NGFFL Minutes May 2012 Final

7/31/2019 NGFFL Minutes May 2012 Final

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NGFFL Minutes: 8 April 20127.30-9:00pm Eastern

Attendees: Thurman Williams (DC), Lance Burage (ATL), Jared Garduno (PHX), Chris Cormier(DC), Phil Clawson (BOS), Patrick McIntyre (DC), Shawn Albritton (CHI)

Absent: Shane Kinkennon (DEN), Sam Lehman (NYC)

7.36: Meeting Commences (Thurman)

Thurman convenes meeting in Shane's absence (family emergency)

Quorum is 51% of all Board members (5 of 9) Thurman reads NGFFL mission and vision

7.40: Treasurer's Report (Thurman) Balance is $7,518.52

Includes dues from most cities

Dallas, Michigan, Seattle, South Florida, and Toronto have yet to pay; Pittsburgh's check is

in the mail

Phil: Were the expenses for trophies for Gay Bowl for last year? Jared: No. That expensewas for the Hall of Fame trophies

7.44: Gay Bowl Task Force (Thurman and Lance) Seeding will be determined by results going into the last day of Houston. Ties were

broken by the seeding coming out of pool play. Thurman and Lance will provide a pageexplaining the rationale and allocations

We need to come to agreement about drop-dead deadlines for new cities so we can giveappropriate time for interested cities to send additional teams

Question around seeding for two/multiple teams from the same city: There was discussion

around awarding seeds to teams or awarding them to cities. Lance noted that cities canchange team names, rosters, jerseys, etc, and that the NGFFL has to control over howcities organize themselves, nor whom they name to their rosters

Thurman noted that teams carry a brand value and awareness, and that some cities couldobject if one of another citys teams secured a seed, only to be assumed by a differentteam from that city the following year

Lance responded that cities could already do that simply by swapping jerseys or a fewplayers, and the NGFFL would have no recourse over it

Lance noted that PMc proposed a change in roster of x% could prompt a review by theboard. Phil suggested this as well

Lance noted that that could prove to be an administrative nightmare, and at the end of the

day, it should be up to the cities to organize and represent themselves

PMc noted that Atlanta, DC, and Denver, among other cities have reorganized, rebranded,and re-rostered themselves over the years. And at the end ofthe day, its the CITIES whoare competing for the Gay Bowl championship, not the individual teams per se. He agreed

that Lances proposal, while imperfect, is the neatest, cleanest, and easiest given theextenuating circumstances of Houston from last year coupled with the start of divisional

play this year Ultimately, the Board unanimously agreed that in the event a single city wins seeds for

two teams from the previous years Gay Bowl, and if that city returns two teams for thenext Gay Bowl, then that city has the right to determine which team assumes whichseed. The NGFFL has no control over what the cities name each team, how they rosterthemselves, nor what jerseys they wear. Therefore, the Board deems it appropriate toallow the city that owns the seeds theyve won to fill those seeds with teams and rostersas they so choose. That said, the Board encourages cities to abide by the spirit of theresults of play from the previous Gay Bowl and not swap the seeds of relatively intactteams/rosters for any sort of perceived-seeding advantage. Cities that win two seeds fromthe previous Gay Bowl but return only one team to the following Gay Bowl will be awarded


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the higher seed and will forfeit the lower seed, prompting the queue of teams below tomove up a slot

After noting small revisions of the Task Forces recommendations, Jared moved to approvethe recommendations for divisional play; Phil seconded; The Board adopted the

recommendations for divisional play unanimously. Shane joined the call for thevote and shared his vote AYE. Some key points to be stressed when communicating theplans with cities and participants:

o The plan for divisional play will deliver an elegant balance of competition across allgames

o The Wild Card system affords every city/team competing a chance to win thechampionship, no matter where they start at the beginning of the tournament

o The new plan offers a more welcoming entry into the tournament for new cities.Similar to the NFL, higher-seeded teams will play a tougher, more competitive

schedule in pool play, and lower-seeded teams will play similar teams. The goal isto avoid blowouts and make each game more interesting. Bracket seeds will beawarded based on results of pool play in each division respectively

o This provides an increased and appropriate level of excitement, competition, andsuspense for all players and fans

o The plan appropriately reflects the growth and evolution of the sport and

tournament Full details for Divisional Play and the process for awarding seeds will be shared with City

Leaders in June during a call whos date/time is TBD, and will follow a similar timeline toyears past

8.30: Second Teams (Thurman) Houston and Atlanta have declared that they do not want a second team

We're still looking at 28 teams; could change if Lance feels enough qualified referees areavailable, although this is very unlikely

Once the deadline for dues hits, we'll start making our way down the list of cities who have

expressed an interest in a second team

Chris would like to reserve our goal of slots for two new teams

In addition to Dallas, Lubbock might send a team

Lance: Should have set a fair deadline for new teams? Chris will reach out tomorrow tolearn how close they are to a determination.

PMc suggested the following solution: The Board will confirm first teams and award second

teams on May 31. If two new cities have not yet declared, provisional second teams willbe awarded to the next two second teams on the list. If new cities have not declared byJune 14, those provisional teams will be awarded the last remaining slots. The Board

agreed unanimously.

8.45: GBXIII Update (Thurman)

No cities have expressed interest in hosting in 2013 at this time

What is our Plan B? San Diego is still thinking about it, but fields remain an issue

Philly has not indicated that they are ready

Phil: Boston is potentially interested Jared: With our growth, we might need to be okay with have fields spread out over a

given host city Everyone needs to continue pushing cities to step up

8.47: Rules (Lance) Suggestions came from Lance, Shawn, and Greg Turman

We are sending suggestions to city leaders for a member vote

Suggestions from Lance and Shawn


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1. Mercy Rule recommendation: 36 point differential at 2:00 or less, game is over.Saves time and needless injury. PMc moved; Chris seconds; all approved

2. Run recommendation: If offense gained yardage on a run and accepts penalty,they lose their run (they gained yardage). If the penalty enforcement is behind theline, they retain their run. Jared moves; Phil seconds; all approved

3. Post Scrimmage Kick Foul recommendation: Penalty by receiving team while ball isin the air, penalty enforced from where the ball is caught. Aligns with all other

football. Jared moves; PMc seconds; all approved4. Encroachment recommendation: Its a dead ball foul if a player is off-sides and

touches the ball or a player; it's a live ball foul if no one/thing is touched. Aligns

with college and pro football. PMc moves; Phil seconds; all approved5. Illegal Substitution recommendation: Currently no penalty. Now must enter

between downs, replaced player leaves within three seconds and is off before play

starts. 5 yard penalty. Jared moves; Chris seconds; all approved6. Illegal forward pass and run just slightly over the line: Recommendation is that it's

still an illegal forward pass, but it should not be a loss of a run. Currently a triplewhammy. This makes it a bit less extreme. PMc moves; Jared seconds; allapproved

7. Safety on a Try: Currently no rule. Rule in college is that Team A gets 1 point;

this is Lances recommendation. Jared moves; PMc seconds; all approved8. Critical Mass recommendation: Currently must begin game with 6 on field, but maycontinue with fewer. Recommendation is that less than 5 should be a forfeit(integrity of the game). Jared moves; PMc seconds; all approved

9. Delay of Game recommendation: Get rid of burning a timeout; 5 yard penalty andkeep current timeout count. Jared moves; Phil seconds; all approved

10.Misconduct and Fighting: Fighting with another player is ejection from currentgame and team's next game, and can lead to dismissal from tournament andfuture tournaments as determined by the board. If a player strikes an official, isthe same and can lead to current and future tournament dismissal. All approved

Greg Turman's suggestions come from the NIRSA rulebook, which Greg argues would help

the Defense and reduce blowouts

1. Wants to move to a zone-line system, i.e. 20/40/40/20 etc. They use this inAtlanta. Boston uses a 60 yard field and has static 1st downs at the15/30/15. Phil and Lance see pros and cons, but don't see a pressing need tochange. Jared thinks it's a drastic change, and that our current structure is closerto the regular football experience. No motion to move

2. 40 yard field: Lance - would make it harder to fit fields on pitches and couldreduce number of fields. This certainly would have been true when Atlantahosted, as well in DC (for four fields across, there isnt 20 yards to spare). Nomotion to move

3. No run restrictions. Phil: Boston once had unlimited runs - led to a lot morecontact that led to more injuries. Jared - our rules are geared to involve as manypeople as possible; this proposal would give inordinate power to one player on the

field. No motion to move4. One QB run per series, so whoever receives the snap is deemed QB. Would allow

pitches back and running plays. No motion to move5. Move rush puck from 5 yards to 1 yard. Not good for local leagues, where not

everyone is a great QB. Gay Bowl rules accommodate and support our local

leagues. No motion to move6. X on the 14: Not applicable given non-passage of previous suggestion. No motion

to move7. Add 3 point Try from the 20: Could be fun and exciting. Jared moves; Chris

seconds; all approved


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Board Statement on NGFFL RulesOur mission is to bring this sport to as many people as possible in as many places as possible. Topromote this goal, the league established rules of play that are safe and appropriate for players ofall skill levels. Practically speaking, local leagues tend to copy Gay Bowl rules to be in alignmentand fully familiar with the rules of play that govern every city's chance to win the Gay Bowlchampionship. Dramatically changing our brand of flag football at the national level would leaveplayers, coaches, referees, and fans unnecessarily confused and alienated. While were always

open to evolution and new ideas, the Board feels our current set of rules allows room for topathletes to shine, average athletes to substantively contribute, and all athletes to participate andbuild community together. The NGFFL is not only about competition, but equally about

community. We feel our current rules honor and promote both.

10.02: Adjourn

May 10 (via email): Amendment Timeline for Dues and Second Teams, Task Force

Announcement, and Rules Proposals

Dues and Second Teams (On Point: Sam Lehman, Thurman Williams, and Lance Burage)

May 1: Dues are now past due. There are a handful of cities that have not yet paid. If

you're about to pay, or have a problem, please contact the Board immediately. Dues not

paid or agreements not struck will result in the loss of a spot at Gay Bowl XII

May 14: Board confirms each citys ability to bring a second team

May 15: Beginning on this date, the NGFFL will identify teams qualifying for the

tournament and begin moving through the priority list to award second teams. Potential

third team opportunities will be identified

May 31: Existing cities first and second teams must confirm attendance at GBXII. New

cities are encouraged to confirm by this date. If one or two new-city slots remain unfilled,

provisional award of second teams to existing cities will be made

June 14: New cities MUST confirm intention to compete at GBXII. Any slots unfilled will

be confirmed for the aforementioned provisional second teams

Task Force (On Point: Thurman Williams and Lance Burage)

June: Call with City Leaders detailing the plan for provisional play and seeds at Gay Bowl

XII. Date and time TBD.

Rules (On Point: Lance Burage and Shawn Albritton)

May 20: Board provides Rules proposals to City Leaders in writing, along with a Survey

Monkey for the City vote

May 27: The Vote closes

Results announced in the June 2MD

Documents

NGFFL Minutes May 2012 Final