BAFA has announced a series of new appointments to the Rules Committee and its specialist working groups. This is the consequence of a review into the working of the Committee and a desire to broaden the number and backgrounds of people involved in the rules-making process, especially to ensure that those affected by changes are fairly represented.
The BAFA Rules Committee has four main functions:
- Review the effect of previous rule changes
- Make proposals for change on behalf of BAFA to IFAF (to the timetable set by IFAF)
- Determine BAFA-specific amendments to rules as permitted by IFAF (once IFAF has issued any changes)
- Advise the BAFA Board on the changes to the BAFA Regulations
In order to span all the different disciplines of football, three Specialist Working Groups cover:
- contact football (11 and 9-a-side formats),
- small-sided contact football (5 and 7-a-side formats and specifics applicable to age group and women’s football) and
- flag football.
Each group has representatives from both the “rules experts” (e.g. officials) and “rules consumers” (e.g. coaches and players). Members of the Committee are expected to work in the best interests of the sport and not as delegates of any organisation to which they are affiliated.
The appointments announced in July:
BAFA Rules Committee
- Jim Briggs (BAFRA) Chair
- Tim Ockenden (BAFRA)
- Neil O’Hare (BAFCA)
- Pete Parsons (BAFRA)
- Steve Rains (BAFCA, Solent Thrashers and Bournemouth University Bobcats)
- Paul Sutton (BAFRA)
- Kyle Taylor (BAFA Flag Commission)
- Jon Wyse (BAFCA and Staffordshire Surge)
- one vacancy
Contact football Specialist Working Group
- Jim Briggs (BAFRA) Convenor
- Pete Parsons (BAFRA)
- Steve Rains (BAFCA, Solent Thrashers and Bournemouth University Bobcats)
- Paul Sutton (BAFRA)
- Steve Tonkinson (BAFRA)
- Jon Wyse (BAFCA and Staffordshire Surge)
- two vacancies
Small-sided football Specialist Working Group
- Pete Parsons (BAFRA) Convenor
- Alan Dobson (BAFRA)
- Ben Gadsby (BAFRA)
- Tam McKendrick (East Kilbride Pirates)
- Mathew Micklethwaite (NWFL Competition Manager and wheelchair football Welfare Lead)
- Tim Ockenden (BAFRA)
- Neil O’Hare (BAFCA)
- one vacancy
Flag football Specialist Working Group
- Tim Ockenden (BAFRA) Convenor
- Jed Brookes-Lewis (BAFRA)
- Martin Cockerill (BAFRA)
- Kyle Taylor (BAFA Flag Commission)
- three vacancies
In addition, competition leads will be invited to participate in meetings relevant to their competitions. BAFA will shortly be inviting new applications to fill the still-vacant positions.
