Issue 4/25 6th February 2025
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BAFRA ANNUAL CONVENTION - SAT 22ND AND SUN 23RD MARCH 2025
Further to the initial announcement regarding our Annual Convention, and information on how to register, we have already received applications from 68 members (as of Tue 4th Feb). Over the coming weeks, further information will be provided by BAFRA’s President, and we will continue to publish information in Newsflash. Please remember that we will publish attendance numbers only in Newsflash, but will advise names to BAFRA members separately so that you can check that we have received/actioned your registration application. Please remember that if you have registered very recently your name may not appear on the list until next week.
Please see below for (hopefully) all you need to know about the location, accommodation packages (if required), and how to register.
Accommodation
The BAFRA Board have put together a fantastic accommodation package. We endeavour to make the Convention as accessible as possible from a financial perspective. As such, I’m sure you will agree the rates and overall package is very attractive. There is no charge for BAFRA members to attend the Convention, with lunch and the evening meal on Saturday provided at no additional cost to our members. All you need to pay for is the accommodation
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. I 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 following link and book accommodation if required: https://forms.office.com/e/vRuGyBCGEe.
Given our high attendance figures, administering the registration process and processing accommodation payments can be time-consuming. As such, we request that you register and make your room payments as early as possible.
Accommodation
As mentioned above, we have again negotiated excellent accommodation rates for BAFRA Members, which are detailed below. The rates indicated are per room, per night and include all discounts and a full breakfast.
Payment
Payment for Convention rooms is due by Friday 21st February. 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: Bank: 16-16-11
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 21st February. 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 Game Fees by direct transfer to your bank account.
Friday Night
Most members who attend the convention arrive on Friday night to save an early rise and travel on Saturday morning. As such the above rates are available for both the Friday and Saturday nights. We would recommend booking your room as early as possible.
Finally, if you have any questions or queries about the convention, please drop an email to convention@bafra.info and we 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 22nd March 2025. 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 2025. Any BAFRA member can nominate a charity, if you wish to do so, please complete the nomination form I sent out electronically.
In addition, the election of directors for the Company will take place at the AGM. Four posts are due for election this year:
In the case of three of the posts, Director of Operations, Director of Recruitment, and Director without Portfolio #2 the present incumbent has indicated that they will be seeking re-election.
As of 11 pm, on Tuesday 4th February, the following nominations for these posts have been received:
Director of Finance:
- Mark Schofield #557 – Proposed by Emma Harris #236. Seconded by Ian Smith #624
Director of Operations:
- Ollie Maskell #221 – Proposed by James Ford-Bannister #479. Seconded by Henry Richardson #25
Director of Recruitment:
- Emma Harris #236 – Proposed by Graham Smith #149. Seconded by Henry Richardson #25
Director without Portfolio #2:
- Steve Tonkinson #99 – Proposed by David Parsons #425. Seconded by Graham Coleman #177
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 - BAFRA General Secretary
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE
A Northumbria Mustangs Stingers player was disqualified from their game on 2nd February. 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
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
William Vlad | 2 | ARU Siege | FPF | 2 | With under a minute to go in the second quarter, #2 was tackled and took a dislike to it, got up, and head-butted the tackler. | 16th February 2025 v Lincoln Colonials | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Jedd Fadhley | - | Bristol Barracudas | BGD | - | Bringing the Game into Disrepute by unethically attempting to gain access to other team’s playbooks and training film. | 9th February 2025 v Bournemouth Bobcats This is a playing suspension, therefore Mr Fadhley may be present in the team area, they may just not play in the game. | |
Victor Osuofia | 30 | QMBL Vipers | FGT | 3 | With 1:31 remaining in the third quarter, #30 engaged in a fight with the kicking team #7, where both players dragged the other to the ground by the facemask and refused to separate until multiple others intervened. | 9th February 2025 v Imperial Immortals | |
Chidubem Odumegwu-Obi | 60 | Sunderland Spartans | FUC | 4 | With 7:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Sheffield made an interception and a subsequent long return. At the end of the play, #60 of Sunderland committed a Personal Foul (Late Hit Out of Bounds) on the Sheffield returner. This caused injury to the defender. Despite being restrained by his teammates, #60 proceeded to stand over the injured player as he was being tended to by his coaches and taunted the player. | 9th February 2025 v York Centurions | |
Ryan Bradley | 42 | Sussex Saxons | FPF | 4 | Kicked the head of an opponent who was prone on the ground. | 9th February 2025 v Oxford Brookes | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bath Killer Bees | 90-yard field marked in feint red markings. No marked coaching boxes or team areas, but both teams were requested to keep to the sidelines of the marked rugby pitch. No limit lines. The field is a 15-minute walk from the Sports Training Village and has no parking adjacent to it. Changing room shared with officials from other sports. Peter Parsons #321 | 12th February 2025 v Southampton Stags |
Bath Spa Bulldogs | The crew were provided with a small changing room, adequate for a crew of four. Partway through the second half, one of the game balls started to deflate and was replaced. Mark Schofield #557 | 9th February 2025 v Tarannau Aberystwyth |
Brighton Panthers | 100-yard field with ten-yard end zones marked faintly in blue with other sports markings in white and yellow. No limit lines or numbers. Other sport markings were approximated for nine-yard marks and coaching lines. Other team area lines were marked with cones. The goals were three yards beyond the end lines and lashed to the enclosure fence so had to be officiated from in front. Good size well appointed changing room but the code provided was incorrect so was not lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
Coventry University Jets | No three-yard marks. Krister Halvorsen #77 | Unknown |
Greenwich Mariners | Field markings are present, but very faint and particularly difficult to see in bright sunshine, especially when looking into the sun. The down box (Dial-a-Down style) at this site is barely functional, and was not able to display the number "1" and the other numbers were sometimes garbled as the slats didn't transition correctly. This has been an ongoing issue since last summer when it was used by the London Warriors. One ball person changed at halftime. No lockable changing room, but decent changing facilities in the SU communal gym. Andrew Murrell #608 | 16th February 2025 v Queen Mary Vipers |
Hertfordshire Hurricanes | 90-yard artificial field marked in blue, inbounds markings have become faint but 12 pylons were correctly placed, so the ones behind the end lines assisted with locating where they were. Regulars to Herts will be familiar with the two parallel sets of wires that stretch across the field either side of halfway. No numbers or nine-yard marks, no team areas or coaching boxes present. The University had not provided Herts with the keys to the changing rooms. However, the Head Coach had a key so we were able to get the room locked/unlocked upon request. Phil Clarke #262 | Unknown |
KCL Regents | The game was played at Avery Hill, Greenwich. The game kicked off 15 minutes late. Field markings are present, but very faint and particularly difficult to see in bright sunshine, especially when looking into the sun. The down box (Dial-a-Down style) at this site is barely functional, and was not able to display the number "1" and the other numbers were sometimes garbled as the slats didn't transition correctly. This has been an ongoing issue since last summer when it was used by the London Warriors. One ball person changed at halftime. No lockable changing room, but decent changing facilities in the SU communal gym. Andrew Murrell #608 | 9th February 2025 v UEA Pirates |
Leeds Beckett Carnegie | The field was marked as a 90-yard field but had to be treated as an 80-yard field due to the goalposts being sited forwards, which left a confusing line midway through the end zone. Lines were faint in places, particularly under floodlights. Joel Pearson #405 | Unknown |
Liverpool Raptors | No coaches' areas. No numbers. The field had been re-marked and now has the correct number of lines and short yard-line extensions. The only issue was one or two extensions extended beyond the 9-yard mark. John Roberts #145 | Unknown |
LJMU Fury | Field markings fell below full standards. The football markings were in yellow, there were a number of other markings on the field, including a white soccer marking approximately two feet from the end line of one endzone. There were no nine-yard marks or numbers. The team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines. There was no coaching line marked. There were a handful of sideline short-yard extension marks that were about 10 to 12 feet long, the rest being of the correct dimensions. Ben Griffiths #228 | 9th February 2025 v UCLan Rams |
Portsmouth Destroyers | 90-yard field, which has been repainted in a new pink colour. These are starting to fade and the inbounds markings are difficult to see from some angles, especially in low sun. No numbers, team areas, or limit lines. Changing rooms were not lockable. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 9th February 2025 v Birmingham Lions |
Solent Redhawks | 100-yard field mostly marked in yellow, but the two ten-yard lines are mostly marked in blue. Team areas were marked to the 25-yard lines. No limit lines. The game was stopped once to repair the chains. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
Southampton Stags | 90-yard field now marked in blue (previously was red). Limit lines marked less than 18 feet. Short yard-line extensions at the sidelines vary in their position from the sideline. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
Staffordshire Stallions | The kick off was delayed for 45 minutes. Andrew Lovell #559 | Unknown |
Swansea Titans | The field had NFL-width hash marks so the crew used markers, behind the end lines at the correct width, to spot the ball. The field markings were faint. Keith Wickham #423 | 9th February 2025 v Bath Killer Bees |
UCLan Rams | A well-marked 100-yard field in blue, although the lines are starting to fade and will need to be remarked for any playoff games at UcLan. No coaches or players' boxes were present. Towards the end of the second quarter, two of the game balls provided were lost in the trees outside the fencing following successful PATs, these were both found during the break and returned to the officials. There was a short delay, following a UcLan timeout with 2:53 remaining in the game as the down box operator had to use the bathroom, his return was met with applause from both teams. Lee Taylor #183 | Unknown |
Warwick Wolves | No three-yard marks. Krister Halvorsen #77 | 9th February 2025 v Liverpool Raptors |
York Centurions | No limit lines. No team areas were present. Field markings were in red. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Bath Killer Bees | Bath informed the referee the field was unplayable before any crew member travelled Keith Wickham #423 | 12th February 2025 v Southampton Stags |
Bristol Barracuda | Field marked in Black. Difficult to see under floodlights. Other sports markings in similar colours. Missing team areas. Stuart Tabberer #348 | 9th February 2025 v Bournemouth Bobcats |
Brunel Burners | 90-yard well-marked field. Some of the markings became hard to see during the game. Team areas were marked to the 15-yard lines. No numbers or nine-yard marks. No limit lines. The game kicked off more than five minutes late and, as kickoff was less than three hours before sunset, the quarters were shortened to ten minutes under Rule [3-2-1-f]. Peter Parsons #321 | 9th February 2025 v Brighton Panthers |
Cambridge Pythons | Team areas marked to 25-yard lines. Brian Yates #29 | 9th February 2025 v Derby Braves |
Chichester Spitfires | 90-yard rugby field. End zones are short and not necessarily the same size. The team areas were marked to 12 yards instead of 12 feet. Changing rooms were neither private nor lockable, but the crew were able to leave bags at reception. Daniel Clarke #311 | 9th February 2025 v RHUL Bears |
Derby Braves | No nine-yard marks or coaches' boxes (rugby lines used as an approximation). The away team played in two different styles of white jersey. Joel Pearson #405 | 16th February 2025 v DMU Lions |
Edge Hill Vikings | Field markings below the required standards. No limit lines or numbers. No coaches or team areas were marked. Only four pylons were available, so the end lines were marked with cones. NFL-width hash marks. Upon arrival, 1.5 hours before the game, the changing facilities were unavailable. The changing facilities were opened one hour before the scheduled kickoff time. This hampered the officials' pre-game and also the away team's warm-up. As a result, it was agreed with both teams to move the kickoff time back by 15 minutes. With 6:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Head Coach for the away team informed the official on his sideline that, due to player injuries, he felt he could not finish the game safely with his remaining players and therefore would like to forfeit the game. Steve Hall #512 | 9th February 2025 v Lancaster Bombers |
Glasgow University Tigers | The game kicked off 61 minutes late as, despite a similar delay for their last home game, Glasgow had to re-mark all four sets of short-yard line extensions (as the chain crew were tasked with this, it then delayed their briefing). A miscommunication with the collection of their own jerseys had Edinburgh having to borrow Glasgow's alternative shirts. Ali May #42 | 9th February 2025 v Stirling Clansmen |
Heriot-Watt Wolverines | The team areas were missing, so marked with cones. Kenneth Glover #71 | 9th February 2025 v Aberdeen Bulls |
Hertfordshire Hurricanes | No team areas marked, but cones used as an approximation. All three game balls were below legal pressure. Andrew Murrell #608 | 6th February 2025 v Brunel Burners |
Hull Sharks | No limit lines. No team areas were marked, so cones were used. The field also had no three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Hash markings were NFL width. There were several other sports markings on the field. The chains had to be repaired twice, and one game ball had to be inflated. Dave Black #574 | 9th February 2025 v Coventry Jets |
Leeds Gryphons | 80-yard field. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Several other sports markings were present in close proximity to the end zones. Team areas were missing but marked out using cones. All three game balls were actually overinflated and required adjusting prior to use. David Hewitt #607 | 9th February 2025 v NTU Renegades |
Loughborough Students | Very faint yard lines and hash marks. No team areas. No three-yard marks. Brian Yates #29 | 16th February 2025 v Durham Saints |
Oxford Brookes | 100-yard field marked in (mostly) blue. The lines are quite faint and became harder to see as it got darker. No marked coaching box or team areas, however, some rugby markings were used to approximate the position of the team areas. No limit lines. One member of the chain crew changed at half-time. Peter Parsons #321 | 9th February 2025 v Sussex Saxons |
Oxford Lancers | A mostly well-marked 90-yard field with double sidelines and goal lines. Changing rooms are quite a distance from the field. Emma Harris #236 | 9th February 2025 v Hertfordshire Hurricanes |
QMBL Vipers | Markings in blue on a rugby field marked in white. Goal posts slightly outside the end lines. The field became very muddy throughout the game, especially between the hashes. The female officials' changing room was also used for female away players and lacks a door handle to the main corridor so has to be accessed from the other side. Daniel Clarke #311 | 16th February 2025 v Greenwich Mariners |
Sheffield Hallam Warriors | 90-yard field marked in red. Chains had to be set to the correct length before kick-off. No team areas were marked though both teams managed their respective sideline with good discipline throughout. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Goalposts were set back a yard from the end line. Other sports markings were present around the field. Two lockable changing rooms were provided for officials with each big enough for 2/3 people. Ian Rogers #625 | 9th February 2025 v Nottingham Green |
Sheffield Sabres | 90-yard field marked in black with other sports markings in a variety of colours, including black. No team areas or coaching areas were marked. No numbers or nine-yard marks. The short yard-line extensions were too close to the sideline. One sideline was a bit wonky. Medical provision, although provided, was slow to attend to injuries and otherwise disinterested. Chain was 9.5 yards long but didn’t present any problems during the game. The changing room was small and intended for a soccer crew, but was at least lockable and included shower facilities - a relief after the wet conditions. Michael Hansford #594 | 16th February 2025 v Sheffield Sabres |
Southampton Stags | The stags set out a nice spread of sandwiches, crisps, and drinks for the officials which is always welcome. Keith Wickham #423 | 26th January 2025 v Bournemouth Bobcats |
Sussex Saxons | Three-yard marks were marked at the two-yard line. End zones were approximately 11 yards deep. Chains kept breaking throughout the game. The whole chain crew was changed at half-time. Dean Wright #553 | 16th February 2025 v Surrey Stingers |
Tarannau Aberystwyth | Kick-off was delayed for one hour due to the Away team forgetting some Jerseys. As such, quarters were reduced to ten minutes due to light concerns. However, the away team were able to provide two of the three game balls. Kieran Smith #102 | 16th February 2025 v Plymouth Blitz |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: There are 3 seconds remaining in the game. Team A have 1st and 10 at the B-20 yard line. Team A are trailing by 4 points. QB A1 drops back to pass and throws the ball to A89 who catches the ball while in the endzone. When the pass was thrown, lineman A67 was stood at the B-10 yard line. Time expired during the down.
|
Last week | Play: A12 throws a forward pass intended for A89. During the pass, defensive end B88 is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The pass to A89 is complete for a 10-yard gain to the A-30 where A88 is tackled.
|
MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: At the end of the 1st and 3rd quarter, what should the Back Judge do?
|
Last week | Game Situation: On a five man crew, on 3rd down, Team A run a sweep play towards the Press-Box side of the field. After the play, the Line Judge indicates a forward progress spot that results in a first down, the Head Linesman indicates a spot that results in fourth down. The two wing officials cannot agree on the spot. Which forward progress spot should be used? Answer: M5.5.9.f - If the officials cannot agree on the call, it is normally best to go with the call made by the official with primary responsibility for making it. Going with the call made by an "experienced" official over that made by an "inexperienced" official may cause problems in the long-term. In this case the coverer is the Line Judge, so that forward progress spot should be used. |
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2025 | ||
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Richard Moger | ||
Finance | Stuart Tabberer | Operations | Oliver Maskell | ||
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. |
