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ISSUE 27/07 16 July 2007

RETIREMENT

It was with some sadness that I have to report that Roger Stangroom has announced his intention to retire from officiating (and hence his roles in BAFRA) at the end of September.

Roger has served the association loyally for many years now, both on and off the field, and we will miss him enormously.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

SITUATIONS VACANT

Roger's retirement (above) leaves a big hole in BAFRA's administration, simply because of the number of jobs he has been holding down. Therefore we are looking for people interested in doing any or all of the following posts:

  • General Secretary - one of the directors of the Association; a member of the Executive Board; usually arranges Board meetings and takes the minutes
  • Membership Secretary (could be combined with General Secretary or separate) - keeping accurate track of members and their status
  • Newsflash editor - producing Newsflash each week
  • Webmaster - keeping the BAFRA website updated; also managing the email redirection system for the bafra.org domain
  • Rules & Mechanics Committee member - hopefully self-explanatory

If you are interested in any of the above, please contact me for an informal chat as soon as possible. I should emphasise that we are not just looking for long-standing members to do these jobs. Any member, old or new, can apply.

In addition to Roger's jobs, we are also beginning our advance planning for what is being termed our potential "Wembley legacy". If as a result of the publicity that football in general, and BAFA and BAFRA in particular, gets before, during and after the Dolphins/Giants game at Wembley we receive 10 enquiries for membership, we can probably cope. If we get 100, we'll struggle. If we get 1000, we will probably disappoint a lot of people!

We are therefore looking for a number of volunteers to whom we can share out the workload as it comes in. This will involve contacting enquirers by phone and/or email, answering their questions about officiating, encouraging them to join, and then following them up through induction training and their first few games.

We are hoping that all the members of the Elite Programme will volunteer for this, plus any other members who can spare a little time. If you're willing to help out with this please contact Davie Parsons (training@bafra.org).

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

GET INTO AMERICAN FOOTBALL

At the BAFA Convention last weekend, Ken Walters launched BAFA's new marketing campaign "Get into American Football" and its website http://www.getintoamericanfootball.com/.

Have a look at it. More to the point, get everyone you know to have a look at it!

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

FLAGDOWN

A final call for articles as I hope to publish late next week. Please email to me at the address below.

Colin Payne
flagdown@bafra.org

AVAILABILITY

The availability form on the website has been updated to cover up-to the end of October. Please take a moment to update your availability.

Pete Thom
operations@bafra.org

MINUTE'S SILENCE

Those of you who officiated BAFL games last weekend may have observed a minute's silence. This was in memory of Kyle Jones of the Merseyside Nighthawks who sadly passed away last week, aged 22.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

ANTI-SMOKING LAW

An email has been received asking:
With respect to the new anti-smoking laws, what would be the status of my car if I am carrying other officials to a game. Am I still in a private car and can smoke or am I in a work vehicle and cannot smoke. Your opinion would be appreciated

I suggest you consult a solicitor for specific legal advice, but I found an article on the web at http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=49250 which contains some relevant information.

Since BAFRA is not your employer (you are a self-employed contractor as an official), the Association does not have any legal duty in this matter.

Of course, even if the law allows you to smoke, courtesy should cause you not to do so if others object. That also begs the question as to why any highly-honed athlete (like all BAFRA officials!) should want to smoke!

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

WORLD CHAMIONSHIP REPORT

USA won the 3rd IFAF World Championships, held last week in Japan.

They beat the host country (and twice previous winners) 26-23 in double overtime. Germany finished third, edging out Sweden 7-0, while Korea beat France 3-0 in the fifth-place playoff.

For this tournament, all the officials were from the participating countries. The final was worked by a crew consisting of German, French and Swedish officials.

More details at http://wc2007.info/index_e.html.

Jim Briggs
president@bafra.org

INJURED PLAYERS

Whenever a player is injured on the field, the officials have to act in his best interests. This usually involves summoning his team's trainer on to the field to tend to him. If a team doesn't have its own trainer, then the medical personnel provided by game management (e.g. the ambulance crew or paramedic) are normally summoned.

Other personnel (e.g. a coach or a fellow player) may want to tend to the player while the medical personnel are being summoned. Take care with this, since unless you know they are trained in first aid, there is a possibility (usually remote) that they might make the situation worse. This might particularly be the case if a broken bone or internal injuries are suspected. Nevertheless, allowing those personnel to reassure the player may be the most appropriate thing to do.

It is always a good idea to ask the head coach before the game who from his team will be the first responder to players' injuries, and if that person is qualified in first aid (or better, is a paramedic, doctor or nurse).

This has been prompted by an incident in a recent game where the officials discouraged people from the sideline from tending to a player while the ambulance crew were being summoned. Whether this is the right thing to do or not depends on the circumstances and officials need to use their judgement in these situations.

Another thing to take into account is the age of the player. A youth player may legally be a child, and therefore everyone's duty of care to him is increased. Allowing a parent (or other family representative) on to the field to talk to the player while he is being examined may be a good thing to do.

Jim Briggs
rules@bafra.org

JOHN SLAVIN TROPHY

I have just been passed the scores up-to the end of June and will be putting them on the web (http://www.bafra.org/info/jst/index.htm) sometime this week.

As a preview, the top 3 teams all with average scores of less that 20 are Edinburgh Wolves, Colchester Gladiators and Hull Hornets, but there are 7 teams whose average is in the 20's who could make a sudden comeback.

The worst two both have scores of over 200 with a third close behind - the shame is that two of these are premiere division teams.

Roger Stangroom
newsflash@bafra.org

ROGER'S RHETORIC

From last week Play: A's ball, 4th and 2, on B's 23. The score is A24-B24. An official signals a touchdown, but does not blow his whistle, as soon as A49 crosses B's 5. Time expires in the fourth quarter during the down.

Ruling: A's ball, 1st and goal, on B's 5. Extend the period. No touchdown. The ball becomes dead when the official signals the ball dead with his touchdown signal. The official signalling the ball dead is handled like an inadvertent whistle. Team A will elect to put the ball in play where declared dead, B's 5.
New this week A's ball, 4th and goal, on B's 2. QB A12 attempts to hand the ball to A44 on B's 4 and A44 does not control the ball. As A44 crosses the goal line the ball hits the ground and bounces right back into his arms and he now controls ball and is downed in B's end zone.

Ruling?

TEAM PAYMENT STATUS

TEAM NAME LEAGUESTATUS COMMENT
Sussex Thunder BAFL Pre-paid Referee contact Director of Finance on Thursday before the game to arrange payment.

DISCIPLINARY CASES

NAME # TEAM CODE Q OFFENCE SUSPENDED
  15 July
Adeyemi OKUNOWO 62 East Ken Mavericks FPF 2 Late Hit Out Of Bounds.
Running back went out of bounds, first defender pulled up at side-line, second defender followed him out of bounds hit him and then took him to the ground, knocking down other players and the Cambridge head coach.
Martin Cockerill #345 		05/08/07
Oluwarotimi ALADEWOLU 70 Maidstone Pumas TUF 2 Two unsportsmanlike fouls - the first was to throw his helmet to the ground whilst on the field of play, and the second was a threat to an opponent to get him after the game.
Roger Stangroom #180 		19/08/07
  Outstanding items from previous weeks
Darren CARR 28 Lancashire Wolverines TUF 1 Committed two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, verbally abusing referee. 11/08/07
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
  15 July
Edinburgh Wolves Shortened one endzone due to large rut running through one corner of it causing a trip hazard. Rut was cause by gate of nearby shot-putt cage.
Henry Richardson #358 		21/07/07
London Olympians Hash marks and some other field markings very faint. End zones only just 8yds deep.
Goals are soccer goals with uprights, therefore too wide.
Problems acquiring keys to changing rooms.
Chain crew not provided until virtually kickoff time.
Game suspended for 30 mins in 1st quarter while a thunderstorm passed over. Suspended again for 15 mins in 3rd quarter while an injured player was tended to.
Jim Briggs #31 		22/07/07
Hull Hornets K.O suspended 40 mins until a trip hazard was rectified on the field of play at the 30yd line. 2 holes approx 6-8 inches deep in a swampy area of the field were filled with an earth/sand mixture which also helped dissipate some of the standing water in that area.
Both teams were a credit to the game which was played in an excellent spirit throughout in a close hard fought contest.
Ian Cubitt #457 		29/07/07
  Outstanding items from previous weeks
Birmingham Bulls Some hashmarks in one endzone, some yard lines not always 1 yard apart, and no 5 yard lines. The Bulls did a good job of marking the field at the last minute due to original stadium being unavailable. Gateshead arrived late so game kicked off 3/4 hour late. We ran 12-minute quarters as the Bulls had the field for a set period of time.
Brian Yates #29 		21/07/07
Norwich Devils Wonky goal posts. Crew had to change with teams, and game suspended for 50 minutes to allow medics to attend to injured player on field.
Pete Thom #200 		22/07/07
London Blitz Game began 30 minutes late due to late arrival of ambulance. Ran 12 minute quarters.
Brian Yates #29 		22/07/07
Sussex Thunder Sussex provided the ball boy for their sideline but Colchester had to provide one for their sideline. Chain crew were provided only 5 minutes before kick-off. Chain crew were slow, but there were no willing replacements so we did not change them at half time.
Sussex ball boy is only 12 years old but he is good nonetheless.
Dan Bridgland #506 		29/07/07
Essex Spartans Only one ball boy provided. Game abandoned in 4th quarter due to Essex player injury.
Lee Baker #413 		05/08/07
London Blitz With the co-operation of both head coaches, the 2nd quarter was reduced to 8 minutes. At the end of the 2nd quarter the Essex head coach conceded the game due to the lack of fit players left in his squad.
Brian Yates #29 		05/08/07
(Essex)
Colchester Gladiators The ambulance was involved in a RTA on its way to the stadium, and we had to wait 30 minutes for a replacement to arrive.
Roger Stangroom #180 		12/08/07
East Kent Mavericks One set of hashmarks extremely faint, rest of lines slightly faint, only 2 balls in good condition provided by home team so we used a ball provided by the away team, chain crew quite slow, holes in field surface had been filled in with sand.
Phil Clarke #372 		12/08/07
Note: it is possible that any game may be cancelled and also any team may arrange additional games, and so any dates mentioned here are intended only as a guide.

NewsFlash
The opinions expressed in this Newsflash are those of the contributors, and are not necessarily those of BAFRA or its Directors.