The British American Football Association (BAFA ) has today announced that nominations are open for the new British American football Hall of Fame.
The process for selecting the initial class of inductees has been designed so that all those worthy of recognition can be considered. BAFA is mindful that British American football in its various formats has been played since 1982, meaning there are currently 38 years and 35 competitive seasons to cover. Depending on the number of individuals who receive nominations, the inaugural class may consist of up to 83 people.
Who is eligible?
All nominees can be of any gender and could have been active in the Adult, Youth, Flag or University leagues as players, coaches, officials (referees), administrators or volunteers.
Players and coaches must have been retired for at least 5 years to be eligible. Nominees for other categories can still be active. If a former player is currently active as a coach, they are eligible to be nominated as a player.
For non-British nationals who have made a significant impact on the British game, people can nominate up to 10 individuals across all formats and roles, and spanning all of the below time periods.
What time periods does the Hall of Fame cover?
Nominations are welcomed from the following time periods:
The 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s
For these time periods, people can nominate up to 15 players and 5 others (others could include coaches, administrators, officials and volunteers).
2010 to 2016
People can nominate up to 10 players and 3 others (reduced numbers from the above time periods given this is not a full decade).
How to nominate and the deadline
Please submit your nominations by email to heritage@britishamericanfootball.org using the following format:
Time period – Individual – Format – Role – Position (if a player) – Associated team
(For example: 1980s – Fred Bloggs – Adult Contact – Player – Quarterback – London Fog).
The deadline for submitting nominations is midnight on Sunday 14th March 2021.
Selection committee and criteria
All nominations will be collated and assessed by the selection committee before they produce a list of recommendations for consideration and sign off by the BAFA Board.
The selection criteria will include the following considerations:
- The overall impact any nominee had due to their positive contribution.
- The way in which the nominee impacted the sport.
- The level of excellence the nominee exhibited and the length of time they were active.
- The overall character of the nominee.
The selection committee comprises the following members, covering different eras and formats of British American football:
- Russ Hewitt (former BAFA Director and BAFCA President. Longstanding player and coach)
- Wayne Hill (Head of BAFCA, former player and championship winning university league coach. GB students Head Coach)
- Roger Goodgroves (former player and coach. Director of Operations for BAFRA)
- Steve Rains (former BAFA Board member, longstanding championship winning coach)
- Jon Wyse (former BAFA and BAFCA Board member. Player and coach with GB in adult and university formats)
- Phoebe Schecter (GB international player in contact and flag. Global coaching experience including the NFL)
- Kevin Jefferson (well respected Britball historian and archivist)
- Riq Ayub (former player, vastly experienced and well-respected coach. Former GB Lions Head Coach)
- Simon Hatcher (long standing and championship winning university league coach)
- Pete Laird (former player and BAFCA Director. Involved across many formats)
- Ian Ellis (former player, long standing coach and administrator)
- Dave Tidswell (former player, Britball archivist and writer)
