Issue 25/26 23rd July 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
The latest board meetings can be found here:
https://www.bafra.info/members/minutes/eb20260711.pdf
Richard Moger – General Secretary
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
Adam Bowley | 25 | Solent Thrashers | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | TBC - Next competitive game (likely first round of playoffs) |
Previous weeks | ||||
Justin Goodall | 71 | East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 19th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
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 |
Laurie Beckett-Jones | 2 | Solent Seahawks (U19) | Targeting - Crown of Helmet | TBC - Next competitive game (likely first round of playoffs) |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Bristol Apache | Game played at Bath & West Showground during an American food/culture festival. Uneven field. No three-yard markings. Coaches' area marked out with cones. Changing room was in a conference room which was unlocked. Richard Madge #485 | Unknown |
Birmingham Bulls | 90-yard field marked in white, mostly well-marked except the inbounds markings are slightly off-centre. The changing rooms were in a shipping container and were not lockable, but the ample space and refreshments provided for the crew were much appreciated. Emma Harris #236 | Unknown |
Birmingham Lions (U19) | 90-yard field marked in white, mostly well-marked except the inbounds markings are slightly off-centre. The changing rooms were in a shipping container and were not lockable, but the ample space and refreshments provided for the crew were much appreciated. With 0:08 remaining in the first half, a player of the away team sustained a serious injury. With the agreement of both head coaches, the half-time break was taken at that point and the final 8 seconds of the first half were played immediately before the second half kick off. Emma Harris #236 | Unknown |
Bristol Aztecs | Field marked in yellow & sometimes hard to see in direct sunlight. The down judge was injured in the second quarter and was unable to continue, with the game being completed as a crew of six. Jed Brookes-Lewis #395 | 2nd August 2026 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
Cambridgeshire Cats | No numbers or nine-yard marks, although other sports markings were used as an approximation. Hashmarks were two yards too close to the sidelines; pylons behind the end line were moved in to mark the correct position. Brian Yates #29 | Unknown |
Chester Romans | 90-yard field marked in dark blue, where some lines were somewhat faded. Some of the inbounds markings were not consistently one yard apart. Team areas were marked between the 20-yard lines (with cones), but no coaches' areas were marked. No three-yard marks, nine-yard marks, or numbers. Andrew Swift #403 | Unknown |
Coventry Phoenix | White field markings closer than four feet to the goal line and end line. Nine-yard marks missing. Coaching line missing. Changing rooms not locked. Robert Cornwell #105 | Unknown |
East Kilbride Pirates | No limit lines. Coaching and team areas were incorrectly marked. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Henry Richardson #25 | 2nd August 2026 v Nottingham Caesars |
East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | No limit lines. Coaching and team areas were incorrectly marked. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Henry Richardson #25 | Unknown |
Inverclyde Goliaths | No limit lines. No nine-yard marks or numbers. Henry Richardson #25 | Unknown |
Leigh Miners | Well-marked 90-yard field. No limit lines. Game balls required inflation. Officials’ changing room was spacious but lacked a shower and toilet. David Hewitt #607 | Unknown |
London Blitz (U19) | One spacious, lockable changing room was provided for mixed sex crew with no hooks or private shower. Ball pressure was very low but fixed by the crew. The water pressure in the showers was also very low and, sadly, not fixed. Both ball persons changed at a random moment. The stadium announcer provided something closer to commentary, but not in a way that advantaged either team. One goal was no longer in line with the plane of the endline. The field was approximately 95% grass, 5% sandy patches, with lines breaking up in the sandy patches. Despite Finsbury Park having no rain for 24 days, one area was muddy, and there was a puddle. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
London Blitz B | One spacious, lockable changing room was provided for mixed gender crew with no hooks or private shower. The water pressure in the showers was very low. Good quality stadium announcer was silent between the huddle breaking and the ball becoming dead. One goal was no longer in line with the plane of the endline. The field was approximately 95% grass, 5% sandy patches, with markings breaking up in the sandy patches. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
London Olympians | The 90-yard field had been marked with a robot using a 100-yard template with NFL-width hashmarks. NCAA hashmarks had been added, and the surplus markings running into the end zones did not cause any issues. Simon Ryan #408 | 2nd August 2026 v London Blitz B |
SGS Pride | With the agreement of both head coaches, the Kick Off was brought forward one hour to 11:00 due to the high temperatures. Due to the nature of this friendly fixture, both Head Coaches also agreed there would be no kick plays, with drives starting at Team A’s 30-yard line or at the point where the ball was at the time of change of possession. Mark Schofield #557 | Unknown |
Solent Thrashers | 100-yard field that had recently been re-marked. However, the inbounds markings had not been re-marked as they ran out of paint. Team areas marked between the 25-yard lines. Jon Ireland #508 | Unknown |
Solent Thrashers (NWFL) | The venue was broken into, and the venue’s insurance would not allow the game to proceed as they were unable to guarantee participants' safety. Solent tried every marked field within a two-hour drive but were unable to secure an alternative venue. As a result, the game was not played. All officials travelled to the game venue and were only informed of the issue after all were well on the way. Steve Currie #554 | Unknown |
Staffordshire Surge | Home team in white jerseys; visiting team in light grey jerseys. On the field, teams' jerseys could clearly be differentiated. Frank Eissa-Barroso #267 | Unknown |
Swindon Storm | Clearly marked field but no limit lines, with spectator areas marked off with barriers. Changing rooms not lockable; game had one short stoppage for an injury. Scott Castle #626 | 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 ([email protected]) is midnight Tuesday. |
