British American Football Referees Association
 

BAFRA News


Elite Programme Appointment - 14th Sep 23

The BAFRA Board of Directors are delighted to announce the appointment of Davie Parsons to the new role of BAFRA Elite Programme and Development Supervisor (BEPDS)


Davie Parsons - BEPDS
During 2023 we took some time to review and update our Elite Programme Policy, Operational Framework, and update the previous Role of Elite Programme Coordinator (BEPC) with the new BEPDS Role and Role Description. The programme has been running for more than 15 years and has been very successful, however; the time had come to reassess our aims and objectives, along with our expectations of a successful applicant.


Davie is well known and respected within International Officiating circles through his on and off-field activities within BAFRA and IFAF (International Federation of American Football). He brings to the role a wealth of experience from his 37 years as an on field official, where he has worked more than 1200 games; including numerous World and European Championships through to his various management and training roles at national and international levels.


We were delighted to have the guidance and support of Bill LeMonnier (Former NCAA B1G Referee & current IFAF Coordinator of Officials) for both the updated Role and the appointment of Davie, calling our "internal leadership" an "example for other federations globally." He advised that "to raise the bar and hold yourself accountable ... the game requires a leadership role of supervisor. I am confident that Davie will help BAFRA raise the bar and continue to be a world leader in officiating training and development" before offering his congratulations to Davie and BAFRA on the appointment.


Reporting to, and working with, the Director of Training, Davie's Initial task will be to develop the overall Elite Programme strategy, delivery, and resource model. We anticipate this will be completed for Board review and approval by the end of 2023.


On accepting the post Davie said "I am delighted to take on such a critical role within BAFRA. We have a reputation for developing high-quality officials who go on to Officiate at the top level in both the UK and on the world stage. We must continue to provide our members with a clear progression pathway and the opportunity to excel. My role will be to facilitate those opportunities by providing our Elite Officials with the necessary support, mentoring, and resources."

Please join us in congratulating Davie on his appointment and we're certain that it goes without asking that we all support him as the role develops.


James Ford-Bannister
BAFRA Director of Training
On behalf of the BAFRA Board

James Ford-Bannister

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