Issue 6/22 16th February 2022
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BAFRA ANNUAL CONVENTION - SAT 2ND & SUN 3RD APRIL 2022
Information and update:
Please see below for information and updates regarding the Convention. We will continue to provide as much information as we can via Newsflash, email, and social media. For members who have still to book, please note that we have, again, managed to obtain excellent accommodation rates (noted below) to keep individual costs as low as possible. Attendance at the Convention itself is free. All you need to pay for is the accommodation, which includes breakfast, lunch, and evening meal on the Saturday and breakfast on the Sunday.
New Members:
If you are a new member please don’t feel that this event is not for you. Not only are all members welcome, but also groups and sessions are designed to work for everyone. The Convention offers a great opportunity to meet other officials from around the country, both within groups and socially.
Attendees:
To date 82 members have registered to attend the Convention. The list of names will be forwarded separately to members. We will update the list weekly.
Speakers:
Jeff Dahle is our principal guest speaker. He returns to our Convention, following his previous visit in 2018. He is a celebrated PAC-12 official and was very well received last time. Our second guest speaker is Frank Kristensen, who is one of Europe’s top officials. He has visited previously, back in 2011, and was very well received. Biographies for both speakers have been sent out separately.
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. We would recommend that you look over the facility on their website where you can find details of the location and directions: https://www.yarnfieldpark.com
Registration:
You can now register to attend the Convention at the undernoted website and book accommodation if required: https://www.bafra.info/members/conventionsignup/
Administering the registration process and processing payments for accommodation is a time-consuming task given our high attendance figures. As such we would request you register and make your room payments as early as possible.
Please note that Yarnfield Park require room allocations by the 1st of March, so you need to register and book accommodation before that date. You can still register to attend the Convention after that date, but we will not be able to guarantee rooms and preferred rates, as there will be other organisations using the training centre over that weekend.
Accommodation:
As mentioned above, we have again negotiated excellent rates for accommodation which are detailed below. The rates indicated are per room, per night and include all discounts and a full breakfast.
Remember, to take advantage of the above rates you must book your room via:
https://www.bafra.info/members/conventionsignup/
Payment:
Payment for Convention rooms is due by 13th March. Payment can be made either electronically or by cheque.
Cheques should be for the full amount, made payable to BAFRA Ltd and sent to:
Stuart Tabberer
30 Clover Ground
Bristol
BS9 4UH
If paying electronically, please ensure your payment reference is your full name and BAFRA number e.g., “Stuart Tabberer 348”:
Account Number: 10255350
Sort Code: 16-16-11
Bank Account Name: BAFRA LTD
It is appreciated that some people may wish to spread the cost and make multiple payments over the weeks leading up to 13th 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.
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:
Most members who attend the convention arrive on a Friday night to save an early rise and travel on the Saturday morning. As such the above rates are available for both the Friday and Saturday nights. We recommend booking your room as early as possible.
Finally:
If you have any questions or queries around the convention, please drop an email to convention@bafra.info and will get back to you as soon as possible.
Ian Sneddon – Convention Delivery Team
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF BAFRA LTD
The Annual General Meeting of BAFRA Limited will be held during the Convention at 5pm on Saturday 2nd April 2022. It is open to all members. A full agenda will be circulated to members nearer the time.
Part of the AGM is to decide on the BAFRA Charity for 2022. Any BAFRA member can nominate a charity, if you wish to do so, please contact me.
In addition, the election of directors for the Company will take place at the AGM. Four posts are due for election this year:
The present incumbent for each of these posts has indicated that they will be seeking re-election.
As of 9pm on Tuesday 15th February the following nominations for these posts have been received:
General Secretary
Richard Moger #472 – Proposed by Paul Sutton #312 Seconded by James Ford Bannister #479
Director of Training
James Ford Bannister #479 – Proposed by Amir Brooks #593 Seconded by Liam Wooton #478
I will provide a further list next week.
These positions are open to all qualified members and nomination forms have been circulated to all qualified members. If you have not received this please contact me.
The Directors encourage all qualified members to consider applying for one of the above four positions. If you are considering standing and would like more information about what is involved, please contact me or, if you prefer, another director for more details.
Richard Moger – General Secretary
2022 UNIVERSITY (BUCS) BOWL GAME
The BAFRA Selection Committee is pleased to announce the following crew for the 2022 BUCS Bowl Game:
Referee | Shawn Sombati |
Umpire | Kenneth Glover |
Head Linesman | Stuart Tabberer |
Line Judge | Graham Coleman |
Back Judge | James Ford-Bannister |
Side Judge | Henry Young |
Field Judge | Tim Ockendon |
Centre Judge | Jed Brookes-Lewis |
This Final will be played on the evening of Tuesday 22nd March 2022 at the University of Nottingham.
This game will be preceded by the Division 1 Final. The following crew has been selected:
Referee | Ollie Maskell |
Umpire | David Parsons |
Head Linesman | Ben Griffiths |
Line Judge | Lee Wood |
Back Judge | Euan Paterson |
Side Judge | Steve Egan |
Field Judge | Ben Gadsby |
Centre Judge | Peter Parsons |
Please join the BAFRA Selection Committee in congratulating these officials on their appointments.
Roger Goodgroves – Direct of Operations (Selection Committee Chair)
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Jordan Lee | 57 | DMU Lions | FGT | 4 | After the play was over, #57 was seen head-butting opposition player. | Unknown *Mr Leeis due to serve his suspension in the next game he is registered to play in. This is either the next playoff or regular season game for DMU Lions or the first regular season game of a Senior/Junior team if he registers for a Senior/Junior team. | |
Tom Hastings | 1 | Oxford Brookes Panthers | TUF | 4 | Player received his first unsportsmanlike for taunting towards the opposition sideline in the first quarter. He received his second for slapping an opponent on the helmet after the play was over. | Unknown *Mr Hastings is due to serve his suspension in the next game he is registered to play in. This is either the next playoff or regular season game for OBU Panthers or the first regular season game of a Senior/Junior team if he registers for a Senior/Junior team. | |
David Ani | 76 | Sheffield Hallam Warriors | TUF | 2 | Player committed his first UC foul for running from distance, after the play had ended, to join a scrum of players and forcibly shoving an opponent (despite repeated warnings from the covering official to not get involved). As the player was being lead away by a teammate, he directed a loud obscenity at an opponent, for which he was penalised for his second UC foul. | Unknown *Mr Aniis due to serve his suspension in the next game he is registered to play in. This is either the next playoff or regular season game for Sheffield Hallam Warriors or the first regular season game of a Senior/Junior team if he registers for a Senior/Junior team. | |
Harry Ellames | 50 | Staffordshire Stallions | FGT | 3 | After the play was over, #50 was seen to throw multiple puches at an opposition player. | Unknown *Mr Ellames is due to serve his suspension in the next game he is registered to play in. This is either the next playoff or regular season game for Staffordshire Stallions or the first regular season game of a Senior/Junior team if he registers for a Senior/Junior team. | |
Thomas Rees | 54 | Swansea Titans | TUF | 4 | Player committed two UC fouls. The first was for making a taunting gesture towards the opposition sideline, the second was for taunting an opponent. | Unknown *Mr Rees is due to serve his suspension in the next game he is registered to play in. This is either the next playoff or regular season game for Swansea Titans or the first regular season game of a Senior/Junior team if he registers for a Senior/Junior team. | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Jack Campling | HC | Canterbury Christ Church Chargers | TUF | 4 | During the third quarter, the HC received a UC penalty for an abusive tirade directed at the officials. With 5:16 remaining in fourth quarter, the HC received another UC penalty for another abusive tirade directed at the officials. | 20th February 2022 v Kent Falcons * As this was a disqualification of a non-player, this is a whole game day suspension as opposed to just a playing suspension. Mr Campling may not be present at the game site in any capacity. | |
Howard Snaith | 74 | Durham Saints | TUF | 2 | With 3:00 remaining in the second quarter, #74 was heard to swear at an official. Following a score, with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter, #74 turned towards an opponent and raised his arms as if giving the touchdown signal for which a flag was thrown for taunting. | 20th February 2022 v Stirling Clansmen | |
Arlo Kopp | 90 | Nottingham Gold | FGT | 2 | Approximately half way through the second quarter, and following the play, #90 was seen to strike an opponent around the helmet. As players were trying to separate the scuffle, #90 was then seen to strike the opponent in the facemask area and then headbutted the opponent. | Unknown - expected to be Nottingham’s First playoff game | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bath Killer Bees | Team areas marked with cones. Julian Mallia #336 | Unknown |
Cardiff Cobras | Game was switched to SGS a few days prior due to Cardiff's field being unplayable. Kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes due to the home team not bringing their own down box. A down box was eventually provided by one of the resident Bristol teams, who happened to be training at the same site. Amir Brooks #593 | Unknown |
City Wolfpack | Played at Greenwich. Well marked 90-yard field with eight-yard end zones in blue with other sport markings in yellow, white & red. No numbers but rugby markings approximated for nine-yard marks. Team area markings at pre-COVID distances. One stake had been completely broken and repaired by lashing another pole to it. Changing room not private and not lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
Coventry University Jets | Well marked field that held up well under heavy conditions. The three-yard marks are incorrectly marked at two and half yards. Krister Halvorsen #77 | Unknown |
Edinburgh Napier Knights | Game was called off approx 2 hours before the scheduled kick off time because of adverse weather conditions, torrential rain all day. All officials were already on route to the stadium Gordon Galloway #7 | Unknown |
Essex Blades | No goal posts. Both Coaches agreed to play without Goals. Larry Rigby #269 | Unknown |
Imperial Immortals | 90-yard field with no nine-yard marks or numbers. Three-yards marks marked at the two-yard line. Faded NFL-width hash marks still visible but correctly marked set used. No team areas marked but teams were well disciplined. Field condition did noticeably worsen due to the heavy rain. Changing room shared with other sport’s officials but was lockable. James Ford-Bannister #479 | Unknown |
Keele Crusaders | No three-yard markings. Andrew Lovell #559 | Unknown |
Leeds Beckett Carnegie | 80-yard field .No nine-yard marks or numbers. No three-yard marks. No coaching areas, but other sports markings and the discipline of the teams sorted the issue. Team uniforms were black and dark green and, whilst we were initially concerned about a potential clash, it presented no problems. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
LJMU Fury | Upon arriving at the venue, approximately 100 minutes before kick-off, the officials were informed that the Home Team’s Student Union had failed to confirm the pitch booking with the venue. Fortunately, the pitch was available from 15 minutes before the scheduled kick-off for the remainder of the day, so the venue agreed to host the game. They advised the officials and the teams that there were other areas where the teams could warm up. However, as they were unaware of the booking they had not re-marked the pitch in the days preceding the game. As a consequence, the markings would require “going over” before the game could kick-off. The Ground-staff advised that remarking the pitch would take approximately 30 minutes and they recommended 30 minutes to allow the markings to dry, which meant kicking off 45 minutes later than scheduled. The teams were advised that if time was a limiting factor, the quarters could be shortened, however the officials were informed that the Visiting Team transport didn’t have to depart the game site until four and a half hours after the scheduled kick-off time. Concerns were raised that the paint would not dry in time, therefore a test line was drawn away from the field. This dried within 20 minutes and the officials deemed that if the pitch was re-marked over the existing markings then the game could go ahead. The Groundsman agreed and stated he would re-mark the field as soon as the Association Football game using the pitch ended. When the Association Football game ended, the visiting team informed the officials that they would not play the game as they were concerned that the paint used to mark the pitch might stain their kit. With the Visiting team unwilling to play the game, the game was cancelled without further delay as per 13-5-7-a-2. Ben Griffiths #228 | Unknown |
Newcastle Raiders | Well marked field. Liam Wooton #478 | Unknown |
RHUL Bears | No private changing rooms were provided so had to change in a public changing area. Keith Wickham #423 | Unknown |
Sheffield Sabres | Officials' changing rooms were small and not lockable, however lockers are available. With agreement of both head coaches, kick-off was delayed from 13:30 to 13:45 as the field was only available from 13:00. Field was marked in black with other sports markings present, however markings were clearly visible. No team areas marked. Chain set broke once. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | Unknown |
Southampton Stags | Field markings are getting faint. Oliver Maskell #221 | 20th February 2022 v Bath Spa Bulldogs |
Staffordshire Stallions | White and blue lines on the field. Andrew Lovell #559 | Unknown |
Surrey Stingers | 90-yard field with blue colour markings. At first we got a changing room that was not lockable, but then in the end it was sorted by management. Viktor Janvari #63 | Unknown |
York Centurions | Marked as a 100-yard field with ten-yard end zones however each ‘yard’ was only 30 inches long. Grass surface turned to mud during the game. Robin Boyd #191 | |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Birmingham Lions | There was no suitable pre designated changing room so we used a public changing room to get into kit and then moved into the bar area to pregame. Keith Wickham #423 | Unknown |
Edinburgh Predators | Team areas were marked with cones prior to kickoff. Gordon Galloway #7 | Unknown |
Exeter Demons | 90-yard field. Played with seven-yard end zones on an artificial pitch. Richard Madge #485 | Unknown |
Glasgow University Tigers | Short yard line extensions are faded and coaching areas not marked per COVID instructions. Ian Sneddon #427 | Unknown |
Gloucester Gladiators | 80-yard field marked with NFL-width hash marks. Team areas not marked to COVID regulations. Kieran Smith #102 | Unknown |
Hertfordshire Hurricanes | Team areas marked out with cones and only to the 20-yard lines at each end. Joseph Foxon #473 | Unknown |
KCL Regents | Well marked 90-yard field shared with other sports. Changing rooms not private or lockable. One official's assistant changed at half time. Game abandoned with 5:16 remaining in the fourth quarter at the request of the away team head coach, citing player safety. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
Leeds Gryphons | 80-yard field marked in yellow. No three-yards more and no team or coaching areas marked. Lee Taylor #183 | Unknown |
Leicester Longhorns | The field is marked with NFL-width hash marks rather than the standard BAFA NCAA-width. Team areas marked with cones. Home team jerseys were various styles and shades of green. Brian Yates #29 | Unknown |
Northumbria Mustangs | Field markings faint and no coaches area. This was rectified by placing cones down to the ten-yard lines. Gordon Galloway #7 | Unknown |
Nottingham Gold | Team areas on the home team side are too close to the field due to the orientation. Teams and coaches kept themselves as far back as possible. Areas marked to pre-COVID dimensions. Brian Yates #29 | Unknown |
Nottingham Green | Coaches boxes are marked too close even on pre-COVID distances. Multiple substitutions of chain crew throughout the game. Joel Pearson #405 | Unknown |
NTU Renegades | Field marked in yellow so visibility was sometimes an issue. No team areas but teams were disciplined with use of cones. Officials' changing room not lockable. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | Unknown |
Oxford Brookes Panthers | Coaching boxes and team areas were marked out using rugby markings, the numbers and some temporary markings placed on the ground. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
QMBL Vipers | Well marked 90-yard field in blue paint. Three-yard marks painted at two yards, inbounds short yard line extensions painted inside the hashes not outside, and no nine-yard marks or numbers. Team areas marked with cones. Chains broke once and one assistant was changed during the game due engaging in arguments with the away teams coaching staff. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 16th February 2022 v Essex Blades |
Solent Redhawks | Kick off was delayed by ten minutes due to the late arrival of the away team. 100-yard field marked in yellow. Goal posts overhang a small part of the endzone. The chains broke once and a ball person was changed at half time. Richard Moger #472 | Unknown |
Sunderland Spartans | No numbers or marks at nine yards. Henry Richardson #25 | Unknown |
Sussex Saxons | 90-yard artificial turf field marked in blue. Inbound short yard line extensions were faded or missing on first inspection. The team agreed to remark these, as the ground staff were not available, and did an excellent job. The end lines are too close to the playing enclosure fence so existing white markings approximately two yards into the marked end zones were used. Team areas marked with cones. One game ball was worn. James Ford-Bannister #479 | Unknown |
Tarranau Aberystwyth | Medical provision had not been arranged prior to the game by the home team, so kick off was delayed whilst waiting for them to arrive. Officials changing rooms weren't lockable. Emma Payne #236 | Unknown |
UH Sharks | 90-yard field with ten-yard end zones. Chain crew were identified ten minutes prior to kick-off and contained nobody with experience. Only one goal post. Robin Boyd #191 | 20th February 2022 v Newcastle Raiders |
Warwick Wolves | Field markings were faint, which sometimes caused problems spotting the ball. Otherwise it was a well marked 100-yard field. With 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, an injury occurred and it appeared that it would take some time before play could resume. Since the game situation was such that the offence could run the clock out with kneel-down plays, it was agreed with both head coaches to call the game. Paul Todd #289 | Unknown |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: Team A’s 1st & 10 at the B-25. During the first possession series of Overtime, Quarterback A12 throws a forward pass to A1 at the B-5. B1 intercepts the pass at the B-5 and returns it for an apparent touchdown. The Head Linseman has a flag down for an illegal formation by Team A and the Umpire has a flag down for a block below the waist by B2 at the A-20 during B1’s run.
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Last week | Play: Team A are leading 30-0 in the third quarter, Team A scores a touchdown to make the score 36-0. When does the clock stop and when does it restart?
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MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: A 4 man crew are covering a passing play. Both wingmen have left the line of scrimmage to cover deep receivers. The quarterback throws a pass out wide to an eligible receiver behind the line of scrimmage. The pass falls shorts though and hits the ground. Due to the relative positions of the officials and the players there is doubt over if the ball was passed forwards or backwards. Ruling?
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Last week | Game Situation: Generally, a ball should be spotted either 'nose on', 'tail on' or equidistant between two yard lines. In what situation should the ball be spotted with greater accuracy? Answer: M-5-7-6. Where the forward progress is close to the line to gain or goal line, more accuracy is required and the covering official should spot the ball exactly where forward progress was given. After a change of possession (start of new series) however, the dead-ball spot should always be marked with the nose of the ball on the nearest yard line. |
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2nd - 3rd April (Sat-Sun) | BAFRA Convention | |
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Richard Moger | ||
Finance | Stuart Tabberer | Operations | Roger Goodgroves | ||
Recruitment | Susannah Taylor | Training | James Ford-Bannister | ||
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. |
