As
excitement builds for the weekend’s kick off for the BAFA National League (BAFANL) it’s time to take a look
at the rule changes that will impact clubs and players this year. Plus read to the end to find out about our
new “Ask the Ref” column.
Two things
that often confuse both players and spectators watching UK games relate to
differences they see between the NFL and the major US College games they watch
on TV, so let me start by clearing up some of that confusion.
The NFL use
their own specific rules that address the way the game is played at a
professional level (faster, more capable, fitter and/or stronger). Colleges and the UK (plus most countries that
play football around the world) use variations of the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) rules. These
place player safety as a higher priority with penalties that are tougher or
more strictly enforced. For further
differences, take a look at the Wikipedia comparison.
As a
guideline, rules that are introduced in the NCAA in one year are usually
integrated into the UK (and International) rules in the following year (with
some variations to reflect local issues).
Now for
what’s new for BAFA 2016. This year
doesn’t see very many changes over the rules in place for 2015 but there is one
significant one that certainly may impact some players on the field and in
their pockets and that is what is known as an Overbuilt Facemask.
Overbuilt
Facemasks
There are a
number of safety related reasons for the introduction of a ban on overbuilt
facemasks which include the added weight which makes a player more likely to
drop their head into a tackle, the increased probability of broken fingers
caused by contact with the masks and the physiological impact that a larger
cage has on players’ actions due to a false sense of security.
So what is
an overbuilt facemask? Here are some examples
of overbuilt facemasks:
In
comparison here are the examples of legal facemasks (both © BAFA):
So trying
to put the difference into words, count the bars below the eye line, 3 OK; 5
overbuilt. If there are 4 it is then a
question of how many finger breaking close sets, 1 set is OK but not more.
Expect
plenty of pre-game discussion before the first games this year as the officials
from the British American Football Referees’ Association BAFRA who are in charge of enforcing the
rules remind players who may not have thought they had an issue.
Pile Puling
now Unsportsmanlike
The second
major change that is introduced in 2016 is a change to the unsportsmanlike
conduct rule that prohibits players from pushing or pulling opponents off a
pile of players. Unsportsmanlike
penalties are very serious in football.
It’s like a yellow card in soccer.
Two unsportsmanlike penalties will result in the player ejecting
himself.
Drones
No drones
(unmanned aerial vehicle) may be used around the field. If a drone violates the space, the Referee
shall order the game stopped until the drone is removed. If there are no stands or fences around the
field, this extends within sight or sound of the playing field.
http://dronelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/drone_sports-300x234.jpg
Sideline
Interference
Coaching
staff or substitutes cannot encroach in the area within 6 feet of the sideline
during play. This area is the officials working area and it needs to be clear
so the officials can see the action near the sidelines clearly and so they
aren’t put in danger or running into people when their attention is focused on
the field. The first offence will result
in a warning and subsequent warnings will attract 5 yards (up to 2 warnings)
and 15 yard penalties (any further warnings).
Any offence that obstructs an official (including an official who needs
to change course to avoid somebody) will still be a 15-yard penalty.
Look on the
bright side, in the NFL it’s not just a penalty, Steeler’s Mike Tomlin was
fined $100,000 for this act of sideline interference:
To see an
example of where safety becomes an issue take a look at this play.
Failure to
wear mandatory equipment
This year
instead of being a charged timeout, players will simply be sent off the field
for at least a down until the equipment is made legal. A team can “burn” a time-out in order to buy
the player back in, however the equipment must be made legal for a player to
resume. Equipment violations are
normally items like gum shields but could include the new issue of overbuilt
facemasks.
Team Changing
Facilities
Changing
rooms have now become subject to the rules.
If the two teams' changing rooms are not of similar quality, the
visiting team must be offered the better facilities!
Blind-Side
Blocks and Targeting
Definitions
for Blind-Side blocks have been included to aide in the protection of
defenseless players from “targeting”. If
a player is not in a position to see a block coming, then he is defenseless and
forcible hits to the head and neck area will fall under the targeting rules.
To be
clear, targeting is not the deliberate taking aim at a player. It is the forcible hit to the head and neck
area of a defenseless player or the
lowering of the head to hit any part of the body with the crown of the helmet. This was
known as spearing in the past.
Targeting
involves an automatic disqualification.
Other examples of defenseless players are QBs who have just thrown the
ball and receivers in the process of catching a pass.
ASK THE REF
Here’s a
good example of Blind-Side block that includes targeting:
Now it’s
your turn. Are there rules you’ve not
fully understood or situations that baffle you in a game? These don’t need to be complex rules interpretations,
they could just be things like “Why does that official have a black band around
his fingers?”, “Why does he hold his arm out or up at certain times in the
play?” or “Why are there five officials and are they all watching the same
thing?”
Email your
questions to asktheref@ukfirstdown.co.uk and we will feature them in our
brand new “Ask the Ref” column. You can
even choose to be anonymous if you prefer.
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