BAFRA Newsflash

http://www.bafra.org

Issue: 16/10

19^th May 2010

BAFA COMMUNITY LEAGUES – JUNIOR KITTED 5 ON 5 TOURNAMENTS

The BAFA Community Leagues have sanctioned a series of Junior Kitted 5 on 5 tournaments. There will be 16 of these events taking place across Britain. All will be held on Saturdays. The tournaments are seeking volunteers from within our ranks to provide referees, working as usual on such occasions with team officials.

BAFRA is very keen to support football at the grass roots level, be it at junior kitted or junior flag competitions. As these events are usually quite limited in terms of funding, the BAFRA board have agreed that in order to support these competitions we will reduce the BAFRA admin fee for these events to £5.00. We would also like to ask for volunteers to officiate these events. There would be no BAFRA game fee, it would be purely voluntary. You would expect to have food and refreshments provided and the organisers would pay reasonable travel expenses.

The process for assigning to these games will be as per any other event. I will assign officials to the tournaments and will advise the tournaments directly if they have or do not have officials. I will then confirm assignments to the crews. I will add a second item on the members website showing the events and the assigned crews.

On game day officials would need to claim their expenses directly with the tournament organisers. The head ref on the day will need to complete a green form to account for the BAFRA admin fee and to ensure the crew are covered off for insurance purposes.

The tournament dates and locations are as follows:

DATE	CONFERENCE	HOST
Sat 22^nd May	SOUTH	LONDON WARRIORS
Sat 22^nd May	NORTH	BOLTON BULLDOGS
Sat 5^th June	NORTH	CHORLEY BUCCANEERS
Sat 19^th June	SOUTH	COVENTRY JETS
Sat 19^th June	SCOTLAND	GLASGOW TIGERS
Sat 19^th June	NORTH	WOODHAM WARRIORS
Sat 26^th June	NORTH	SHEFFIELD TOMAHAWKS
Sat 10^th July	SOUTH	LONDON BLITZ
Sat 17^th July	SOUTH	MARLOW WOLFPACK
Sat 24^th July	SCOTLAND	EDINBURGH WOLVES
Sat 1^st August	NORTH	BALBY CARR MUSTANGS
Sat 7^th August	SCOTLAND	CLYDE VALLEY FALCONS
Sat 21^st August	SCOTLAND	HIGHLAND WILDCATS
Sat 28^th August	SCOTLAND	INVERCLYDE PHOENIX

Full details are on the website members area.

If anybody is interested in volunteering to officiate one or more of these events can you please advise me by email as soon as possible. This might also be a useful opportunity to give some of our newest members a taster of the game before they take the field for youth or senior kitted football.

Pete Johnson

operations@bafra.org

MINIMUM MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

This is a reminder that the BAFA CL minimum medical requirements mandate an ambulance must be present in order for a game to proceed. If there is no ambulance the game must not proceed under any circumstances. BAFA minimum medical requirements are not sufficient.

A PDF copy of the BAFA CL rules & regs is now available for download on the members area gameday section.

Pete Johnson

operations@bafra.org

ASSIGNMENT UPDATES

Updates to the current game assignments are on the website and the crews involved crews have been advised.

Pete Johnson

operations@bafra.org

TEAM VENUES ON GOOGLE MAPS

In case you missed the emails I sent. I have created a map in Google maps showing details of all the senior and youth teams home venues. It can be found at:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=116970205142569199298.00048525b5b227a73202b

If you find anything on there to be incorrect please let me know so I can update the details.

Pete Johnson

operations@bafra.org

PLAUDITS

Plaudits to the Nottingham Caesars and the Leicester Falcons, who entered the record books on Sunday when they battled to the third highest score in a tied game in Britball History (35-35). The Second Highest was a 36-36 tie between the Luton Flyers and the Birmingham Bulls in 1988. The highest score in a tied game was 40 points each in a game between the Nottingham Hoods and the Glasgow Lions in 1989.

(Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20080623005733/www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Records/Team.html)

Ben Griffiths

#228

MORE PLAUDITS

Plaudits to a couple of Youth teams – South London Renegades and Colchester Gladiators – who played each other today. It was the Renegades' first regular season game. The game was played with great spirit by both teams, there was only one 15yd penalty all game.

Steve Tonkinson

#99

RESULTS

BAFA Premiership

Bristol Aztecs 34 - 2 Sussex Thunder

BAFA Division 1:

East Kent Mavericks 6 - 0 Peterborough Saxons

Merseyside Nighthawks 15 - 20 Gateshead Senators

Nottingham Caesars 35 - 35 Leicester Falcons

Birmingham Bulls 6 - 12 South Wales Warriors

Cambridgeshire Cats 47 - 39 Ipswich Cardinals

BAFA Division 2:

Cornish Sharks 14 - 27 Watford Cheetahs

Bedfordshire Blue Raiders 20 - 6 Norwich Devils

Clyde Valley Blackhawks 26 - 12 West Coast Trojans

Chester Romans 39 - 12 Highland Wildcats

Hull Hornets 0 - 72 Manchester Titans

London Olympians 46 - 0 Essex Spartans

Maidstone Pumas 15 - 8 Lincolnshire Bombers

BAFA Youth:

South London Renegades 0 - 76 Colchester Gladiators

Reading Rebels 0 - 16 Bristol Aztecs

BAFA Junior:

Burnley Tornadoes 26 - 44 Chorley Buccaneers

Burnley Tornadoes 6 - 40 Woodham Warriors

Chorley Buccaneers 0 - 33 Woodham Warriors

DISCIPLINARY CASES

NAME	#	TEAM	CODE	Q		OFFENCE	SUSPENDED
New this week
Aaron Paterson	88	West Coast Trojans	FPF	3	After the play was over #88 head butted an opponent then threatened him.		23/05/10 v Edinburgh Wolves
Previous weeks – None

Note: it is the responsibility of the individual teams to ensure that their suspended players serve their suspensions in the proper game (according to the BAFA Disciplinary Code), and any dates mentioned here are intended only as a guide.

GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS

HOME TEAM	REPORT	NEXT HOME GAME
New this week
Reading Rebels	The medical cover provided by Reading was a Paramedic meeting BAFA rules but not BAFACL rules. As this was sufficient for BAFRA purposes the game proceeded. Keith Wickham #423	23/05/10 v Farnham Knights
Cornish Sharks	80yard field, 10yard end zones. Nine yard marks missing NFL hash marks. Martin Cockerill #345	13/06/10 v Milton Keynes Pathfinders
Birmingham Bulls	Kick off was delayed by half-hour while chain set was brought from Birmingham University who had borrowed them. Brian Yates #29	11/07/10 v Tamworth Phoenix
Maidstone Pumas	Game was played on a 70-yard field at New Line Academy, Loose, despite being contrary to rule 1-2-1-a-3. This made the kicking game a bit of a mockery due to excessive touchbacks, but apart from this, the field markings were generally good and a competitive, if error-strewn game was possible. Tim Ockendon #481	06/06/10 v Essex Spartans
East Kent Mavericks	Upon arrival at Keynes College we were informed by home team management that American Football referees have been prohibited from using the changing facilities at Keynes College due to alleged issues with the manner in which they were left at the previous game 2 weeks ago. 3 of the 4 officials on the crew (me included) were on the previous game and our understanding is that there should have been no such issues as we left the changing rooms as we found them. Today we had to change at the new sports complex which is at least a 5 minute drive from Keynes College. These changing facilities are very good (clean, quiet, separate shower and toilet) but are quite small for even a 4 man crew (they are designed for soccer officials' use). We were permitted to use 2 changing rooms if we wanted however. Field markings not changed from 2 weeks ago (top of numbers only 6 yards infield, inbounds lines a further 6 yards infield). Chain crew had 2 members changed at halftime and one ball person was changed. Daniel Bridgland #506	20/06/10 v Cambridgeshire Cats
South London Renegades Youth	Poor uneven surface, grass patchy, some fair sized bare patches and dips in the ground. No 5 yd lines, 10yd lines were variable - some more, some less than 10yds, no hashes, no 9yd marks, no team area, no coaches area. EZ's smaller than 7yds. No footballs, visitors supplied a couple of footballs. Steve Tonkinson #99	06/06/10 v East Kent Mavericks
Outstanding items from previous weeks
Farnham Knights	Changing room provided would have been large enough had it not also been used as a general storage room; most of the seating space was unavailable. The first half was delayed by 10 minutes due to Farnham's failure to provide a chain crew. A game management delay was enforced. The field surface in one of the end zones is very bumpy and uneven, although playable. Alan Dobson #308	23/05/10 v London Blitz
Hampshire Thrashers	No numbers or 9 yard marks. No sideline markers to indicate yard lines. Home team only had a down box - fortunately one of the officials had a chain set in the boot of his car! Chain crew changed at half-time. Game kicked off 5 minutes late due to late arrival of ambulance. However, offsetting the above, we had an officials changing room with leather armchairs and a private bar! Jim Briggs #31	23/05/10 v Gloucester Banshees
Shropshire Revolution	It was reported to me with 50 seconds remaining that the down box operator had a two way radio, which he had used to update the scoreboard operator and the commentator errors on the board. Lancashire had objected claiming an unfair advantage. By rule no offence had occurred, unless the league has sanctions. This was a great game with a 50yard field goal, and both sides playing good hard football. Charlie Dean-Young #258	06/06/10 v Sheffield Predators
Oxford Saints	Official's room was probably the smallest I have seen. Another room next door is larger but full of clutter and made showering difficult. Brian Yates #29	30/05/10 v Birmingham Bulls
Gateshead Senators	Game played on a multi-use pre-marked astroturf pitch with white soccer markings. No 9 yard marks, team area indicated by 5 a side markings. 90 yard pitch with 8 yard endzones. Goal posts 12 yards from goal line, one set not parallel to end line. Tzvi Lindeman #381	30/05/10 v Yorkshire Rams
Manchester Titans	Members of chain crew changed at half time. New crew not presented to officials until kick off for second half. Home team charged with a delay penalty. In the youth game beforehand there was one change of ballboy at half time. Mike Cavanagh #465	30/05/10 v Shropshire Revolution
Sheffield Tomahawks	Field was 90 yards marked out on a rugby field with two 5 yard endzones, it was shortened to an 80 yard field with two 10 yard end zones. Originally marked to the full width of the rugby field, narrowed so that the rugby field 5 metre lines constituted the sidelines, still too wide but nearer to the dimensions of a football field. Hash marks were high school width not NCAA. Chains were found to be only 9 yards long, they were adjusted and lengthened to make them 10 yards. Tim Vickers #129	23/05/10 Sheffield Predators v Staffordshire Surge
South Wales Warriors	Home team agreed to use their old white kit due to a colour clash with Leicester, but the old white kit has the single numbers prefixed by zero. Leicester provided the game balls and the ball boys. Chain crew provided less than 30 minutes before kick-off. No 9 yd markings (or numbers). Extra point marking was at the 4 yd line at one end. No coaches boxes. The changing room is okay for the 3 man rugby officials but is cramped for a 5 man crew. Announcer was critical of a DPI against South Wales. Russell Newton #324	30/05/10 v Tamworth Phoenix
London Blitz	Kickoff delayed 10 minutes due to both teams' indecision about whether to conduct a card check. Any crews working at Finsbury Park this season should be aware that London Blitz are now supplying a microphone for the Referee. Alan Dobson #308	20/06/10 v Coventry Jets
Note: it is possible that any game may be cancelled, or any team may arrange additional games. Any dates mentioned here are intended only as a guide.

END ZONE

PLAY OF THE WEEK:

New this week

Play: A's ball on B's 30, 4th and 6. A4's field goal attempt is partially blocked. The ball hits the ground on B's 25 and rebounds behind the neutral zone where A87 muffs the ball on B's 31. The ball rolls out of bounds on B's 32.
Ruling?

Previous week's play

Play: 4th and Goal on B's 15. Team A attempts a field goal. The kick is partially blocked by B25 at B's 21. The ball falls well short and bounces on B's 13. It rolls to B's 9 and is muffed by B82. The muff causes the ball to roll to B's 18, where it is recovered by A45. A45 advances to B's 13 and steps out of bounds. Next Play? Clock?
Ruling? 1st and 10 for Team A on B18. Clock starts on the snap. The scrimmage kick has crossed the neutral zone and was touched by team B. Therefore team A are eligible to recover the kick, but not to advance it. The ball is dead where recovered by team A and belongs to team A with a new set of downs since the continuity of downs was broken (5-1-4-b). The clock runs on the snap since the last play was a kick (3-3-2-d-8).

CALENDAR

Date	Event	Contact for details
2009
July 17^th (Sat)	BAFRA board meeting	president@bafra.org
October 31^st (Sun)	Broncos @ 49ers, Wembley
November 20^th (Sat)	BAFRA board meeting	president@bafra.org

BAFRA Directors
President	David Parsons	president@bafra.org	General Secretary	Paul Sutton	secretary@bafra.org
Finance	Andrew Lovell	finance@bafra.org	Operations	Pete Johnson	operations@bafra.org
Recruitment	Ben Griffiths	recruitment@bafra.org	Training	Charlie Dean Young	training@bafra.org
Director without Portfolio #1	Martin Cockerill	dwp1@bafra.org	Director without Portfolio #2	Steve Tonkinson	dwp2@bafra.org

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.org.

Deadline for articles submitted by email (newsflash@bafra.org) is midnight Tuesday.

Editor: Dean Wright - Email: newsflash@bafra.org