Issue 5/25 13th February 2025
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
2025 UNIVERSITY (BUCS) BOWL GAME
This year’s Finals will be played on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at Loughborough University. The BAFRA Selection Committee is pleased to announce the following crews:
National League | Premier | Division One | |
Referee | James Ford-Bannister | Brian Yates | Pete Parsons |
Umpire | Kieran Smith | Henry Richardson | Emma Harris |
Head Linesman | Pete Thom | Kenny Glover | Ben Griffiths |
Line Judge | David Hewitt | Graham Coleman | Dave Moore |
Back Judge | Liam Wooton | Euan Paterson | Henry Young |
Field Judge | Keith Wickham | Ben Gadsby | Ian Rogers |
Side Judge | Andrew Murrell | Amir Brooks | Graham Smith |
Centre Judge | Jed Brookes-Lewis | David Parsons | Mark Schofield |
Please join the BAFRA Selection Committee in congratulating these officials on their appointments.
Ollie Maskell – Director of Operations
BAFRA ANNUAL CONVENTION - SAT 22ND AND SUN 23RD MARCH 2025
We have had another good week of applications to attend our Annual Convention, reaching 86 members registered as of Tuesday 11th February. For those already registered, please remember that if you still have to finalise payment, you must do so by Friday 21st February to secure the special BAFRA rates. If you haven’t already registered, then there’s not a lot of time to secure a place. Everyone is welcome at the Convention, no matter how new to BAFRA you might be and, besides the excellent training provided, it is also a great opportunity to meet and socialise with officials from all around the country. As usual, we will advise the names of those attending 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 5 pm 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 11th 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.
- Susannah Taylor #335 - Proposed by Paul Sutton #312. Seconded by Nathan Coates #72.
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
QUALIFIED - MATT DRAGE
Congratulations to Matt Drage on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to Roger Goodgroves and everyone helping with Matt’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
QUALIFIED - STUART TOMLINSON
Congratulations to Stuart Tomlinson on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to all the officials who assisted with Stuart’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
REPORTING SERVED SUSPENSIONS
The form to report served suspensions has changed. The link found via the online paperwork webform has been updated, however if you have the page bookmarked separately, please us the new link which is https://tinyurl.com/BAFASusp.
Ben Griffiths - BAFA Disciplinary Officer
discipline@britishamericanfootball.org
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
New this week | |||||||
Noah Sims | 4 | Nottingham Green | FGT | 2 | With 4:25 remaining in the second quarter, player exchanged multiple punches with an opponent, resulting in a brawl that drew in personnel from both sidelines. | Mr Zarei is suspended from the next Competitive game that he is registered to play in for the Nottingham Green team | |
Samuel Vernon | 31 | Sheffield Hallam Warriors | FGT | 2 | With 4:25 remaining in the second quarter, player exchanged multiple punches with an opponent, resulting in a brawl that drew in personnel from both sidelines. | Mr Zarei is suspended from the next Competitive game that he is registered to play in | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
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 | |
Jedd Fadhley | - | Bristol Barracudas | BGD | - | Bringing the Game into Disrepute by unethically attempting to gain access to other team’s playbooks and training film. | Unknown / Next Bristol Game *This is a playing suspension, therefore Mr Fadhley may be present in the team area, they may just not play in the game. | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
ARU Rhinos | The game was abandoned at the start of the fourth quarter when ARU conceded after running out of linemen. Brian Yates #29 | Unknown |
Brunel Burners | Officials changing room is quite small and not private so gear was locked in cars. The car parking area is smaller due to construction going on so most of the crew were unable to park at the venue and ended up on a side road near the field (Peel Way). It is approximately a 10-minute walk to the field itself on Philpot's Farm Open Space. The field surface was very muddy and quite soft, footing worsened as the game progressed. No nine-yard marks or field numbers were present. Phil Clarke #262 | Unknown |
Durham Saints | Field markings fell below full standards. There were white field markings within four feet of an endzone line, including a solid white line running across the field about 3 feet into the endzone. The field markings were faint and became increasingly difficult to see as the sunset. There were no numbers or nine-yard marks. There were no limit lines or team area markings. The changing rooms were shared with officials from other sports, and, whilst they had a keycode lock, the key code was freely given out to anyone who asked. Two changing rooms were provided, each of which was only large enough for two people. Ben Griffiths #228 | Unknown |
Edge Hill Vikings | Field markings fell below full standards. 90-yard field marked in dark blue. No limit lines, no numbers, and no coaching areas or team areas marked. NFL-width hash marks. Officials could not gain access to the changing rooms until one hour before the scheduled kickoff. There were issues with the away team's transport resulting in them arriving late to the venue. Therefore, with the mutual agreement of both teams, the kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes. Steve Hall #512 | Unknown |
Edinburgh Mavericks | One of our crew suffered car problems, which meant going to a crew of 5. Team areas were marked with cones, field lines were faint. Gordon Galloway #7 | Unknown |
Imperial Immortals | Changing Rooms were not lockable and were a short walk from the pitch. Only two people were initially supplied for the chain crew so a player had to unkit. One person changed at half-time. Graham Smith #149 | Unknown |
KCL Regents | 90-yard field with eight-yard end zones faintly marked in blue with other sports markings in yellow, white, and red. No numbers or limit lines and rugby markings approximated for the nine-yard marks. The down box had suffered significant damage and failed to show first down and the other numbers only with persuasion. Two game balls deflated significantly during the first half and had to be replaced. A good size, well-appointed changing room but not lockable. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
Kent Falcons | 90-yard artificial field with red markings. Generally well-marked but no teams areas, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Rugby markings were used to approximate these. Chain crew and one ball person were generally disinterested and did not engage. James Ford-Bannister #479 | Unknown |
Leeds Gryphons | 80-yard field. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Multiple sports markings were present around the field. Team areas were marked with cones and yard-line extensions were very faint (yellow) once the floodlights were used. One of the game balls required inflating prior to kickoff. The changing room was only large enough for three crew members at a push. Ian Rogers #625 | Unknown |
LJMU Fury | Field markings below full standards. 90-yard field marked in yellow. No numbers, limit lines, coaches or team areas. There were several crooked lines. Steve Hall #512 | Unknown |
MMU Eagles | A well-marked field in red. No team areas, so Rugby markings & cones were used in lieu. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | Unknown |
Oxford Brookes | The final member of the chain crew was provided after the scheduled start time. Home team penalised ten-yard delay. Stuart Tabberer #348 | Unknown |
Oxford Lancers | A very lightly marked field on a very cut-up pitch. What little visibility of the lines there was a kickoff disappeared pretty quickly as the field surface deteriorated. Changing Rooms provided were a lengthy walk from the field. Stuart Tabberer #348 | Unknown |
Portsmouth Destroyers | 90-yard field with no team areas marked. The paint is red on green and faded badly, Portsmouth have informed their ground staff it will need to be repainted ahead of a potential home playoff game. Changing rooms were not lockable and the usual changing room was used by Birmingham Lions. However, the crew were able to find an alternative suitable space. Oliver Maskell #221 | Unknown |
Rushmoor Knights (Youth Flag) | A well-marked 50-yard field in white with ten-yard end zones. Team areas were marked out with cones. The game balls supplied were all slightly under-inflated. Good size lockable changing room missing private toilet. Game two was abandoned with 3:15 remaining in the second half due to the accumulation of injuries for Ipswich. Tim Ockendon #481 | Unknown |
Sheffield Hallam Warriors | Posts are set one yard behind the end line. The game kicked off five minutes after the advertised time as match balls and the required number of chain crew were not sourced until just before kickoff. With 0:34 remaining in the second quarter, the match was halted due to a serious injury requiring an ambulance to be called. Halftime was taken at this point and the remaining 0:34 was played before the third quarter. The stoppage took 70 minutes. The original chain crew were not found after the break, and a new crew was sought. Joel Pearson #405 | Unknown |
Sunderland Spartans | The game was played at Druid Park (Newcastle’s Field). Markings were very faint. All footballs required inflation before the game. Liam Wooton #478 | Unknown |
Swansea Titans | 100-yard field with NFL-width hashmarks. Cones/pylons were used to assist with spotting the ball. Amir Brooks #593 | Unknown |
Warwick Wolves | The away team forfeited the game less than three hours before kick-off due to a coach not arriving. Emma Harris #236 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 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 |
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: It is 4th and 10 at Midfield. Team A line up in a Scrimmage Kick Formation. The Ends are numbered 23 and 34. The Offensive Line is numbers (from left to right, 50, 62, 5, 71, 79), the Punter is wearing number 7 and the three personal procters/up-backs are number 47, 33 & 39. Number 5 is the long snapper. Shortly before the snap A47 moves to a position under centre, pauses for a second and then receives the snap. He throws a forward pass to A23 at the B-30 where A23 catches the ball and is immediately tackled. There is 10:00 remaining in the second quarter.
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Last 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.
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MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: Prior to kick-off; on a 5 man crew which official is responsible for briefing the medical personnel on what signals are to be used to summon them onto the field.
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Last week | Game Situation: At the end of the 1st and 3rd quarter, what should the Back Judge do? Answer: The Back Judge should move to the new location for the next play remaining with and between the players. The Back Judge should also record the yard line of the ball and the down and distance. (M20.4.2.d & M20.4.8) |
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. |
