Issue 17/22 5th May 2022
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
APPLICATIONS FOR BAFRA SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBER
Due to one member of the current Selection Committee not wishing to extend their term for an additional year, applications are invited from qualified BAFRA members who would like to work on this important committee. Its role includes the selection of officials for all UK Bowl Games, Officials of the Year Awards, as well as IFAF and the Elite Panel. Terms of reference and full details of the roles and responsibilities are on the website in the Members Handbook section 5 - Scheduling and Selection.
In accordance with the rules of this committee terms are normally two years, however to bring the replacement in-line with the normal renewal process the new person will be appointed until the AGM in 2025 (subject to board approval).
Please submit an Expression of Interest to me by no later than 10pm on Sunday 18th May 2022.
If anyone is considering applying who has not served previously on a BAFRA Committee, you are welcome to contact me for an informal discussion about the role and requirements.
Roger Goodgroves - Director of Operations
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE
Last week's Newsflash (16/22) reported that Benjamin Collis of the London Hornets was disqualified from their game on 24th April. However the disqualification has been cancelled after the calling official withdrew their report. The procedure for doing this is in BAFA Regulation 5.2.4 and is intended for use in rare cases when you see a video of the incident and realise you got it wrong. If that is ever the case, simply email me with the details, a copy of the video (or where to find it) and details of what the video shows and how that differs from your original report.
Ben Griffiths - BAFA Disciplinary Officer
discipline@britishamericanfootball.org
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
Despite only being 3 games into my BAFRA probation, a change in work commitments has unfortunately resulted in me being unable to complete my BAFRA journey. I have purchased the full spectrum of BAFRA equipment from Honigs(clothing, boots, hats and ancillary equipment); some of it has been used 3 times, some has never been used. All clothing is medium. If anyone is interested, please get in touch with me using my contact details which can be found the the Members Area of the BAFRA Website =. I live in Scotland (Helensburgh) but work in London (Westminster) so I can arrange collection at either location.
Tony Hampshire
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Rob Rees | 95 | Leicester Falcons | FGT | 3 | With 12:10 remaining in the third quarter, and during a two-point try attempt, #95 was fouled by an opponent, which was penalised. He then confronted the opponent after the play and struck the opponent around the head. | 15th May 2022 v Birmingham Bulls 22nd May 2022 v Chester Romans 5th June 2022 v Halton Spartans | |
Reece Gerald | 66 | Norwich Devils | FGT | 3 | With 12:36 remaining in the third quarter, #66 got off the floor and kicked an opposing player. | 15th May 2022 v Ipswich Cardinals | |
Jack Mullins | 5 | Somerset Wyverns | TUF | 2 | #5 blocked a player to the ground and then proceed to stand over him and use abusive language towards the player. Secondly, unhappy with a call made, #5 used abusive language towards the officials. | 5th June 2022 v Torbay Trojans | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Johnathan Davies | 79 | Darlington Steam | FGT | 2 | After the final play of the first half, during a very chippy game, #79 was observed to have charged more than 30 yards across the field to throw a punch at Knottingley Raiders #42, who had been engaged in an Unsportsmanlike Act immediately prior. | 15th May 2022 v Gateshead Senators | |
Andrew Wilkins | 22 | Nottingham Caesars | FPF | 2 | In the last timed down of the second quarter, #22 was seen to forcibly clothesline the runner to the head. The action was deemed flagrant enough to warrant an ejection. | 15th May 2022 v Shropshire Revolution | |
Jahlaw Stewart | 34 | Sheffield Giants (U16) | FPF | 2 | At the end of the second half, while he was being tackled around the ankles, #34 kicked the player that was tackling him in the face. The action was deemed deliberate and not the result for trying to break the tackle. | 4th June 2022 (1st game of Tournament - v Manchester Titans) | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bournemouth Bobcats | Missing the nine-yard markings. Roger Brown #469 | 15th May 2022 v South Wales Warriors |
Bristol Aztecs | Field markings are in yellow and badly faded. Amir Brooks #593 | 15th May 2022 v Solent Thrasher |
Edinburgh Wolves | Coaches and Team areas not marked out, cones were used. Shawn Sombati #15 | 22nd May 2022 v Tamworth Phoenix |
Gateshead Senators | 90-yard field with ten-yard end zones. The goal posts were moveable rugby goalposts and, due to the uneven surface at one end, leant to the side. This was not an issue for either of the teams, so the games were played in both directions. No nine-yard markings or numbers. There was only three feet of space for the officials before the coaches line but no coaches box marked. Team areas were marked to the 25-yard lines. Robin Boyd #191 | 3rd July 2022 v DC Presidents |
Gateshead Senators (U19) | 90-yard field with ten-yard end zones. The goal posts were moveable rugby goalposts and, due to the uneven surface at one end, leant to the side. This was not an issue for either of the teams, so the games were played in both directions. No nine-yard markings or numbers. There was only three feet of space for the officials before the coaches line but no coaches box marked. Team areas were marked to the 25-yard lines. Robin Boyd #191 | 17th July 2022 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Inverclyde Goliaths | Team areas were marked to the 25-yard lines but were adjusted to the correct lines with cones. Ian Sneddon #427 | 19th June 2022 v Glasgow Tigers |
Lancashire Wolverines | 80-yard field, which was marked by the team once the rugby game immediately prior had finished. No coaches or team boxes were marked and cones were used to mark the 20-yard lines for these. There was a change of down box and stake operator at half time. The Referee had approached the down box operator to ask him not to move unless instructed for the second half following a number of notable incidents during the first half including one where he approached a member of the visiting team who has made a comment towards him as the player was leaving the field, which was not heard by any of the officials. The down box operator left the pitch area and as his son was on one of the stake operators he also had to leave. There was a short delay to the second half kickoff while replacements were sourced and briefed. The second half crew were noticeably more attentive than those that had departed. Lee Taylor #183 | 5th June 2022 v Glasgow Tigers |
Leicester Falcons | Markings faint but visible. No coaches boxes or team areas marked. No numbers or nine-yard marks. Used away team’s footballs. One of the chain crew had to be advised to put away their mobile phone at the request of the away team’s head coach due to the possibility of data being transferred across to the home team e.g. plays, formations. Brian Yates #29 | 26th June 2022 v Birmingham Bulls |
Leigh Miners | Well marked 80-yard field with no limit lines present. Spacious changing room that was secured during the game. Hospitality by the home club was excellent - with a cup of tea provided on arrival and the officials were made aware there would be food provided after the game (as we all had to leave immediately post game - the kind offer was not taken up). Krister Halvorsen #77 | 19th June 2022 v Staffordshire Surge |
London Blitz | There were a lot of holes on the field from the shot put but these were filled before kick off. The surface was uneven in places. Keith Wickham #423 | 19th June 2022 v Solent Thrashers |
Sheffield Giants | Field marked in black but clearly visible. Other sports markings present in white. No numbers, nine-yard marks, team areas, or limit lines marked. Two small changing rooms provided. These were not lockable but did contain lockers that could be utilised. The crew completed pregame in the changing room foyer as it allowed more space Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | 15th May 2022 v Tamworth Phoenix |
Sheffield Giants (U19) | Field marked in black but clearly visible. Other sports markings present in white. No numbers, nine-yard marks, team areas, or limit lines marked. Two small changing rooms provided. These were not lockable but did contain lockers that could be utilised. The crew completed pregame in the changing room foyer as it allowed more space Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | 15th May 2022 v Tamworth Phoenix |
Solent Seahawks (U19) | Plane of the crossbar overhangs the endzone. Team areas marked to the 25-yard lines and not the 20-yard lines. Team has recently added nine-yard marks that were previously missing. David Knight #135 | 22nd May 2022 v Hertfordshire Cheetahs |
Solent Thrashers | Plane of the crossbar overhangs the endzone. Team areas marked to the 25-yard lines and not the 20-yard lines. Team has recently added nine-yard marks that were previously missing. David Knight #135 | 22nd May 2022 v London Warriors |
Somerset Wyverns | Generally well-marked out 100-yard field. Limit lines partially around the field. Short yard-line extensions connected to the sideline. Game was stopped for just under 15 minutes due to an injury to a Cornwall player. Kieran Smith #102 | 5th June 2022 v Torbay Trojans |
South Coast Spitfies (Flag) | 50-yard field with ten-yard end zones. Sidelines marked with tape and end zones marked with cones. No marked midfield, five or ten-yard lines but all marked with cones or pylons at the sideline. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
South East Legion (U19) | 100-yard field with only one goalpost at one end of the field. Game played with one-goal mechanics. Viktor Janvari #63 | 3rd July 2022 v Wembley Stallions |
South East Squadron | 100-yard field with only one goalpost at one end of the field. Game played with one-goal mechanics. Viktor Janvari #63 | 15th May 2022 v East Essex Sabres |
Swansea Titans | Match was played at Swansea University Sports Park (not Swansea's usual venue) as part of the Welsh Varsity event. Field was not made available until less than 30 minutes prior to kickoff, due to an over-running rugby match being played on the same field. Chain crew and ball boys were not made available until the scheduled kickoff time, leading to a delay to the kickoff. Field markings were in red and extremely faint. 90-yard field, with NFL-width hash marks, no nine-yard marks, and no team areas. Amir Brooks #593 | Unknown |
Wembley Stallions | Kick off was delayed by 15 minutes due to a late finish of the U19 game prior to this game. Andrew Murrell #608 | 5th June 2022 v London Hornets |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Aberdeen Roughnecks | No limit lines and no numbers. Henry Richardson #25 | 22nd May 2022 v Highland Stags |
Berkshire Renegades | Field marking were generally excellent, however some lines were faint. Team areas were marked to the ten-yard lines and not the 20-yard lines. Chain set broke on a couple of occasions. David Knight #135 | 15th May 2022 v East Kent Mavericks |
Birmingham Bulls | Due to a loss of kit during the offseason, Nottingham Caesars are struggling to fulfil this year's requirement of no duplicate numbers on the roster. At the pregame meeting with the head coach, three sets of duplicates were identified. Nottingham to their credit managed to resolve this by: using tape to modify numbers, sourcing an old jersey in a similar colour, and sourcing an alternative colour jersey (black). Euan Paterson #165 | 15th May 2022 v Leicester Falcons |
Chester Romans | 90-yard field well marked in blue, although no coaches or players boxes marked. The 20-yard lines were marked outside the playing area using cones and the teams were generally well disciplined with a couple of reminders. The uprights on the posts are attached to soccer goals but are the correct distance apart. With the agreement of both head coaches the first half ended with 1:34 on the clock following a serious injury to a Shropshire player. This injury also delayed the second half kickoff by about 30 minutes as the teams waited for an ambulance to arrive. The teams were given additional time to warm up again following the delay. Lee Taylor #183 | 22nd May 2022 v Leicester Falcons |
Glasgow Tigers | The crew was reduced to three following an injury early in the fourth quarter. Ian Sneddon #427 | 15th May 2022 v Inverclyde Goliaths |
Humber Warhawks | Well marked 100-yard field with the team areas still marked to the 25-yard lines. Changing room was a single disabled changing room with a toilet and shower. The team's equipment building was available as a second option. Robin Boyd #191 | 22nd May 2022 v Doncaster Mustangs |
Kent Exiles | Team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines with the coaching line at 12 feet and the players line at 18 feet. There were no limit lines. The changing room was not lockable and was accessed via one of the changing rooms used by the players. Peter Parsons #321 | 15th May 2022 v London Warriors |
Knottingley Raiders | 90-yard field. No nine-yard marks and hash marks at NFL width. Dan Chandler #250 | 29th May 2022 v Gateshead Senators |
Hereford Stampede | Officials were given two changing rooms, both of which are just about big enough for a crew of three, neither of these rooms were locked during the game. 100-yard field, marked out in IFAF yards. No nine-yard marks. Field markings were in light blue and were quite faint, especially when facing in a certain direction with sun glare. Chain crew started off slowly but improved as the game progressed. Amir Brooks #593 | 5th June 2022 v Swindon Storm |
London Blitz B | Field is missing nine-yard marks, three-yard lines, and limit lines. Several holes were identified and game management filled them before the game. Overall, the field surface at Finsbury Park is very uneven and very dry. Oliver Maskell #221 | 15th May 2022 v London Hornets |
London Blitz (U19) | Field is missing nine-yard marks, three-yard lines, and limit lines. Several holes were identified and game management filled them before the game. Overall, the field surface at Finsbury Park is very uneven and very dry. Oliver Maskell #221 | 5th June 2022 v South London Renegades |
London Warriors | Well marked 90-yard field with eight-yard end zones in blue and other sport markings in red, yellow, and white. No numbers and Rugby markings approximated for nine-yard marks. Changing rooms well appointed but not private and not lockable. Second half delayed due to late arrival of chain crew. Tim Ockendon #481 | 5th June 2022 v London Blitz |
Manchester Titans | Very well marked 80-yard field. Kick off was delayed approximately five minutes due to the late arrival of the game day medical cover. The game was halted very briefly when a drone was spotted near to the field, but it was ascertained that it wasn't anything to do with either team, more likely from a house close to the ground. There was a further delay of a few minutes in the second half when a fire alarm sounded in the stand but, happily, it was just a false alarm caused by a child. One member of the chain crew was late back to the field due to acquiring chips from the food truck. David Hewitt #607 | 15th May 2022 v Merseyside Nighthawks |
Sandwell Steelers | No immediate access to changing rooms, which were populated by rugby clubs playing in an earlier tournament. Sandwell assured us that this will not happen again. Brian Yates #29 | 15th May 2022 v Edinburgh Wolves |
Shropshire Revolution | Sidelines, End lines, and Goal lines were marked as two double lines as if to get extra width the lines were marked twice but with a slight gap between them. The innermost line was used. Andrew Lovell #559 | 22nd May 2022 v Birmingham Bulls |
South Wales Warriors | Before the game, it was noted that the numbering on the visiting team's jerseys were deemed to not contrast sufficiently with the main colour (sky blue numbers on grey). This was pointed out to the team before kickoff. Officials were given the stadium medical suite to change in, which wasn't locked on the day (but has been in the past), and has no private toilet or shower. Chain crew were noticeably slow, although no major errors were made. Amir Brooks #593 | 22nd May 2022 v Oxford Saints |
Sussex Thunder | Supplied balls had to be inflated to meet the requirements. End lines are too close to the fence and therefore, as usual at this venue, the Soccer goal line was used as the end line. Team areas marked with cones. There has been a recent issue with the markings on this field. However, after discussions earlier in the week with the team, all faint markings had been painted and the response of the home team to this issue should be applauded as the field is now marked to an acceptable standard. Visiting Team's jersey's did not meet the requirements of 1-4-5-c, the process of the penalty enforcement for this was explained to the visiting team Head Coach prior to the game. David Knight #135 | 15th May 2022 v Essex Spartans |
Torbay Trojans | 90-yard field. Nine-yard markings only on one side of the field. Richard Madge #485 | 15th May 2022 v Bristol Apache |
Yorkshire Academy Assassins | There were no nine-yard marks or numbers. There were no Team areas marked. The inbounds lines were of NFL-width not NCAA/IFAF-width. There were no three-yard marks. Ben Griffiths #228 | 29th May 2022 v Sheffield Giants |
Yorkshire Rams | There were no nine-yard marks or numbers. There were no Team areas marked, however, after the preceding junior game, a white line had been drawn approximately 14 to 16 feet from the sideline which both teams used as the Players line in the team area. The inbounds lines were of NFL-width not NCAA/IFAF-width. There were no three-yard marks. Ben Griffiths #228 | 29th May 2022 v Inverclyde Goliaths |
Endzone will return when the BAFRA Exam Period is over.
Date | Event | Contact for details |
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. |
