Following successful training courses held in Newcastle, Bristol, Hatfield and Coventry, BAFRA is organising a further American football Official training course. As before, this course is aimed at the beginner official. The goal of the course is to train attendees to a level where they are competent to officiate American Football.

The dates and locations are given below. The courses will each consist of one day of face-to-face learning.

Teams are encouraged to send any potential officials they may have to these courses. Attendees will receive a Rulebook, Mechanics Manual and an Induction Training Manual. Upon successful completion of the course, an attendee will become an associate official, and registered with BAFRA, the BAFA officiating body.

Membership of BAFRA provides essential liability insurance to officiate games, and affords members further opportunities for training and development, including the opportunity to progress along one of the best officiating frameworks in European football..

The shortfall in suitably qualified officials has been identified as one of the key priorities within BAFA, and with planned tightening of regulation regarding who can officiate in games teams are encouraged to support in the identification of people who could attend these courses.

Course specifics

Costs and booking

The cost of each course is FREE. Click HERE to register online.

Venues and dates

Each course will start at 0930 prompt and end at approximately 1700. There will be a break for lunch (not provided).

Details of the venue will be emailed to applicants after booking.

More information

For more information, call Ben Griffiths on 0161 224 3228 or email recruitment@bafra.org.

FAQ's

Upon completing the course - what qualification will the attendee receive?

After the course, attendees will need to do a short Competency Exam. After passing this they will be Associate officials and able to go on the field. It will be possible to undertake further study to achieve Qualified status but this is optional. Higher levels of qualification leading ultimately to international status are available.

Will attendees be working alongside existing BAFRA officials?

Yes - those who complete the course successfully will become associate BAFRA members and be competent to officiate. There is no distinction between officials who have taken different routes to this point.

How will the assignment process work? Will those who complete the course have to officiate any game they are assigned or just a certain area on certain dates?

Of course it is hoped that everyone who undertakes the course will make themselves available to officiate to the maximum degree possible, but it isn't a problem if they are only available in a specific location or on only a few dates. The aim is to vastly increase the number of people who are competent to officiate, and thereby contribute to the growth in the sport.