BAFA is responsible for all regulatory, competition, performance and development aspects of the game.
The responsibilities and activities of BAFA include the following:
- The organisation and promotion of all amateur domestic national competitions across both contact and non-contact versions of the game.
- The organisation and promotion of the national teams in international competition.
- The promotion of the game to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities and the provision of opportunities for their engagement and development.
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The regulation of the game on and off the field of play through oversight of its rules.
- The representation of the British game to national and international partners, be they sporting organisations, federations, or commercial interests.
BAFA is a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
BAFA is a company limited by guarantee.
Management and Operations:
The British American Football Association has a Board of Directors and a staffing structure comprised of Managers and Officers who support the delivery of the sport across a series of directorates.
The current BAFA Directors are:
Nichole McCulloch
Chair
Nichole has an MBA and is an experienced management consultant and executive search professional with over a decade’s worth of experience advising boards, CEOs and government officials globally across Energy and Natural Resources. Nichole is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion and is the former Managing Director for Women in Mining (UK) and is a frequent speaker on issues such as governance and talent management. She has a family of American football enthusiasts with an uncle that is a former NFL quarterback and is keen to bring British American Football to a wider audience and participation base.
Rob Lawson
Senior Non-Executive Director
Member of the of the Audit Committee.
Rob is a veteran of the energy industry with over 32 years of international experience. He is currently the Executive Vice President of a global commodity trading company and spent the previous ten years as Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions for a major FTSE company. He has deep expertise in corporate finance, commercial development, corporate governance and organisational transformation. Rob is a passionate supporter of many sports and still plays cricket. Having nurtured a keen interest in American Football when studying for a Masters in Management Science at Stanford University, Rob regularly attends NFL games in the US and has been fortunate to attend 7 Super Bowls. He is an Honorary Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University and, since 2018, he has regularly been recognised on the Empower list of Top 50 executives in the UK that actively advocate for ethnic minorities.
Bruce Leatherman
Non-Executive Director
Member of the Audit Committee
With over 12 years of experience as a technically focused manager, Bruce has delivered multiple enterprise level software projects within the national government and financial sectors. He currently works as part of the senior leadership team for a global IT company, managing an engineering team based across the UK, Ireland and the Nordics. He has extensive experience of data security principles and will apply this knowledge to BAFA's business and data processes. A qualified American football coach and official, he has been involved in the British game for over 28 years.
Richard Watson
Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Safeguarding & Welfare Committee
Richard is currently Safeguarding Development Manager at England & Wales Cricket Board, responsible for leading, creating and managing the ECB’s safeguarding development plan to incorporate safeguards across business planning. Richard has extensive best practice knowledge from working in a national governing body of sport bringing a wealth of specialist knowledge in safeguarding, discipline and supporting a volunteer workforce. He is also a level three Football Association referee and a big fan of American football. Richard is Chair of the Safeguarding and Welfare Committee
Colin Allen
Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Sports Science & Medicine Committee
Colin has worked within the field of elite national athlete programme development for over 14 years. He started his career as an Athlete Investment Officer at UK Sport in 2006, before originally joining the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) in July 2010 as a Project Manager. He moved across to Northumbria University in June 2014, to work as part of their performance sport programme as a Talent Identification and Pathway Manger, before re-joining TASS in October 2015. Colin is currently the National Lead for Operations and is responsible for overseeing both the strategic and day-to-day planning and coordination for the scheme. Another aspect of his role involves leading on programme and
project work to support the development of National Governing Bodies’ England Talent Pathways and growing revenue streams by identifying and taking advantage of new opportunities.
Umar Akhtar
Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Audit Committee.
He has over 20 years of experience working as a professional within the worlds of finance and programme management. His experience spans from small corporates to a FTSE100 retailer.
Umar has successfully led programme teams in delivering business and technical change for Tesco, and holds professional qualifications in both accountancy and programme management.
Umar also has over a decade’s worth of experience as a trustee and treasurer of sports-based charity the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation. Umar helped the organisation promote diversity and inclusion in sport as well as strengthening the organisation from a financial and governance perspective.