Issue 13/25 17th April 2025
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
EXAMINATION REMINDER
A brief reminder to all members that the BAFRA examination deadline is 23:59 on Saturday 26th April. Please ensure you return your paper before this date.
The Exam Committee intend to publish results on Thursday 1st May 2025 which is earlier than in previous years. Anyone submitting papers after the 26th April will be subject to deductions however no papers will be accepted after 1st May.
Papers should ideally be returned via the BARFA website Exam Answers portal.
Please do not hesitate to contact exam2025@bafra.info with any enquiries.
Stuart Young - Chair, BAFRA Exam Committee
GOAL NOT AVAILABLE
We have received a report that, at a game, it was agreed by the coaches that neither team would kick at goal at one end. This "solution" to a problem is not supported by the rules. If there is only one operative goal, Rule [1-4-5-f-2] permits all offensive plays to be towards that goal, with the teams changing ends at every change of possession. Alternatively, the teams can agree to play without either goal [1-4-5-f-3/4]. No other options are possible.
Imagine this scenario. There are five seconds left in the game with Team A 2 points behind and within field goal range at the "no goal" end and, despite the pre-game agreement, kicks a field goal. What should the crew do? They might think of penalising the team or awarding zero points, but then the crew are flying by the seat of their pants without rulebook support - the best thing to do is to avoid the possibility of that happening.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Dr Jim Briggs - BAFA Rules Editor
rules@britishamericanfootball.org
RESEARCH STUDY
I have been informed that a researcher from the University of Edinburgh will be conducting some research on a small number of Clyde Valley Blackhawks players this season. This involves them wearing a GPS tracking device during a game. I have seen the research ethics approval, and I am happy that this does not contravene Rule [1-4-10].
Any questions, please let me know.
Dr Jim Briggs - BAFA Rules Editor
rules@britishamericanfootball.org
QUALIFIED - HENRY LAWRENCE
Congratulations to Henry Lawrence on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to Mark Schofield and everyone who helped with Henry’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE
A second London Blitz player was disqualified from their game on 13th April for Targeting. However, the disqualification was cancelled after the calling official reviewed the footage of the incident. 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 | |||||||
Lewis Smith | 56 | East Kilbride Pirates | TUF | 3 | With 13:20 remaining in the third quarter. #56 committed a second Unsportsmanlike Conduct Foul. | 20th April 2025 v Nottingham Caesars | |
Mikey Jones | 62 | London Blitz | FGT | 2 | With 0:20 remaining in the second quarter, after the runner (QB #8) was legally tackled inbounds, #62 travelled a considerable distance to forcibly shove the tackler. This caused a brief scuffle between teams, during which #62 threw two punches at an opponent. | 20th April 2025 v Cambridgeshire Cats | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Aimee-Louise Mulcahy | 44 | Hertfordshire Cheetahs Women | FPF | 2 | With around 9 minutes left of the 2nd Half of the Final game of this event - Hertfordshire #44 was seen to forcibly remove and throw the helmet of a Caledonia Chaos player across the field. Due to the force used in taking this action - the Caledonia player was left on the ground and required medical treatment and assessment. Therefore #44 wa disqualified for a FPF. | 31st May 2025 - First Hertfordshire Cheetahs game of Tournament | |
Vanessa Mansaray | 50 | London Warriors Women | NOR | 50 | Played in a game while only listed on the roster as as sideline personal/coach. | 10th May 2025 v Birmingham Lions Women | |
Charlie Thynne/George | 44 | London Warriors Women | MIS | 44 | Made an inappropriate and unauthorised public statement on social media about matters relating to British American Football. | 10th May 2025 v Birmingham Lions Women & 17th May 2025 v Solent Thrashers Women | |
Ellis Phillips | 18 | Swindon Storm (U19) | FUC | 2 | At 19:04 in the second half, #18 shouted racial abuse towards an opponent. This was in the second game of a tournament. | 20th April 2025 v Solent Seahawks *This suspension was incurred at U16 level, the players has now moved up to U19 level and has carried the suspension with them. | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Aberdeen Roughnecks | A well-marked 100-yard field. Kickoff was delayed by 30 minutes due to road works delaying the arrival of the away team. One game ball had to be changed at half time, it was found to have a slow puncture. Gordon Galloway #7 | 8th June 2025 v Glasgow Tigers |
Birmingham Bulls | The changing rooms at this facility consisted of converted shipping containers. The designated referees' changing room was barely big enough for three officials (but did have a private shower and toilet and was lockable). However, the gameday manager was able to secure a larger room for the officials. This changing room was lit using a portable lamp hooked up to an extension lead, as the mains electrics weren't working. One of the goals was in fairly close proximity to nearby houses. With the possibility of game balls getting lost in bordering hedges or in a neighbour's back garden, both head coaches agreed not to attempt field goals / PATs at this end (only one PAT kick was attempted throughout the whole game, at the opposite end). The gameday manager has indicated that nets could be provided behind this goal for future games. Hopefully, this won't be an issue going forward. With 0:20 remaining in the second quarter, the game was briefly suspended to treat an injured player. Both head coaches agreed to call the half at this point (Team A would take a knee, and Team B indicated they wouldn't use any timeouts to enable the clock to run down). Gameday management must be commended for making the officials and visiting team very welcome throughout the day, with hot food provided after the game. Amir Brooks #593 | 27th April 2025 v Staffordshire Surge |
Cambridgeshire Cats | Team areas were marked to 25-yard lines. Brian Yates #29 | 27th April 2025 v London Warriors |
East Kent Mavericks | 90-yard field with 8-yard end zones marked in blue with other sport markings in white, red and yellow. No limit lines, numbers or 9-yard marks. Team areas incorrect size and coaching line at incorrect depth. Game management can get the changing room locked upon request, but this is a code lock rather than a key so can be opened by anyone with access so we treated it as non-lockable and stored kit in cars. Phil Clarke #262 | 4th May 2025 v Colchester Gladiators |
East Kilbride Pirates | 90-yard field with blue lines mixed in with white rugby lines. The game was stopped in the first quarter for 25 minutes due to an injury to a Coventry player. Shawn Sombati #15 | 20th April 2025 v Nottingham Caesars |
Edinburgh Napier Knights (U16) | There was an issue accessing the officials' changing rooms when the crew arrived, but the team managed to find an adequate alternative. Kenneth Glover #71 | Unknown |
Humber Warhawks | A reasonably well-marked 90-yard field with no numbers. Changing rooms are poor and double as a store area for equipment. Dave Black #574 | 18th May 2025 v Doncaster Mustangs |
Lincolnshire Bombers | Team areas were marked between the 15-yard lines. Cones were used to finish them at the 20-yard lines. The chain set had to be repaired before kick-off off. The playing surface had molehills which were flattened, but also had uneven surfaces around the ten-yard line across the field. Because the field is owned by the Memorial Hall, nothing could be done before kick-off. Gerry Mellough #79 | 27th April 2025 v Leicester Panthers |
London Blitz | The facility was much improved from previous seasons. The locker room didn't have a private toilet or shower but was otherwise well-appointed. The field was bare in places, which had caused the lines to fade and become difficult to see despite most of it being very well marked. One of the chain set stakes was broken during a scuffle and replaced for the second half. One Goal post was noticeably off from the horizontal during windier moments. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 20th April 2025 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
Manchester Titans (U19) | Field markings were below minimum standards. No goalposts were available as there were issues with contractors who were due to install them before the game. Both teams agreed to play with no goalposts. The home team failed to provide three leather balls before kickoff, therefore, synthetic balls were used. Markings were black on a green field, coaching areas were marked between the 15-yard line rather than the 20-yard lines. There were issues with the down box operator, who appeared to be more interested in talking to the ball boy than paying attention to the game. Steve Hall #512 | 8th June 2025 v Chester Romans |
Nottingham Caesars | The field was marked in red with other sports markings present. The team areas were too close to the sideline. Changes to chain crew at half time. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | 3rd May 2025 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Nottingham Caesars (U19) | The field was marked in red with other sports markings present. The team areas were too close to the sideline. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | 1st June 2025 v Sandwell Steelers U19 |
Nuneaton Jaguars (U16) | Both fields were mostly marked with cones and pylons. Rugby markings were used to provide both end lines and one sideline on each field. Changing rooms not lockable. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
Rushmoor Knights | The changing room was just good enough for a crew of six but did require one official to sit in the shower. Keith Wickham #423 | 20th April 2025 v Bristol Aztecs |
Rushmoor Knights (U19) | The changing room was just good enough for a crew of six but did require one official to sit in the shower. The chain crew and ball boys were provided less than 15 minutes before kickoff. Keith Wickham #423 | 20th April 2025 v Hertfordshire Cheetahs U19 |
Sandwell Steelers | 90-yard field with end zones that are on the legal limit. Small changing room for a crew of five. Andrew Lovell #559 | 27th April 2025 v Shropshire Revolution |
Scunthorpe Alphas | Changing room is a disabled toilet, which caused a minor issue when someone needed to use the baby changing station. Joel Pearson #405 | 11th May 2025 v Merseyside Nighthawks |
Somerset Wyverns | Bristol coaches questioned the legality of the game balls presented by the home team. The balls were Nike branded and appeared to be leather, but Bristol thought they might be composite. We played the game with the balls presented to us by the home team. Julian Mallia #336 | 27th April 2025 v South Wales Warriors |
Somerset Wyverns (U16) | A well-organised tournament gameday. A well-marked field and all games played in great spirit. A testament to the sport! Kieran Smith #102 | Unknown |
Sussex Thunder | The field had been marked out by the rugby club groundsman as a Canadian Football field. Thankfully, the home side had put in a lot of effort to amend the field markings such that they met the minimum standards to play the game. There were several stoppages of play for injuries. Changing room was too small for a crew of five. Dean Wright #553 | 27th April 2025 v Berkshire Renegades |
Wakefield District Raiders | Field markings fell below full standards. There were no nine-yard marks or numbers. There were no limit lines marked. The field surface requires improvement; the area around midfield was completely bare in places. The grass was cut very short, meaning players and officials alike struggled to gain grip on the field surface, whereas in the endzones, the grass was excessively long. The team area on one side of the field was marked between the 25-yards lines, with the coaching line at 6’ and the team area at 12’, whereas on the other side of the field, the team area was correctly marked between the 20-yard lines, however the coaching line was at 4’ and the team area at 10’. The changing rooms were not lockable and were about 300 yards from the field. The ball persons were only provided approximately ten minutes before kick-off. The chain crew were only provided three minutes before kickoff. Some of the chain crew and ball persons changed at half-time. Ben Griffiths #228 | 4th May 2025 v Darlington Steam |
Yorkshire Academy Assassins (U19) | The field was marked with cones, as were the team areas. Dave Black #574 | 19th July 2025 (Tournament) |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Bournemouth Bobcats | No team or coaching boxes marked. Some other sports markings run close to the American Football markings and can seem confusing. Oliver Maskell #221 | 8th June 2025 v Solent Thrashers |
Clyde Valley Blackhawks | No on-field numbers or nine-yard marks.. No limit lines and 3-yard marks in the wrong place. Henry Richardson #25 | 4th May 2025 v Inverclyde Goliaths |
Darlington Steam | A well-marked out 100-yard field. Other sports markings were present in close proximity to the endzones. Team areas were missing, but other sports markings were used for the coaches' box line. All three game balls needed inflating before use. No designated officials changing rooms, so the officials had to wait for the players to vacate their room so they could use that one. David Hewitt #607 | 25th May 2025 v Humber Warhawks |
Leigh Miners | A very well-marked field, including numbers. All that was missing was a coaches' box (players' box present) and one pylon for the hash marks. John Roberts #145 | 20th April 2025 v Lancashire Buccaneers |
London Blitz B | The field had initially been marked during the week to NFL markings however the team had been able to correct some of these prior to the game. The numbers were marked too far infield, and the try attempt mark was at the 2-yard line at one end and missing at the other. The team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines. The surface itself had large amounts of sand and dirt applied to apply a more stable and even surface, but as a result some markings degraded during the game due to the loose soil. Balls were in good condition, but below legal pressure. Changing room is small, but is lockable. Andrew Murrell #60 | 20th April 2025 v Wembley Stallions |
Sheffield Giants | Team areas weren’t painted but were marked with cones. Otherwise, a well-marked 90-yard field. Paul Todd #289 | 11th May 2025 v Chester Romans |
Swindon Storm | The field was generally well marked however there was a high number of bark and pieces of wood on the field which is a community facility. The changing room is of a good size but is not lockable. Dan Coles was awarded the best BAFRA fan of the game. Richard Moger #472 | 11th May 2025 v Hereford Stampede |
PLAY OF THE WEEK
Play of the Week will return when the exam period has concluded.
Date | Event | Contact for details |
2025 | ||
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Richard Moger | ||
Finance | Mark Schofield | Operations | Oliver Maskell | ||
Recruitment | Emma Harris | 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. |
