Issue 4/26 11th February 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
2026 UNIVERSITY (BUCS) FINALS
This year’s Finals will be played on Tuesday 24th March 2025 at Loughborough University. The BAFRA Selection Committee is pleased to announce the following crews:
National Championship | National Vase (Prem) | National Trophy (D1) | |
Referee | Brian Yates | Euan Paterson | Jed Brookes-Lewis |
Umpire | Kieran Smith | David Parsons | Kenny Glover |
Head Linesman | Emma Harris | Pete Thom | Stuart Tabberer |
Line Judge | Henry Young | Dave Moore | Jon Ireland |
Back Judge | James Ford-Banniste | Paul Todd | Will Fazackerley |
Side Judge | Keith Wickham | Mark Schofield | Darren Urben |
Field Judge | Ben Gadsby | Ian Rogers | Ollie Maskell |
Centre Judge | Pete Parsons | Ben Griffiths | Scott Castle |
Please join the BAFRA Selection Committee in congratulating these officials on their appointments.
Ollie Maskell – Director of Operations
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE
Last week’s Newsflash (3/25) reported that MMU player Ayo Da Silva, was disqualified from their game on 1st February. However the disqualification has been cancelled after the calling official withdrew their report after viewing footage of the game and concluded that the first Unsportsmanlike Conduct foul was a case of mistaken identity.
Peter Roberts – Deputy BAFA Disciplinary Officer
discipline@britishamericanfootball.org
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
Ben Coulthard | 54 | City Wolfpack | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | 22nd February 2026 v Essex Blades |
Kellydjoss Balela | 1 | Sheffield Hallam Warriors | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 15th February 2026 v Derby Braves and next competitive game thereafter |
Previous weeks | ||||
Louis Sharp | 5 | Chichester Spitfires | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 15th February 2026 v Royal Holloway Bears |
Eduardo Reader | 1 | MMU Eagles | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | 15th February 2026 v Edge Hill Vikings |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bath Killer Bees | 90-yard artificial field. Field markings in blue which were very faint. Euan Paterson #165 | Unknown |
Bournemouth University Bobcats | Field markings were faint and difficult to see under the floodlights. The field was missing team areas and coaching boxes. With 9:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, Southampton indicated they had suffered too many injuries to continue, and both HCs agreed to reduce the remaining playing time to 0:00. Oliver Maskell #221 | Unknown |
Brighton Panthers | Kick-off moved to 13:00 due to the availability of the field. Goal posts were located three yards behind the end line and are flush against the fence. Markings were dark blue on a green field and were very faint, leading to struggles to find the inbound marks at times. There was one stoppage to repair the chains, though this was brief. Daniel Clarke #311 | 15th February 2026 v UCL Emperors |
DMU Lions | Field marked in blue with other sports marking present. No team areas. Parking was very limited at the venue. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | Unknown |
Durham Saints | Field markings below full standards. There were numerous white field markings closer than four feet to multiple end zone lines and other major lines on the field. No nine-yard marks or numbers. No limit lines or team areas marked. Ben Griffiths #228 | 22nd February 2026 v Nottingham Gold |
Edinburgh Napier Knights | Field Markings were very faint prior to kickoff. Field conditions were very poor underfoot and they got progressively worse as the game continued. Gordon Galloway #7 | Unknown |
Exeter Demons | Field markings were still below standard, but were the best they have been all season. No nine-yard marks, and the coaches' boxes were marked with cones. As ever, the changing rooms were of a good size. Game balls were not made available until just before the kickoff. Dave Moore #92 | Unknown |
Greenwich Mariners | No private changing room as the room was shared with gym users. Field marks were faint and in blue. Other sports markings were also present. Game suspended for injuries and ambulance attendance for 20 mins Graham Smith #149 | 15th February 2026 v Imperial Immortals |
Heriot Watt Wolverines | Field markings were very faint under the floodlights. Gordon Galloway #7 | 15th February 2026 v Edinburgh Mavericks |
KCL Regents | 80-yard field marked mostly in dark blue (except midfield and end lines which were white). Upon arrival, the Referee inspected the field and saw that a large proportion of one sideline, the short yard line extensions at that sideline, and parts of some of the five-yard lines were missing. This was resolved prior to kickoff by the home team procuring several cans of paint and re-marking all the missing markings to ensure that the field met the minimum requirements for the game to kick off. Team areas and coaching boxes marked with cones. No limit lines. No numbers or nine-yard marks. Shared non-lockable changing room which is small for a crew of four and which had a wet floor. Peter Parsons #321 | 15th February 2026 v Kent Falcons |
Manchester Tyrants | Field markings below full standards. Field was marked in faded dark blue/black. The lines became very hard to see when the sun was close to the horizon and when the sun set. There were no numbers or nine-yard marks. The were no limit lines or team area markings. With 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter, a Manchester player suffered an arm injury. The game day medic did not wish to move the player front he field. After waiting for one hour, the game day medic advised us that it was unlikely the situation would be resolved immediately. With the agreement of both Head Coaches, the remaining time in both remaining quarters was reduced to 0:00. Ben Griffiths #228 | Unknown |
Northumbria Mustangs | No limit lines. Team areas marked with cones. Henry Richardson #25 | 15th February 2026 v NTU Renegades |
SGS Pride | Main changing room not locked during the game. Kit was stored in the smaller Officials’ changing room. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
Sheffield Sabres | Team areas were absent but marked with cones. Well marked 90-yard field, albeit black markings on green. All three balls were significantly under-inflated. Changing facilities were not sufficient for a crew of five. Only one of two small changing rooms was available due to other sports officials requiring the other. The game was suspended for 20 minutes due to a significant injury to a Sheffield Hallam player. Dave Black #574 | 15th February 2026 v Nottingham Green |
Swansea Titans | The field was initially marked out as 100 yards with five-yard endzones. The goal line pylons were moved five yards to make the field 90 yards long, with ten-yard end zones. The field markings were faint, which caused some problems with spotting the ball. There were no team areas. Amir Brooks #593 | Unknown |
Warwick Wolves | With the agreement of both Head Coaches, the start of the game was delayed by ten minutes owing to the late finish of a previous sporting event. Two large lockable changing rooms were provided Mark Schofield #557 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
ARU Siege | The changing rooms were not lockable, and had no private toilet. Lee Wood #517 | 22nd February 2026 v Cambridge Pythons |
Birmingham University Lions | With 10:04 remaining in the first quarter, the game was suspended for 40 minutes to deal with a serious injury that required an ambulance. The inbounds markings are in a very faint black paint that was practically impossible to see. Game Management were required to source pylons to assist the umpire in spotting the ball. Stuart Tabberer #348 | 15th February 2026 v Oxford Lancers |
Cardiff Cobras | 90-yard field. The markings had been repainted in yellow since the previous home game, but these are already faint. Euan Paterson #165 | 15th February 2026 v Exeter Demons |
Chichester Spitfires | Chichester were charged with a delay of game penalty as they couldn’t present a chain crew before the scheduled kick off time. The game kicked off 15 minutes late once a crew were found and briefed. A poorly marked 90-yard field with NFL-width hash marks. Inbounds markings were painted 1.5 metres long and were not straight. One end zone was only five yards deep, so, with the agreement of both head coaches, the game was played with one goal mechanics. The field will require re-marking before the next game. All three game balls were presented well below legal pressure. Officials changed in public changing rooms and had to leave bags behind the sports centre front desk as the changing room was not lockable. Players from both teams used the toilets in the changing room, interrupting the pre-game and half-time crew discussions. Jon Ireland #508 | 15th February 2026 v Royal Holloway Bears |
Coventry University Jets | Hashmarks were marked too wide on the field. Therefore, reference cones were used behind each goal. No three-yard marks at either end and the changing rooms were not lockable. Small delay at one point to deal with a down box fault with the numbers. Krister Halvorsen #77 | 22nd February 2026 v DMU Lions |
Derby Braves | Sideline short yard-line extensions continued into both end zones. Three-yard marks were repeated every five yards down the length of the field. During the fourth quarter, play was suspended for 50 minutes to treat an injured player. Andrew Lovell #559 | 15th February 2026 v Sheffield Hallam Warriors |
Essex Blades | Although clearly marked, the inbounds markings were not always a yard apart. Team areas marked with cones. Complete change of the chain crew at half time. Balls provided by the home team were not up to standard, so the away team’s balls were used. Brian Yates #29 | 22nd February 2026 v City WolfPack |
Leeds Beckett | Field markings below full standards. Faint yellow markings on an 80-yard field. No three-yard marks. No limit line or numbers. Coaching/Team areas not marked. Home team were late to come out for the coin toss, and officials' assistants were only provided just before KO. This caused a delay to the match KO time due to the need to brief the officials' assistants. As a result, the home team were penalised for delay of game on the KO. Steve Hall #512 | 22nd February 2026 v Loughbrough Students |
LJMU Fury | 90-yard field marked in yellow with no numbers, nine-yard marks, limit lines, or team areas. The lines had been painted the morning of the fixture before a previous game at the venue. These gradually grew fainter over the course of the game. Andrew Swift #403 | 22nd February 2026 v Salford Storm |
KCL Regents | 80-yard field marked in blue with other sport markings in white. No limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. Team areas were marked out with cones. Two of the game balls provided were significantly under-inflated. The field surface was initially soft and rapidly became muddy, making inbounds markings difficult to locate. The changing room was small, with no private toilet and it was not locked during the game. The game was suspended for 24 minutes with 9:19 remaining in the fourth quarter to allow treatment to an injured player. Tim Ockendon #481 | 8th February 2026 v UCL Emperors |
Lancashire Rams | There were no pylons to place on the hash marks. The resourceful back judge managed to find an individual small orange cone; however there was only one of those, so the game was played without three reference points. The chain crew were extremely poor. Stuart Young #33 | Unknown |
Loughborough Students | 90-yard field. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Team areas were missing. David Hewitt #607 | 15th February 2026 v Durham Saints |
Manchester Tyrants | Field markings below full standards. Lines in Navy Blue, harder to see in the flood lights. No three-yard marks or nine-yard marks. Officials assistants not ready 30 minutes before kick off. Richard McEwen #206 | 8th February 2026 v Lancashire Rams |
MMU Eagles | Field markings were well below full standards. The field markings were faint, with red lines on a green field. The team have been advised that the field should be re-marked. There were white field markings closer than four feet to an end zone line. There were no numbers or nine-yard marks. One set of hashmarks were in the correct position. For the other set, there was an approximate six-to-eight-inch gap between the hash marks and the start of the short yard line extensions. The inside end of the short yard line extensions were used when spotting the ball, as these appeared to be in the correct position. There were no limit lines or team area markings. Only six pylons were provided with three used for each endzone, for the fourth endzone pylon a cone was used. These cones were removed. Both teams turned up in similar shades of Blue. MMU refused to change jerseys therefore they were penalised accordingly. The game day medic drove into the venue approximately two minutes after the scheduled kick-off time. They insisted that the gate nearest the field be opened as they felt a 50-yard walk to the designated field access point was too far. A member of the public complained that the medics had parked their vehicle in a way so that all disabled parking bays at the venue were made unusable. During the two-minute warning in the first half, the game was paused when a player accidentally ran into the Referee’s knee. After receiving medical treatment, the Referee was able to continue. Ben Griffiths #228 | 15th February 2026 v Edge Hill Vikings |
Northumbria Mustangs | No team areas or limit lines. Jerseys not of contrasting colours. Kenneth Glover #71 | 8th February 2026 v Leeds Gryphons |
Oxford Brookes | Game cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice. Will Fazackerley #227 | 15th February 2026 v Hertfordshire Hurricanes |
Oxford Lancers | Game postponed on Friday due to weather. Peter Parsons #321 | 8th February 2026 v Oxford Brookes Panthers |
Plymouth Blitz | Well-marked 90-yard field. The changing rooms were not staffed or locked, and were some distance away from the field. The chains broke twice, one time needing some time to fix. Both teams had blue jerseys, but the shades were different enough for the officials to be able to discern the difference during play. Balls were supplied very late and had to be checked on the field. Dave Moore #92 | 15th February 2026 v Bristol Barracuda |
Reading Knights | 100-yard grass field marked in white. Changing rooms were not lockable. Euan Paterson #165 | 8th February 2026 v Surrey Stinger |
RHUL Bears | Arrived on site to find the field flooded. The Groundskeeper refused use of the field, and the game was abandoned. Scott Castle #626 | 8th February 2026 v Sussex Saxons |
Sheffield Sabres | Team areas were absent but marked with cones. Otherwise, a well-marked 90-yard field. Paul Todd #289 | 8th February 2026 v Sheffield Hallam Warriors |
Solent Redhawks | 100-yard field with faint lines and other markings present. Scott Castle #626 | 22nd February 2026 v Chichester Spitfires |
Southampton Stags | Slight delay in starting the game whilst waiting for team paperwork to arrive from the away team. 90-yard field clearly marked with other colour lines used. Scott Castle #626 | 15th February 2026 v Bath Killer Bees |
Surrey Stingers | Well marked 90-yard field in a good condition despite heavy rainfall in the days leading up to the game. Lockable private changing room provided a short walk from the field. Jon Ireland #508 | 22nd February 2026 v RHUL Bears |
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 2026 v Reading Knights |
UCL Emperors | 80-yard grass field marked in blue. The lines had become increasingly faint or nearly missing in places, and the surface is quite muddy. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Team areas were missing, but the ends were marked with cones. One changing room was allocated, and the floor was wet from cleaning. The crew decided to store kit in cars and leave the door open for it to dry out during the game. Toilet facilities were shared usage, but both the changing room and other facilities were a short walk from the field. Phil Clarke #262 | Unknown |
UEA Pirates | The game was suspended for 45 minutes due to an injury to a UEA player. Brian Yates #29 | 8th February 2026 v Hertfordshire Hurricanes |
UWE Bullets | The field has been re-marked in white for this season, but was already faint in places - clashing with white rugby markings. The field will need fully re-marking before the next game at this venue. Euan Paterson #165 | 14th February 2026 v Nottingham Gold |
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 |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
New this week | Play: 1st and 10 at the A-25. Late in the 1st quarter, ball carrier A21 circles right end toward his team area and is hit by B54 at the A-30. A21 continues to drive forward and lands with his body down at the A-34 out of bounds in or near the team area having crossed the sideline at the A-34.
|
Last week | Play: Team A Kick Off from their own 35 yard line. Immediately after the kick B99 blocks the kicker at the A-36. B-88 subsequently catches the ball at the B-10 and advances to the B-25 where he is tackled.
|
MECHANICS: | |
New this week | Game Situation: On a crew of 8, the widest player in the offensive formation on the press-box side of the field is A9. A81 is stood inside A9. There are no other players on the press-box side of the formation. A81 goes in motion towards the press box side line and is the widest player at the snap. Which official should key on A81?
|
Last week | Game Situation: Name the 6 categories of Defensive Pass Interference. Answer: M3.3.8.a
|
Date | Event | Contact for details |
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. |
