17 v Swindon Storm |
Yorkshire Rams | On arrival, field was well marked, by the time of kick off, the middle of the field was almost a quagmire, plaudits to both teams for the way they played the game and the chain crew, which was one of the best I've worked a game with. Liam Wooton #478 | 03/06/18 v Gateshead Senators |
Knottingley Raiders | 90 yard field. No limit lines. The surface was extremely hard in places due to the hot weather baking the bare patches where the grass was worn. Coaching areas were incorrectly marked between the 30 yard lines rather than the 25 yard lines. No 9 yard marks or numbers and the sidelines hashes were joined to the sidelines. Lines were only 2 inches wide rather than the desired 4 inches.The toilet in the officials changing room has been FIXED much to everyone's relief. The goal posts are not very tall but they won't present a problem at their current height. David Hewitt #607 | 03/06/18 v Humber Warhawks |
Oxford Saints | No coaching box line or team area marked. Width of team areas was marked with cones. No limit lines. Changing rooms not lockable. Peter Parsons #321 | 10/06/18 v Bristol Apache |
Jurassic Coast Raptors | No goal posts. Barbara Jacquin #48 | 10/06/18 v Torbay Trojans |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: 2nd and 10 at Team A’s 6 yard line. All eleven Team A players come to a complete stop for 2 seconds. A80 then goes in motion and stops. Half a second after A80 stops, A34 goes in motion and is still in motion when the ball is snapped. |
Last week | Play: In overtime, it is 4th and 10 from the Team B 25 yard line. A5 throws a legal forward pass towards A99. While airborne, A99 bats the pass backwards towards A79, who catches the ball at the Team B 16 yard line. A79 then advances the ball to Team B's 12 yard line, where he is tackled. |
MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: 4th and 7 from Team A’s 15-yard line near the end of the 1st quarter. Team A line up to punt facing a very strong headwind blowing straight down the field with punter A8 standing on the Team A goal line. Snapper A55’s long snap is wayward and the ball bounces along the ground and rolls into the end zone where it stops. How should the wing officials react to ensure that the potential kicker A8 is covered? |
Last week | Game Situation: Officials may remind themselves that the 4th down fumble rule is in effect by giving a supplementary signal that involves crossing their wrists in front of the chest. Is this correct? |
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2018 | ||
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 | Tzvi Lindeman | ||
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. |
