Issue 24/26 9th July 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
David Odutolu-Oluwanya | 11 | Kent Exiles (U19) | Fighting | 19th July 2026 v Solent Seahawks and next competitive game thereafter |
Tanberk Tunali | 71 | Leicester Panthers | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 19th July 2026 v Black Country Steelers |
Manik Gurung | 59 | Rushmoor Knights (U19) | Fighting | TBC - Next competitive game |
Michael Johnson | 1 | Rushmoor Knights (U19) | Fighting | TBC - Next competitive game |
Previous weeks | ||||
Justin Goodall | 71 | East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 19th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
Laurie Beckett-Jones | 2 | Solent Seahawks (U19) | Targeting - Crown of Helmet | 19th July 2026 v Kent Exiles |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Aberdeen Roughnecks | No limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. Henry Richardson #25 | Unknown |
Bournemouth Bobcats | No team areas marked, but it created no issues. Field markings were in dark blue but there were other similarly coloured markings for soccer too. By agreement with both coaches, the game kicked-off 20 minutes late for the late arrival of filming equipment. Simon Ryan #408 | Unknown |
Cambridgeshire Cars | No numbers or nine-yard marks, although other sports markings were approximated. Hashmarks are two yards closer to the sidelines than they should be. Pylons were moved to reflect the correct distance. Brian Yates #29 | 19th July v London Blitz |
Clyde Valley Blackhawks | Well-marked field. Ian Sneddon #427 | Unknown |
Hertfordshire Cheetahs | The game was suspended for eight minutes while an official was treated for heat exhaustion. The changing room was a fair distance from the field. Robert Cornwell #105 | Unknown |
Hertfordshire Cheetahs (U19) | The changing room was a fair distance from the field. Robert Cornwell #105 | Unknown |
Kent Exiles | 90-yard grass field marked in white. Field numbers and nine-yard marks were missing. There were a few areas of field surface where small holes/ruts have developed but none constituted a trip hazard. It was a considerable walk from the changing rooms to the field itself, but there was plenty of shade to store drinks and have half time discussions well away from players/coaches/spectators. Changing rooms were not lockable and the toilets/showers were both communal areas with most of the shower heads in need of some work to restore water flow. Facilities issues aside, the Game Management and Officials Assistants provided by Kent were to the usual excellent standard. Phil Clarke #262 | Unknown |
Kent Exiles (U19) | 90-yard field, a considerable distance from the changing rooms. Some short yard-line extensions in the end zone. The changing room was not lockable. Showers were communal and barely functional. High-quality officials' assistants, as always. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
Hereford Stampede | 90-yard field, which undulated in large patches. No limit lines. Two small changing rooms, each suitable for two officials. Changing rooms were not locked during the game. Snacks and refreshments provided. Euan Paterson #165 | Unknown |
Leicester Panthers | There was a change of personnel on the chain crew. Otherwise, game management was well organised and provided a well marked 90-yard field. Paul Todd #289 | Unknown |
London Blitz (U16) | Only one field covered. Start time delayed by 25 minutes to await medical cover. One lockable room offered for mixed sex crew to change in, it contained no chairs or coathooks. Shower facilities shared, water pressure low but temperature good. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
Manchester Titans (NWFL) | Field markings below full standards. 90-yard field marked in black; other sports' markings in dark blue and while, some in close proximity to football markings. No limit lines. Crew changing facilities without showers or private toilets. Frank Eissa-Barroso #267 | Unknown |
Merseyside Nighthawks | 90-yard field marked in white. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. The officials' changing room had no private toilet or shower facilities. One ball person was changed at halftime. Andrew Swift #403 | Unknown |
Norwich Devils | Prior to kick off, one member of the crew required an ambulance to take them to hospital. Kick off was delayed for 20 minutes due to this. The game commenced with a three person crew. The game was stopped once to repair the padding on one set of goal posts. The field was well marked, but changing is a short drive away and was not private or lockable. Lee Wood #517 | Unknown |
Paisley Bears (U16 | Due in part to wet weather and uncut grass the line markings were very faint. Changing room was a rugby referees changing room that appeared to be used as a storage cupboard with barely enough room for 1 official and would have been entirely unsuitable if we had a full crew. Kenneth Glover #71 | Unknown |
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts | Upon arrival, the only changing room available was the small one for soccer referees. Sufficient for a crew of four but no more. 90-yard field marked in coral, short yard line extensions varied in length. Team areas were marked with collapsing cones. Game suspended during the fourth quarter due to a significant injury. Scott Castle #626 | Unknown |
Somerset Wyverns | 100-yard field played in a public park. Changing rooms used in a side building where team members could walk through. Richard Madge #485 | Unknown |
Yorkshire Rams | 90-yard field. No limit lines. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. The team areas were incorrectly marked out between the 25-yard lines. The game was suspended for approximately eight minutes in the second half for a player injury. The changing room, though large, had no toilet or shower. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Birmingham Bulls | Two delays due to injury. One of 45 minutes duration (Q1 3:35 remaining), one of nine minutes (Q2 8:57 remaining). At half time, with the agreement of both Head Coaches, the remaining time in each quarter was reduced to ten minutes due to Leigh suffering from injuries. Officiating changing rooms were temporary buildings, giving limited privacy. Stuart Tabberer #348 | 19th July 2026 v Rossendale Bucks |
Black Country Steelers | Lengthy delay due to an injury that required prolonged treatment, with just over one minute remaining in the second quarter. On agreement with both coaches, halftime was taken at this point - with the scheduled halftime break shortened to a 1 minute between quarter break. Krister Halvorsen #77 | 19th July 2026 v Leicester Panthers |
Bristol Aztecs | A very well-marked 100-yard field in yellow with other sports markings in other colours. Changing rooms were big enough for a crew of seven or eight, but were not locked during the game. Peter Parsons #321 | 18th July 2026 v Wembley Stallions |
Chester Romans | Very small changing rooms were inadequate for the crew, despite two rooms being available. Field markings were very faint and hardly visible. Andrew Lovell #559 | 19th July 2026 v Sheffield Giants |
Colchester Gladiators | An extremely well-marked 100-yard grass field. The changing room was not lockable but well-appointed facilities-wise. Colchester provided a referee microphone; it does not have a transmit button, so the power switch was used to ensure broadcasting remained within our control - issues from previous weeks regarding battery and transmitter reception had been rectified. The away team provided the ball person for their sideline, and a member of the chain crew was changed at half time for availability reasons. With the agreement of both teams, the kickoff was moved to 14:15 as a member of the officiating crew had been delayed en route to the venue. Phil Clarke #262 | Unknown |
Coventry Phoenix | 100-yard field marked in white with both rugby and soccer markings also in white. No limit lines. The changing room was spacious, but had limited seating for a crew of five and was not lockable. Both food and drink were provided for the officials. There were multiple changes of officials' assistants at halftime. Peter Parsons #321 | 19th July 2026 v Merseyside Nighthawks |
East Kilbride Pirates | Lines marked in blue. 90-yard field. The coaches’ boxes were not marked properly. Shawn Sombati #15 | 19th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | No limit lines. No numbers or nine-yard marks. Henry Richardson #25 | 19th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
Essex Tridents | This was not the main field, which is being reseeded. The field seemed slightly rotated relative to the rugby posts, or possibly some of the lines were imperceptibly off-straight. Either way, a) at one end the posts were half a yard behind the end line, which didn't run parallel to the cross bar, and b) the rugby 22 metre lines were not parallel to the 15-yard lines, intersecting at around the 16 on one side and 14.5 on the other. Additional crosses had been painted in the middle of the 35-yard lines. No team areas or limit lines. The game was suspended on three occasions. The first stoppage was with 10:15 remaining in the first quarter (54 minutes - serious injury). With the agreement of both coaches, it was agreed that quarters two through four would be reduced to 12 minutes. The second stoppage was with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter (nine minutes - to enable the game day medic to hand over the patient from the earlier incident to the ambulance service). The third stoppage was with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter (nine minutes - serious injury). Lee Wood #517 | 19th July 2026 v Colchester Gladiators |
London Blitz | Some areas of the field are sand rather than grass, so they were a little soft underfoot. The officials' assistants were provided very late, so the game kicked off five minutes late due to the time needed to complete the necessary briefings. There were multiple stoppages of more than five minutes during the game for player injuries. The crew initially utilised a large changing room before the game, and then moved to the smaller, new changing room, which was available to store kit at half time, and the end of the game. While the new space is both lockable and perfectly spacious for a crew of five, neither changing room had a private toilet or shower. Peter Parsons #321 | 9th August 2026 v Wembley Stallions |
London Blitz B | 100-yard field. Mostly grass with some areas of sand. The officials' changing room was not available on arrival, so the crew changed elsewhere in the facility and moved their kit to the changing room once available. The changing room was sufficient for a crew of five and was lockable, but had no private toilet or shower. There were two changes of chain crew personnel at halftime and a third change between the third and fourth quarters. Peter Parsons #321 | 19th July 2026 v Oxford Saints |
London Warriors (NWFL) | Late change of venue due to double booking at the team's normal venue. Every effort had been made to ensure the game went ahead, but the 90-yard field was incorrectly marked with five-yard lines and short yard line extensions unevenly spaced (and occasionally double marked). With consultation with BAFA and both teams, it was agreed that it was suitable for play and the crew would be more reliant on the (correct length) chain than would ordinarily be the case. The field was marked in white, with rugby markings in white as well. Team areas marked with cones and no limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. Sideline number markers were also missing. The facility is nice, but the changing room was suitable for only three officials and was not locked during the game. However, water was provided in the locker room. There was one temporary change of ball person in the second half due to their dog requiring a walk, and also one change to the chain crew. James Ford-Bannister #479 | 18th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
Manchester Titans | Well-marked 90-yard field. There were other sports markings present, some in close proximity to the endzones. The changing room for officials, though large and comfortable, did not contain either a toilet or a shower. David Hewitt #607 | 1st August 2026 v Merseyside Nighthawks |
Rushmoor Knights | The goal posts were strapped to the outside of soccer posts. Keith Wickham #423 | 9th August 2026 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
Solent Seahawks (U19) | 100-yard field with some other sports markings present. The second half was reduced to eight minutes, as agreed by both teams, as the visitors were hoping to finish the game with enough healthy players. There was a change to the chain crew personnel at halftime. Scott Castle #626 | 19th July 2026 v Kent Exiles |
Solent Thrashers | 100-yard field, very faint and may require re-marking, particularly if Solent are to host a playoff fixture. The goalpost plane is slightly inside the end zone. Team areas marked between the 25-yard lines. Oliver Maskell #221 | 19th July 2026 v South Wales Warriors |
Solent Thrashers (NWFL) | The venue was changed midweek due to unexpected tenants. 90-yard field with clear markings and some other sports lines used. The game was suspended in the second quarter following three serious injuries in three separate incidents. One of which led to a lengthy 55-minute pause to allow for ambulances to arrive and collect players. Once players were escorted and medical provisions were available, the game was able to continue. Scott Castle #626 | 18th July 2026 vs Teeside Steelers |
Sussex Thunder | 100-yard field marked in white. The markings were a little faded, and the field surface was a little uneven. No limit lines. Team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines. The two officials' changing rooms were both just about adequate for a crew of four, but were not lockable. Peter Parsons #321 | 19th July 2026 v Portsmouth Dreadnoughts |
Swindon Storm | Changing rooms aren't lockable, although they did have a private toilet and shower. Field markings were excellent, except there were no limit lines. At the request of both head coaches prior to kickoff, the game was shortened to 12-minute quarters. Amir Brooks #593 | 19th July 2026 v Plymouth Vanguard |
| |||||||||||||
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. |
