Issue 26/25 17th July 2025
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
ALAN DOBSON #308
We have recently been informed of the sad news of the passing of Alan Dobson. Alan had been a member of BAFRA since 2005 and quickly established himself as an official with an excellent knowledge of the rules and a firm grasp of mechanics. This was reflected in his appointment to eleven bowl games during his membership, the first of these being in 2007. He always favoured working in the deep positions (indeed, ten of his bowl games were at either back judge or side judge, the other, his first, being at umpire). He also had a particular interest in small-sided football and officiated at a number of contact and flag 5 vs. 5 finals days. His rules knowledge saw him invited to join the BAFRA Rules and Mechanics Committee and the BAFA Rules Committee, both of which he served on for a number of years in the late 2000s and the early 2010s. He had a particular interest in the development of mechanics for 5 vs. 5 football. Work and health issues restricted his availability in recent years and made him unavailable to officiate in the past two years, although he retained his membership. Details of the funeral arrangements are not yet available, and we have been notified that there is to be a memorial event in London in the autumn. Details of which will be shared when available. Our condolences have been sent to his family.
Richard Moger – General Secretary
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | CODE | Q | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED | |
Previous weeks | |||||||
Daniel Collado | 52 | East Kent Mavericks | FUC | 4 | Verbally abused a match official after a play | 20th July 2025 v London Olympians | |
Mark Carolan | 40 | Edinburgh Napier Knights (U19) | FGT | 3 | With 3:43 remaining in the third quarter, Edinburgh #75 was thrown to the ground by their helmet by #40 as the ball passed the pair of them. This act was penalised as a live ball personal foul. #75 retaliated by wrestling and clearly punching #40 on the ground with #40 retaliating in kind. The two players had to be separated by players from both teams and the officials. | 20th July 2025 v East Kilbride Pirates U19 | |
James Simpson | 74 | Nottingham Caesars | TUF | 3 | With 9:51 remaining in the third quarter, #74 was penalised for Unsportsmanlike Conduct, after the play had ended, for maintaining physical contact with and pushing an opponent well after the whistle had blown. Following the announcement of the penalty, #74 directed a derogatory comment towards the Referee, which resulted in a second penalty for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. At the conclusion of the game, the player returned to the playing enclosure, sought out the officials to confront them and prevented them from leaving the playing enclosure. This was a second act of Misconduct. | 20th July 2025 v Coventry Phoenix and next 4 competitive games thereafter | |
Kieran Hill | 50/97 | Rushmoor Knights (U19) | FGT | 3 | With 1:01 remaining in the third quarter, #97 continued to aggressively block a player who was clearly out of the play, which drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness. After the ball was dead, #97 continued to act aggressively towards the player, which led to players from both sides getting involved with each other. During this fracas, #97 threw several punches. Upon checking the roster, there was no #97 listed; however, the Head Coach confirmed the player's identity as the player listed as #50 on the roster. | 20th July 2025 v Solent Seahawks | |
Nathan Kwame Owusu-Ansa | 3 | South London Renegades | MIS | - | Used a belt to strike multiple players after a game | 20th July 2025 & all games until 24th September 2025 | |
Zak Constance | HC | Wakefield District Raiders | MIS | 4 | Following the final play of the game, the Head Coach entered the field of play and verbally abused the Referee about perceived missed calls. | 20th July 2025 v Doncaster Mustangs and next competitive game thereafter * As this was a disqualification of a non-player, this is a whole game day suspension as opposed to just a playing suspension. Mr Constance may not be present at the game site in any capacity. | |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
GB Lions U17 | 90 yard field.No limit lines.No nine yard marks or numbers.No team areas marked out.All three balls required inflation prior to use. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Birmingham Lions (U19) | The changing room was a portacabin with no bathroom or shower area. It was not lockable and required a man from the rugby club to carry in chairs and run a cable to get electricity for the lighting. A second room was provided because of the mixed sex nature of the crew. There was an injury in the fourth quarter where a player had to be treated for a broken leg, and the game was suspended for 20 minutes. Keith Wickham #423 | 20th July 2025 v Nottingham Caesars |
Chorley Buccaneers (U19) | Well-marked 100-yard field. No team areas marked. All three game balls required inflation prior to use. David Hewitt #607 | 20th July 2025 v Manchester Titans |
Coventry Phoenix | Plenty of water and a selection of Samosas were provided for the officials. Keith Wickham #423 | 20th July 2025 v Nottingham Caesars |
Doncaster Mustangs | The changing room was too small for a crew of six and was not lockable. A larger changing room was offered after the crew had changed. The 90-yard field had no numbers or limit lines, with the three-yard mark marked at two yards at both ends. The chains had to be repaired on three occasions. Dave Black #574 | 20th July 2025 v Wakefield District Raiders |
East Kilbride Pirates | No numbers or nine-yard marks. No limit lines. Henry Richardson #25 | 20th July 2025 v Manchester Titans |
East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | No numbers or nine-yard marks. No limit lines. Henry Richardson #25 | 20th July 2025 v Edinburgh Napier Knights |
Hertfordshire Cheetahs | The game kicked off 30 minutes later than scheduled to ensure officials had their mandatory break between games. Andrew Murrell #608 | 10th August 2025 v Rushmoor Knights |
Ipswich Cardinals | Well-marked 100-yard field all in white. Numbers are small. The officials' changing room, whilst lockable, was small and compact. Any crew larger than four would struggle to fit. The private toilet/shower both now have doors fitted. Graham Smith #149 | 20th July 2025 v Norwich Devils |
Lancashire Buccaneers | Filed markings below full standards. Well-marked 100-yard field. Field marked in dark blue, other sports markings present. No numbers or limit lines. Team areas were marked with cones. Steve Hall #512 | 20th July 2025 v Lincolnshire Bombers |
London Blitz | One post was crooked. The changing room was lockable but had no private shower or toilet. One area of the field had puddles of standing water, but by the end of the first half the water had gone. Overnight, there was a marquee erected which was ~14 feet from the sideline, the supports were covered with pads and ran from about the 40-yard line to the five-yard line at one end of the field. Lee Wood #517 | 20th July 2025 v London Warriors |
London Blitz (U19) | 100-yard grass field with ten-yard end zones marked in white. The field surface was sandy in places but was reasonably level throughout. Field markings had been re-marked with spray paint, leading to some crooked lines and the inbounds markings are unevenly spaced. No limit lines or team area markings on the away sideline. The numbers were the incorrect size. The goals were too wide, and one was slightly out of alignment. The usual changing room was not available, but an alternative was found, which was spacious and lockable but with no facilities. Tim Ockendon #481 | 20th July 2025 v London Warriors |
London Olympians | 90-yard field with markings into the end zone due to originally being marked as 100 yards with five-yard end zones. Markings were in dark blue and were faint but usable. Team areas were marked with cones, and rugby markings were used to approximate the nine-yard marks. Game stopped to repair the chain on one occasion. There was a delay of just over 30 minutes due to a knee injury to a Kent Exiles player that required transportation to the hospital by private car. The officials' original changing room was not lockable, but a nearby room was available and lockable. Neither featured a private shower or toilet. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 20th July 2025 v East Kent Mavericks |
London Warriors (NWFL) | Multiple sports markings. Missing team areas and limit lines. Lines were a very faint blue (on green surface). Short yard-line extensions were invisible from a range of three yards away, and visible when closer only if a) the angle of the sun was right or b) you noticed that the texture of the turf was slightly different in "painted" areas. The low visibility of markings delayed the spotting of the ball to the point of interfering with attempts to run a no huddle offence. Game kicked off five minutes late due to the late arrival of the medic. Second half kicked off ten minutes late due to changes to all five officials assistants. With around nine mins left in the second quarter, the crew size dropped to three due to a non-contact injury to the line judge, with the umpire moving to that position. Ben Gadsby #564 | 26th July 2025 v Birmingham Lions |
Manchester Titans | This fixture was cancelled around 22:00 on Saturday, 21-06-25, due to Newcastle Vikings forfeiting the game. Ian Rogers #625 | 9th August 2025 v Coventry Phoenix |
Newcastle Vikings | 90-yard field. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Field markings were faint, particularly the inbounds markings. Ian Rogers #625 | 10th August 2025 v Nottingham Caesars |
Oxford Saints | A small changing room was provided for a crew of five, making for a cramped pregame. Mark Schofield #557 | 20th July 2025 v Ouse Valley Eagles |
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts | 90-yard field mostly marked with pink lines, which were very difficult to see at times and from certain angles. No numbers or nine-yard marks (rugby markings were used to approximate them). No coaching box line marked. Team areas were marked with cones. Changing rooms were not locked during the game. The start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes due to the late arrival of both the visiting team and the Referee as a result of a full closure of the A3. Peter Parsons #321 | 20th July 2025 v Sussex Thunder |
Sandwell Steelers | The game kicked off 15 minutes late due to the late finish of the preceding junior game, then another five minutes after the non-appearance of the chain crew and ball persons. Multiple chain crew changes. The field is missing nine-yard marks and has the smallest possible legal end zones. Joel Pearson #405 | 20th July 2025 v Northants Knights |
Solent Thrashers | The field markings were very faint, with numerous other sports lines used of differing colours. Scott Castle #626 | 20th July 2025 v South Wales Warriors |
Somerset Wyverns | 100-yard field. The officials changed in the conference room, which was neither private nor lockable, but was better than the soccer/rugby officials' changing room next door. Euan Paterson #165 | 20th July 2025 v Bournemouth Bobcats |
South London Renegades (U19) | Changing rooms not locked during the game, though were in a relatively secure area. The goalposts had reverted back to the rugby posts and caused no issues. Daniel Clarke #311 | 20th July 2025 v Ipswich Cardinals |
Yorkshire Academy Assassins (U19) | The field was marked with cones, as were the team areas. Dave Black #574 | 19th July 2025 (Tournament) |
Yorkshire Rams | 90-yard field marked in blue, which was difficult to see in places prior to kickoff. This was made worse by a sharp downpour right at the start of the game, which washed away most of the inbounds markings. The changing room provided for the officials contained a fair amount of rugby training materials, which had to be moved to create space to get changed. Following the game the crew noted that the showers were out of action Lee Taylor #183 | 20th July 2025 v Sheffield Giants |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: Try Down from the B-3, quarterback A4 is in position to receive a shotgun snap. The snap is made by centre A79, A-3 bobbles the snap and the ball hits the ground. Running back A21 then recovers the ball and hands the ball to running back A33 at the B6. Running back A33 advances to the B-4 yard line where he is hit and fumbles the ball, the loose ball rolls to the B-1 yard line, where A33 recovers the ball and advances into Team B’s endzone.
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Last week | Play: 2nd & 8 at Team’s B 40-yard line. 1:56 remains in the second quarter. A66 snaps the ball high to quarterback A10 who has to jump to control the snap. Whilst still airborne at Team B’s 45-yard line, A10 pitches the ball forwards to A88 who has run across the front of A10. A88 runs wide to the right and runs out of bounds at Team B’s 30-yard line. During A88’s run, B24 blocks A73 below the waist 6 yards beyond the neutral zone. What is the next down and distance? What is the game clock status?
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MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: Upon arrival at the game site, there are only one set of goal posts available. The Visiting Team Head Coach states “The game shouldn’t be played and should be awarded to us by forfeit”. Ruling?
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Last week | Game Situation: After a forward pass has been thrown, how much time should the umpire spend continuing to observe the action in the vicinity of the line of scrimmage before turning to assist deep and wing officials with the pass? Answer: An umpire should turn to observe the pass immediately when a forward pass is thrown. Once the pass has been thrown, holding and other technical fouls by the linemen will not normally affect the play, and the Referee should pick up any personal fouls. (M10.4.c.1) |
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. |
