Most games in Britain take place on Sunday afternoons, though a few games are played on Saturdays. We have two seasons: the main British American Football Association National league (adult, junior and youth club teams) season run from April to September. The British Universities American Football League runs from October to March with a break over Christmas/New Year. That means we are working football virtually all year round.

All our teams are amateur and the standard varies enormously. At the top end, our best teams compete with the best teams in Europe - a standard that is comparable with Division III college or junior college in the US.

British games are played to virtually the same rules as NCAA. There are differences, but these all relate to facilities and game management aspects.

We use the BAFRA Mechanics Manual which is the de facto standard for mechanics outside the US and Japan. These are based on CCA manuals.

Our uniform requirements are essentially the same as CCA's.

To work a game, you need to become a member of BAFRA - this is free for the first year. You also need to pass our basic competency test - this should be fairly straight forward for an experienced official.

People with experience of working games to NCAA rules (e.g. college games in the USA, high school games in Texas, or the highest level of play in other countries) should encounter few problems.

Contact our International Liaison Officer (Keith Wickham) to discuss things. He will be able to advise on whether you have the appropriate experience, and which games might be available to you.

Before you can go on the field, you need to:

1. Register as a member of BAFRA
2. May be required to complete a competency test depending on your level of experience
3. Let us know where in the UK you will be located and when (for our scheduling)

Our International Liaison Officer will guide you through the process.