Rules Guide

The British American Football Association (BAFA) is the governing body of the sport in the UK. Each year its Rules Committee reviews and updates the playing rules which are largely based on US College Football rules set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The British American Football Referees Association (BAFRA) officiates games in
the UK using these rules.

This booklet attempts to give the reader a solid grounding in the “Do’s & Don’ts” from a player’s perspective. This specifically excludes the following:

• Game-day Management;
• Field dimensions;
• Uniform requirements and player position numbering;
• Playing equipment requirements;
• Specific penalty enforcement (spot of foul & yardage);
• BAFRA Approved Rulings (how referees interpret rules)

The full detail of the rulebook can be found on the BAFRA website at https://www.bafra.info/rules/
NOTE: The women’s game does not feature Special Teams.