Issue 13/26 22nd April 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
AGM & BOARD MEETING MINUTES
The 2026 AGM meeting minutes and latest board meetings can be found here:
https://www.bafra.info/members/minutes/agm2026.pdf
https://www.bafra.info/members/minutes/eb20260412.pdf
Richard Moger - General Secretary
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRAINING APPOINTMENT
Prior to and at the AGM it was announced that Amir Brooks was stepping down as Deputy Director of Training. Jed Brookes-Lewis has been appointed the Deputy Director of Training. I hope you will join me and the rest of the Board in thanking Amir for his work as Deputy Director and welcome Jed into this position.
Richard Moger - General Secretary
secretary@bafra.info
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE
A Poole Dolphins player was disqualified from their game on 18th April for a Flagrant Personal Foul. However, the disqualification has been cancelled after the crew concluded that the action did not meet the definition of a Flagrant Personal Foul.
Ben Griffiths - BAFA Disciplinary Officer
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
Ben Donelan | 1 | Chester Romans (U19) | Flagrant Personal Foul | 2nd May 2026 v Nottingham Caesars (U19) |
Nicolas West | 52 | Sussex Thunder | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 10th May 2026 v Oxford Saints |
Previous weeks | ||||
Darrion Banton-Wright | 9 | Manchester Titans U19 | Two Unsportsmanlike Fouls | 17th May 2026 v Highland Wildcats |
Tio Benjamin | 11 | Manchester Titans | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 2nd May 2026 v Coventry Phoenix |
James Simpson | 74 | Nottingham Caesars | Misconduct | 26th April 2026 v Coventry Phoenix & 30th May v Manchester Titans |
Solent Seahawks (U19) | HC | Gavin Hart | Misconduct | 26th April 2026 v South London Renegades & 3rd May 2026 v Kent Exiles U19 * As this was a disqualification of a non-player, this is a whole game day |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Berkshire Renegades | Well marked 100 yard field with painted team areas marked only to the 25 but were amended using cones. Goal posts were uncovered on arrival but were covered prior to kick off. Changing rooms are 2 small rooms at the back of the facilities that had no coat hooks or reasonable space even for 4 officials. We locked our bags in the cars and used the car park at half time. Scott Castle #626 | 17th May 2026 v Ouse Valley Eagles |
Birmingham Bulls | A well-marked 90-yard grass field in white. No 9-yard marks or limit lines. Male changing rooms are inside a converted shipping container – shabby but a decent size and lockable. Female changing room was well appointed but it was also used as the shower room for the male officials as well as the accessible toilet for the crowd. The chain crew were provided with less than ten minutes to kick off and saw multiple changes during the game. The ball persons were provided with less than two minutes to kick off and were changed at half-time. Refreshments were provided in the changing room, and a hot meal was provided after the game. Will Fazackerley #227 | 3rd May 2026 v Doncaster Mustangs |
Black Country Steelers | 90 yard field marked in blue on natural grass - changing rooms not lockable. Krister Halvorsen #77 | 26th April 2026 v Northants Knights |
Cardiff Cobras | Varsity Fixture. Game start delayed by 10 mins for a cheerleader performance. Changing rooms provided have no private wash facilities. Toilets/Showers shared with all sports/players etc. Chain set is significantly bent/damaged from previous use, but was usable. Stuart Tabberer #348 | Unknown |
Chester Romans | Field markings below full standards. 90 yd field well marked in dark blue. No limit lines, numbers, coaches areas or team areas were marked. The officials had to stop play for a few minutes in Q2 and in Q4 as the gameday medic just walked off the field of play. It transpires that the medic left for a comfort break on both occasions. Play was restarted when they returned. Several changes of Down Box Operator during the game. Late in the 4th quarter their was a stoppage of approx 25 minutes to deal with a serious injury. Steve Hall #512 | 17th May 2026 v Yorkshire Rams |
Chester Romans (U19) | Field markings below full standards. 90 yard field well marked in dark blue, no limit lines, no numbers, no team areas or coaching areas were marked. Forfeit Reason: Steve Hall #512 | 17th May 2026 v Nottingham Caesars |
Clyde Valley Blackhawks | No limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. Henry Richardson #25 | 17th May 2026 v Sheffield Giants |
Darlington Steam | Hashmarks & short yard line extensions were only 18 yards from sideline. No coaches boxes. Shawn Sombati #15 | 10th May 2026 Gateshead Senators |
East Kent Mavericks | 90 yard artificial field marked in blue, with other sport markings in yellow and white. Team areas marked between each 25 yard line. No numbers or 9-yard marks, rugby lines approximately in the right place were used instead. Officials changing rooms are both well appointed but are not lockable. Phil Clarke #262 | 26th April 2026 v Kent Exiles |
Lancashire Buccaneers (U19) | No limit lines, number, or nine-yard marks. With 2:38 remaining in the third quarter, the Umpire had a fall and required treatment from the game day medical staff. The Umpire was removed from the game and transferred to a hospital with, what was later confirmed as, a broken clavicle. The crew continued as a crew of three. Later, with 3:21, remaining in the fourth quarter, one of the Lancashire players went down with a shoulder injury. Gameday medics decided that the player could not be moved and an ambulance was called for. The game was suspended at this point. After an hour's wait for an ambulance, with the score at 19:19, and both teams facing long bus journeys home, the Head Coaches in agreement with the Referee decided to abandon the match. Henry Richardson #25 | 17th May 2026 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Lincolnshire Bombers | Officials had to wait for access to the changing rooms due to other sports still occupying them. The named officials changing room is too small and inadequate for a crew of 4, however the crew were afforded a larger changing room at the expense of the home team. Toilets and showers were available but these are shared facilities. The 90-yard field was very well marked, but was uneven due to numerous flattened mole hills. Dave Black #574 | 3rd May 2026 v Lancashire Buccaneers |
London Blitz | The ground was in great condition, with a few patches of sand. Goal posts were slightly off centre of the field. Changing rooms provided were lockable and a clean separate room (different from previous years). All in a positive improvement from previous seasons. Lee Wood #517 | 26th April 2026 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
London Blitz B | The ground was in great condition, with a few patches of sand. Goal posts were slightly off centre of the field. Changing rooms provided were lockable and a clean separate room (different from previous years). All in a positive improvement from previous seasons. Lee Wood #517 | 26th April 2026 v Hertfordshire Cheetahs |
Merseyside Nighthawks | 100-yd turf field. There were no numbers, nine yard marks, limit lines or team area markings.Two of the three game balls lost pressure during the game. The changing room had no private shower or toilet facilities. Ian Rogers #625 | 7th June 2026 v East Kilbride Pirates |
Nottingham Caesars | Field markings in blue and faint. Other sports markings in blue, white, and yellow made spotting the ball difficult at times. No team areas marked. No numbers or nine-yard marks. The changing rooms were three small rooms with no private toilet facilities. The game was suspended for 15 minutes with 1:52 remaining in the game due to an injury to a Nottingham player. Brian Yates #29 | 30th May 2026 v Manchester Titans |
Rushmoor Knights | 100-yard field, which appears to be very well marked, but, when you stand in line with the hash marks, you can see they get a bit wavy up the field. Team Areas only marked to the 25-yard lines. Balls were presented under-inflated. Several changes to the gameday assistants at half time. The changing room was only just big enough for a crew of five, but no private toilet and others are bound to get soaked if the shower is used. Goals are extensions on a soccer goal and are therefore too wide. With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, a Wembley player suffered a serious injury and the game was suspended for 50 minutes whilst an ambulance attended. Oliver Maskell #221 | 17th May 2026 v London Blitz |
Rushmoor Knights (U19) | 100-yard field, which appears to be very well marked, but, when you stand in line with the hash marks, you can see they get a bit wavy up the field. Team Areas only marked to the 25-yard lines. Balls were presented under-inflated. Several changes to the gameday assistants at half time. The changing room was only just big enough for a crew of five, but no private toilet and others are bound to get soaked if the shower is used. Rushmoor U19s always have a good crowd at their fixtures, and the atmosphere is good but more needs to be done to ensure spectators are kept a safe distance from the field, and distinguished from the team area. Oliver Maskell #221 | 17th May 2026 v Solent Seahawks |
Solent Thrashers (NWFL) | 100 yard field re-painted with other sports lines used in conjunction with the field. Brief pause to replace ball person near the end of the game. Scott Castle #626 | 6th June 2026 v London Warriors |
South East Legion (U19) | 7v7 U19 Inter-Divisional Tournament. London Warriors withdrew prior to the tournament due to lack of player numbers. Bristol Aztecs only had 2 coaches available and had to forfeit their games. South Wales Warriors had their coaches arrive late due to issues on the M25, so the second round of games kicked off 20 minutes late. The changing facilities were very cramped in the team's merch room, had no private toilets and no washing facilities were available. Daniel Clarke #311 | Unknown |
South Wales Warriors | A reasonably marked 90 yard grass field. Faint yellow markings. At times the hash marks were inconsistent lengths on either sideline and in the middle. Several wavy lines. No 9 yard marks. No team area line. Officials Changing Room is improved from previous seasons with an astroturf floor. Chairs provided. Limited privacy as external French doors clear glass with no curtain. No immediate wash facilities, but separate shower facilities in adjacent stand could be made available (reserved for female players) . Stadium microphone provided, spotty reception. Stuart Tabberer #348 | 3rd May 2026 v Hereford Stampede |
Swindon Storm | Team areas marked to the 25-yard lines. Changing rooms were not lockable. Euan Paterson #165 | 14th June 2026 v Somerset Wyverns |
Teesside Steelers (NWFL) | 100-yd turf field with extremely faint markings, particularly the hash marks. No nine-yard marks, team or coaching boxes marked. No limit lines. There was a short stoppage in the first half whilst the chains were repaired. Ian Rogers #625 | 16th May 2026 v London Warriors |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Cambridgeshire Cats | No changing facilities were available until after the game due to the rugby tournament. Field marked in faint blue, the lines being at least 6 inches wide. NFL-width hash marks. Field marked in IFAF-yards with the chain altered to suit. End zones were about nine yards deep, and the goals were about two to three yards beyond the end line and slightly askew to the field. No team areas marked. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Brian Yates #29 | 26th April 2026 v London Blitz |
Gateshead Senators | Both goals sat at a jaunty offset angle! The changing room was a committee room with no showers, no privacy, and was not lockable. The chain crew was changed in full at halftime. Gordon Galloway #7 | 31st May 2026 v Darlington Steam |
Oxford Saints | A well-marked 100-yard field in blue. Other markings present in white. Two changing rooms provided and lockable on request of the front desk staff. The home team provided a stadium announcer. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 3rd May 2026 v Portsmouth Dreadnoughts |
Solent Thrashers | The field was recently remarked in yellow although the 50-yard line and both end lines were white. The plane of the Goals were one-yard into the end zone (the Goal Post was outside the end zone). One ball person changed at half time. Two of three game balls provided required inflation, one required deflation. No numbers but nine-yard marks were present. Other non-football lines present but in different colours. Steve Currie #554 | 26th April 2026 v Bristol Apache |
PLAY OF THE WEEK: | |
Play of the Week will return when the exam period is concluded. |
MECHANICS: | |
Play of the Week will return when the exam period is concluded. |
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. |
