Issue 37/25 29th October 2025
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BUCS SEASON GAMEDAY DETAILS
We're now a couple of weeks into the BUCS season, and it's notoriously difficult to keep on top of all the changes to gameday contacts, kick off times, venue changes etc. Referees must NOT assume Assignr is correct on every detail, and must be contacting teams early in the week of the fixture. If you do not receive a reply by the Wednesday, please contact Operations.
Also, I have been informed of an example where officials are agreeing different kick-off times with the teams directly (when officiating games in previous weeks). I don't mind officials confirming details, but it is inappropriate to discuss changes with the teams without first contacting Operations. BUCS is tied up in long standing regulations regarding fixture notification and I don't want BAFRA to be in a situation where there is confusion around the proper details of a fixture.
Ollie Maskell - Director of Operations
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
Kyle Cooke | 10 | Bournemouth University Bobcats | Two Unsportsmanlike Fouls | 2nd November 2025 v Bath Killer Bees |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bristol Barracuda | Field markings are in black and are faint. Euan Paterson #165 | 23rd November 2025 v Plymouth Blitz |
Edge Hill Vikings | Field markings below full standards. 90 yard grass field marked in dark blue. No team or coaching areas marked, no limit lines, and no numbers. Pitch started off ok, but started to cut up as the game went on. Steve Hall #512 | 23rd November 2025 v Liverpool Raptors |
Edinburgh Napier Knights | Field markings faint. The changing room was a bit small for a crew larger than three. Gordon Galloway #7 | 2nd November 2025 v Heriot-Watt Wolverines |
Glasgow University Tigers | One stake was very short. Kenneth Glover #71 | 23rd November 2025 v Edinburgh University Mavericks |
Kingston Cougars | The changing room was not lockable, and they were a ~ten-minute walk to the 100-yard field marked in white. The goal post at one end was initially at a 45-degree angle, with one upright and half the crossbar in the endzone. However, several members of the home team were able to pivot it around so that it was correctly aligned. Both teams had forgotten to print any rosters, so both teams supplied a handwritten list of all players, coaches and other persons permitted to be in the team areas. The crew were originally advised that the medics were on their way but would not be there before the original kick-off time, so a delayed start with ten-minute quarters was planned. However, after 40 minutes, the medical company advised that the SU had not actually booked cover until after the offices closed on Friday evening, so they stated that no medic was allocated - both head coaches were advised that the game would not take place at all. Phil Clarke #262 | 16th November 2025 v Brighton Panthers |
Lancashire Rams | 100-yard field with faint blue markings alongside those of other sports. The field will need fully re-marking before the next game at this venue. The balls required inflation. Team areas were not marked. All members of the chain crew were attending their first American football game and required constant supervision. The ball person on the press box side was changed multiple times (four different assistants) without warning. The changing room was of a good size, but it was a four-minute walk from the field. Ian Rogers #625 | 9th November 2025 v EdgeHill Vikings |
Leeds Gryphons | 80-yard field. No nine-yard marks or numbers. No team areas, but the teams marked them out using cones. The changing room is too small for a crew of five. The down box pole was missing, so the operator had to hold it aloft. David Hewitt #607 | 30th November 2025 v NTU Renegades |
Loughborough Students | No team areas marked. One change of ball person at the end of the first quarter. Brian Yates #29 | 2nd November 2025 v UWE Bullets |
NTU Renegades | The field was marked red on green. Team areas were absent. The hashmarks were marked at NFL-width. Both teams played in similar colour Jerseys, NTU we penalised accordingly. Paul Todd #289 | 2nd November 202 v Northumbria Mustangs |
Portsmouth Destroyers | 90-yard field marked in pink on green. Coaching box and team areas marked with cones. Changing rooms were not lockable. Kickoff was delayed by 40 minutes due to the late arrival of the visiting team. Peter Parsons #321 | 2nd November 2025 v SGS Pride |
RHUL Bears | Kick off was delayed by ten minutes, by mutual agreement, due to the late arrival of the Reading transportation. Both teams were using a mix of two different jersey types of roughly the same colour but differing designs. However, both teams provided rosters containing several instances of the same number being used by two players. The game kicked off 20 minutes late to allow both the rosters and the jerseys to be rectified. Field markings were blue, and there were other markings in white (some of which were within 4’ of the goalline). One goal was slightly out of alignment with the endline. The down box was not of minimum height (approx. 4’). Two members of the chain crew changed at half time. No private changing room. Ben Gadsby #564 | 23rd November 2025 v Chichester Spitfires |
SGS Pride (U19) | SGS provided two well-sized changing rooms. However, the crew had to wait some time to access the changing room at half time. Mark Schofield #557 | Unknown |
Sussex Saxons | 90-yard field with other sports markings present. 12-yard end zones were shortened to ten yards as the existing end line was close to the boundary fence. Hash marks were very faint, no nine-yard marks, or coaches' boxes. The chain set broke multiple times. One member of the chain crew changed at half time. The chain crew were slow and disinterested despite a thorough briefing. Three game balls were presented all under pressure and are starting to show their age. Jon Ireland #508 | 22nd February 2025 v Reading Knights |
Swansea Titans | The field was initially marked out as 100 yards with five-yard end zones. The goal lines were brought out five yards to make the field 90 yards with ten-yard end zones. There were no team areas. The home team provided three game balls in good condition but badly under-inflated and so needed inflation before the game (thankfully, these were provided shortly upon arrival at the venue). The officials' changing rooms were excellent - they are of a very good size (probably sufficient for a crew of eight, although there was a lot of sports kit stored in there which isn't usually the case), clean, had a private toilet & two private showers, contain lockers, and are lockable with a university staff members stationed in an adjacent office throughout the game. Two stoppages were made during the game to repair the chain set. With 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, the away team's head coach informed us that due to injuries sustained by his team, they no longer had sufficient offensive linemen to complete the game safely. It was agreed with all parties to shorten the remainder of the fourth quarter to 0:00 under rule [3-2-2-a]. Amir Brooks #593 | 1st February 2026 v Tarannau Aberystwyth |
Team Midlands (U19) | The 90-yard field was marked in blue with other sports markings in close proximity. The game had to be paused whilst the chains were repaired and one of the balls had to be swapped out after deflating during the game. Dave Black #574 | Unknown |
UEA Pirates | The changing room was not lockable. Other markings in different colours. Lee Wood #517 | 16th November 2025 v Oxford Lancers |
UWE Bullets 2 | The field had been re-marked in white for this season, but this clashes in several places with rugby markings. Euan Paterson #165 | 22nd February 2026 v Bath Spa Bulldogs |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Brunel Burners | Changing facilities were a five-minute walk down the main road from the field. Both ball persons were replaced at half time. The chain crew were mostly unfamiliar with the sport, so they needed a lot of extra work to be managed. Andrew Murrell #608 | 9th November 2025 v Cardiff Cobras |
Leeds Gryphons | The field was very clearly marked in yellow, but lacked nine-yard marks and three-yard marks. Team areas were marked out with cones prior to kick-off. Changing facilities were less than ideal, with a dirty floor and insufficient space for a crew of five. The game was delayed by 30 minutes due to the Newcastle team bus breaking down. There was a further delay of approximately ten minutes in the second quarter to allow a medical problem on the sideline to be dealt with. Dave Black #574 | 26th October 2024 v Northumbria Mustangs |
SGS Pride | A four-team event played as a series of structured, controlled scrimmages at opposite ends of the field, with each team scrimmaging against each of the other teams. Peter Parsons #321 | 16th November 2025 v Brunel Burners |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: Team A, lead by three points. Team A’s ball, 4th & 10 at the A-30 with 0:11 seconds remaining in the game. From a shotgun formation, A12 receives the snap, retreats back toward their own goal line, and moves out of the tackle box. At the snap, each Team A lineman blatantly holds the Team B player in front of them, preventing the defensive linemen from immediately rushing the passer. When rushers approach A12, they throw the ball high so that it lands beyond the line of scrimmage and out of bounds. When the pass hits the ground, the game clock reads 0:00. Multiple officials have thrown multiple flags for holding fouls by multiple Team A linemen.
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Last week | Play: 4th & 9 at the A-40. Team A are in a scrimmage kick formation. Immediately after the snap, nose tackle B90 grabs snapper A55 and pulls him to one side. This allows linebacker, B54 to shoot the gap and tip the punt. B20 recovers the loose ball at the 50-yard line and returns the blocked kick for a touchdown.
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MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: Early in the game Team A make a late substitution and Team B starts to make matching substitutions.The Referee instructs the Umpire to move towards the ball and prohibit Team A from snapping the ball so Team B can complete it’s substitutions. Team A quickly snap the ball. This is the first time this has happened in the game.
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Last week | Game Situation: 59 seconds remain in the game, Team A have two timeouts remaining and are trailing by six points. It is 4th and 10 at the B-40. Team A attempt a Hail Mary pass which is intercepted at the B-2 yard line. Team A were in an illegal formation in the snap. Answer: Either; Team B’s ball 1st and 10 at their own 2 yard line and the game clock will start on the snap, Or; Team A’s ball 4th and 15 at the B-45 and the game clock will start on the Ready for Play. This is not an obvious enforcement, Team B’s Head Coach must be consulted about which option he wants. |
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. |
