Issue 23/26 3rd July 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
QUALIFIED – MARK PARKINSON
Congratulations to Mark Parkinson on completing all the requirements to become Qualified.
Thanks to Lee Taylor and everyone helping with Mark’s training.
James Ford-Bannister - Director of Training
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
Previous weeks | ||||
Simon Bennett | 55 | Black Country Steelers | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 5th July 2026 v Shropshire Revolution |
Stuart Andrews | 79 | Black Country Steelers | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 5th July 2026 v Shropshire Revolution |
Justin Goodall | 71 | East Kilbride Pirates (U19) | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 19th July 2026 v Manchester Titans |
William Stevens | 53 | Glasgow Tigers | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 5th July 2026 v Aberdeen Roughnecks |
Sebastian Pettitt | 35 | Kent Exiles | Contacting an Official | 5th July 2026 v East Kent Mavericks |
Brendon Pasipangodya | 7 | Kent Exiles (U19) | Fighting | 5th July 2026 v Rushmoor Knights |
Michael Lee | 58 | Lincolnshire Bombers | Flagrant Personal Foul | 28th June 2026 v Darlington Steam |
Paul Mowbray | 71 | Nottingham Caesars | Contacting an Official | 5th July 2026 v Merseyside Nighthawks |
Laurie Beckett-Jones | 2 | Solent Seahawks (U19) | Targeting - Crown of Helmet | 19th July 2026 v Kent Exiles |
Joseph Canseco Odriozola | 27 | Wakefield District Raiders | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | 5th July 2026 v Leigh Miners |
Demetriou Haralambous | 52 | Wembley Stallions | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 5th July 2026 v Rushmoor Knights |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Berkshire Renegades | The away team arrived late due to traffic. As a result, the kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes with the agreement of both Head Coaches Mark Schofield #557 | Unknown |
Gateshead Senators | Uneven grass field with field markings below full standards. Goals were slanted, and Lancashire were asked to provide two officials’ assistants in order for the game to proceed. Richard McEwen #206 | 5th July 2026 v Lincolnshire Bombers |
Hertfordshire Cheetahs | A well-marked 100-yard field. Team areas were too small. A small area was roped off for spectators. The chain supplied was too long and was shortened prior to kick off. Kick off delayed by 15 minutes, at the agreement of both head coaches, due to late-arriving Portsmouth players. Changing rooms were lockable but a modest distance from the field. Will Fazackerley #227 | 5th July 2026 v Oxford Saints |
Kent Exiles | 90-yard field that was a considerable distance from the changing rooms. Some short yard-line extensions in the end zone. Changing room was not lockable. Showers were communal and barely functional. High-quality officials' assistants, as always. Ben Gadsby #564 | 5th July 2026 v East Kent Mavericks |
Lincolnshire Bombers | The moles that usually haunt this ground had abated, but had left several divots in the ground. One, at the 40-yard line, caused particular concern. Kickoff was delayed by five minutes to resolve an issue with a home team player's suspension. With 7:42 left in the fourth quarter, the game was called as the away team were unable to field the required number of offensive linemen. Joel Pearson #405 | Unknown |
London Olympians | 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 | 19th July 2026 v East Kent Mavericks |
Newcastle Vikings | Field markings below full standards. Missing nine-yard marks. Short yard-line extensions were incredibly faint and disappeared as we got later in the game. Richard McEwen #206 | Unknown |
Northants Knights | Team areas were marked between the 25-yard lines. Brian Yates #29 | Unknown |
Plymouth Vanguard | 90-yard field. Good changing rooms. Richard Madge #485 | Unknown |
Shropshire Revolution | Multiple divots in the field. Lines for other sports were not marked in contrasting colours, Andrew Lovell #559 | 5th July 2026 v Black Country Steelers |
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 |
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 |
Wakefield District Raiders | Very well-marked 90-yard field. No limit lines.The down box required repair, causing a short stoppage. David Hewitt #607 | 5th July 2026 v Leigh Miners |
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 |
Birmingham Lions (NWFL) | A recently re-marked 90-yard artificial field in black. Generally well-marked, but the inbounds markings are approx two feet long. Multiple changes were made to the chain crew after kick off. Emma Harris #236 | 4th July 2026 v Solent Thrashers |
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 |
Bournemouth Bobcats | Game suspended for 10-15 minutes early in the first quarter due to a serious injury. Bournemouth provided a referee microphone, which worked pregame. Sadly, the speaker stopped working, and the mic was redundant. Oliver Maskell #221 | 5th July 2026 v Solent Thrashers |
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 |
Cambridge Cats | No numbers or nine-yard marks, but Rugby markings were used instead. Inbounds lines were two yards too wide (58 yards from the sidelines), so the pylons were repositioned to the correct distance. Hosts provided snack packs for the officials at half time, which was a nice touch. Brian Yates #29 | 5th July 2026 v Bristol Aztecs |
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 |
Hereford Stampede | No limit lines. Two small changing rooms were provided (along with sweets), but each room can only comfortably fit two people. Changing rooms were not locked during the game. Robert Cornwell #105 | 5th July 2026 vs Bristol Apache |
Hertfordshire Cheetahs (U19) | The changing room is a distance from the field. There was nothing particularly wrong with it; it just took a while to get the teams on the field. Keith Wickham #423 | 5th July 2026 v Oxford Saints |
Kent Exiles (U19) | 90-yard field, which is a considerable walk from the changing room making it impractical to go back at half-time. Generally well marked but some short yard line extensions were present in the end zone. The field surface was incredibly uneven in places and footing was often uncertain. With 0:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, a South London Renegade suffered a serious back injury which required ambulance attendance. So the remaining game clock was reduced to 0:00 with agreement of both HCs. Oliver Maskell #221 | 5th July 2026 v Rushmoor Knights |
Leicester Panthers | A well-marked 90-yard artificial field. Lines in yellow with other sports markings in white. No nine-yard markings, and the team areas were marked with cones. Kick off was delayed by ten minutes due to a late-arriving Northants squad caused by unforeseen traffic problems. The game was suspended for 16 minutes due to an injury during the second quarter. With 0:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, the officials and both head coaches agreed to reduce the time remaining to 0:00 due to a medical emergency on the adjacent cricket field requiring support from all members of the supplied medical cover. Will Fazackerley #227 | 5th July 2026 v Staffordshire Surge |
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 Olympians | The game was played on a grass field, as the usual artificial field is being redeveloped. 90-yard field originally marked as a 100-yard field with five-yard end zones, so the goal lines were moved out to the five-yard lines. On arrival, it was noted that parts of both end lines were missing. This was rectified prior to kickoff. No numbers or nine-yard marks. No limit lines. The team areas extended beyond the 20-yard lines on both sides of the field. Two changing rooms were provided for a mixed gender crew, which were more than adequate. There were multiple stoppages to repair the chains. Peter Parsons #321 | 19th July 2026 v East Kent Mavericks |
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 |
Manchester Titans (NWFL) | Field markings were below full standards. The field had been recently re-marked in black, but there were markings for other sports in dark blue and white. Some of the other markings were close to the markings for Football and sometimes caused confusion. There were no limit lines present. The crew used the Media Room as changing facilities, which was lockable. No private toilets and no showers available. Frank Eissa-Barroso #267 | 4th July 2026 v London Warriors |
Merseyside Nighthawks | Field markings below full standards. 90-yard field marked in white. Markings were clear enough while on the field, but very faint when looked at from any distance. No three-yard marks. No nine-yard marks. The officials' changing room was too small for a crew of five with no private toilet or shower facilities. Frank Eissa-Barroso #267 | 5th July 2026 v Nottingham Caesars |
Ouse Valley Eagles | Well-marked 100-yard grass field with no limit lines, numbers, or nine-yard marks. Changing rooms were not lockable but otherwise well-appointed. Phil Clarke #262 | 19th July 2026 vs Norwich Devils |
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts | 90-yard field. Lines on the field were closer to red than pink. No team areas marked, so cones were used prior to kick off. The inbounds markings were not straight or of equal length. Change of ball person required at half time. Scott Castle #626 | 5th July 2026 v London Blitz B |
Rushmoor Knights | The goal posts were strapped to the outside of soccer posts. Keith Wickham #423 | 9th August 2026 v Cambridgeshire Cats |
Sheffield Giants | Black markings were quite faint and hard to see in places. Joel Pearson #405 | 5th July 2026 v Chester Romans |
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 (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 |
Somerset Wyverns | A well-marked 100-yard field with two well-marked team areas and two cordoned off areas for spectators on one side of the field. The changing rooms were a communal area in the building, which had access through the building for people (who walked through throughout). Scott Castle #626 | 5th July 2026 vs Swindon Storms |
| |||||||||||||
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. |
