RAFBA Officials

Officials of the RAFBA are affiliated to the Combined Services Boxing Association (CSBA), which is a Provisional Association of the national governing body, the Amateur Boxing Association of England Ltd (ABAE).

A most important official is the Coach - the coaches are usually ex-boxers who have decided to stay with the sport and this is actively encouraged by the boxing fraternity. Coaches are discussed in a seperate part of the site - go 'back' and click on 'coaches'. The only qualification a male or female needs to be a boxing official, is a real interest in the sport, experience is common but not essential. Full training is given by the RAFBA.

Judges and Timekeepers

The judge/timekeepers are qualified ringside officials, who score and control the boxing contest and declare the winner; usually there is a timekeeper and 3 ringside judges but for championships there are 5 judges. At non-championship contests, a small calculator is used by the judges to record the scoring blows, so a winner can be declared by a majority or unanimous verdict. At championships, an Electronic Scoring Machine (ESM) is used to score the blows and calculate the winner. The ESM contains a program that links all the judges' responses together, only when 3 of the 5 judges score at the same time does the ESM register a point for the relevant boxer. The ESM computes all the judges responses throughout the bout and declares a winner at the end.

The first step is a Judge/Timekeepers Course. This is open to males or females and there is no rank limitation on this training. This important role requires people who can make impartial decisions with consistency and usually dictates that confident and mature personnel are more easily able to successfully complete these courses. Until recently, the RAFBA has had an SAC and a JT as some of its most competent officials (they have since been promoted!).

There will be someone more senior assisting and looking after a new official until such time they are fully comfortable and confident in the skills. Most RAFBA officials carry out their duties within the ABAE on the civilian boxing circuit, invaluable training practice. A judges course takes 3 full days of training followed by a period of provisional judging until the learning process is complete. An RAFBA officials course is usually held over the period of the Lord Wakefield Novice Championships in Sept/Oct, begining on a Saturday Morning and ending with the students 'shadow judging' at the finals, the following monday night. Qualification is by examination and practical assessment and it is recognised nationally.

Doctors

The most important consideration is the safety of the boxers. To this end, a doctor is an essential official in the RAFBA and there are frankly too few doctors and medics involved. Doctors and medics rarely need to utilise their medical skills to cater for injuries through amateur boxing. However, precautionary medicals both annually and before each and every bout are recorded on the boxers compulsory, personal boxing medical record card (the ME3). A precautionary regulation is that a doctor must be at ringside for any competitive boxing to take place. Such a doctor must be familiar with resusitation techniques and they will also have a medic with them to assist where necessary.

If you are a doctor and may be interested in Amateur Boxing in the RAF or in civilian boxing, then please contact the webmaster.

Referees

Referees are trained officials who have successfully served as judge/timekeepers with an association for 2 years. The referee has the ultimate control of the bout and consequently the responsibility for the boxers' safety, the referees decision is final and without recourse.

This course open to males or females and there is no rank limitation on this training. The course usually takes place alongside a judges/timekeepers course, for the same duration, qualification is by examination and practical assessment and it is recognised nationally.

The senior official is the Officer in Charge (OiC) who will be a senior referee of several years experience. He is responsible to the RAFBA Honorary Officials Secretary for the safe conduct of the tournament and adherance to the rules and regulations. The OiC is responsible for ensuring that all the legal paperwork is appropriately completed and sent to the Medical Registrar at HQPTC. Qualification is by examination and it is recognised nationally.

Other Officials

Other officials are needed as well, such as recorders, who complete all the legal tournament paperwork for the OiC. Boxing is strictly controlled and administered and this is obviously an important aspect of the process. All boxers have to have medical documentation. This is combined with the tournament paperwork to give a clear record of bouts and incidents, which are sent to the Medical Registrar at HQPTC by the OiC. These courses are no more than a couple of hours long with a shadowing process that takes as long as is needed for the individual. Judge/Timekeepers are also trained as recorders.

Another important official for any tournament is the Master of Ceremonies (MC). At Army and Navy boxing tournaments a Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) or other Warrant Officer will conduct these duties. In the RAF, selected officials, trained in the various protocols of the MC, carry out these duties. Importantly, the RAFBA takes its service traditions seriously and the formal setting of a military boxing evening deserves the respect of a polished MC performance. Like the Army and Navy, RAF senior ranks usually carry out these duties, but they are not restricted to those ranks if the appropriate training has been carried out.

If you are interested in becoming involved with amateur boxing in the RAF or outside in civilian life, please contact the Webmaster.