Jim Briggs’ love affair with American Football began in a way that many British fans of a certain age will recognise. He started watching it on Channel 4. In 1982, the broadcaster beamed the NFL into British homes for the first time, attracting a new audience immediately intrigued by America’s favourite sport.
Briggs, a cricket fan, player, scorer, and occasional umpire, was drawn to Gridiron for the same reasons that he loved England’s traditional summer sport. As a professor of informatics (he wrote the software behind the Headingley Cricket Ground scoreboard), he was fascinated by the game’s focus on data and analytics. Determined to learn more about American Football, he came up with a cunning plan.
“I thought if I joined the Referees Association, they’d send me a rule book and I’d be able to understand what I’m watching on TV,” says Briggs. He sent off an application and two days later he received a phone call. “They said there was a game in my area that Sunday and asked if I would like to come along.”
Briggs went along expecting to watch the opening game of the season between Leeds Cougars and Fylde Falcons. Instead, he was handed an unexpected opportunity that would shape the next 40 years of his life. “When I arrived they said, ‘Here’s your stripey shirt, here’s your white trousers. You’re refereeing it with us.’
“There was a crew of four of us. It was the first game for each team and, for two of my colleagues, it was their second game. And the referee, he was a real expert. He’d done eight games. I didn’t know what I was doing, I made loads of mistakes. But it was fun and I got hooked.”
Briggs remembers that it took another six months before he received a rule book. In the interim, he learned the game from two sources. Television, and American expats.
“In those days the people we learned from were the American Air Force personnel who were based in this country, who were refereeing games between the bases. And the Channel 4 Guide to American Football was our rule book.”
Briggs, originally from Carlisle but now based in Portsmouth, would soon climb the ranks within BAFRA (the British American Football Referees Association) alongside a domestic game that was also thriving. “The 1980s saw massive growth, each year the number of teams in the league was shooting up. We used to play in some really nice venues. One of the first games I did was at Elland Road in Leeds, and Gateshead Athletic Stadium, places like that. A lot of grounds in rugby league and rugby union.”
By the time the interest in the British game dipped in the 1990s, Briggs had established himself as an international referee. “I’m the answer to the pub quiz question, ‘Who refereed the 2003 World Championship final in American Football?’ he says smiling, adding that it was held in Frankfurt, Germany, and saw Japan defeat Mexico.
“I’m the answer to the pub quiz question, ‘Who refereed the 2003 World Championship final in American Football?’
And, in an ironic twist that would have Alanis Morrissette rewriting her song, Briggs would go on to write the British and international rulebooks as chair of the rules committee. “Since 2007, I’ve been the editor of the international rulebook,” he says, adding that the 2025 edition had just gone to print. He’s especially proud of the running clock rule that he introduced to prevent blowout games from demoralising players. “I know that players and coaches who play for top teams hate the rule because they want to beat other teams up, but I’m quite sure that the rule has saved the careers of some people and kept them in the sport, because at least now they only get beaten up by a bit!”
Although Briggs is now retired from on-field officiating, he remains committed to nurturing the next generation of officials and addressing inclusivity challenges within the sport. “There’s no difference between male and female officials. We all do both male and female games, and we do a lot to encourage female officials. It’s a small number but it is growing. What we’re looking for is good ideas about recruiting referees from minority ethnic populations. We don’t have very many Black or Asian referees, and that needs to be addressed.”
As flag football prepares for its Olympic debut in 2028, Briggs is optimistic about Britball’s future. However, he recognises that there are challenges to address. “We need to establish some form of elite level of the sport, because at the moment we’re losing our elite players either to college in America or to play semi-pro in Europe. Keeping the best quality players in Britain will also keep the best quality coaches, and it will also produce the best quality officials. I worry that the standard of officiating will fall unless we have good quality games to referee on a regular basis.”
In 2023, Jim was inducted into the British American Football Hall of Fame. Given his illustrious career officiating in grassroots sports, it’s no surprise that he’d recommend it as a unique but rewarding path for others to consider.
“I always say that being a referee gives you the best seat in the house. I’ve officiated some really good players, and to have the privilege of watching them close up is the biggest part of it for me,” he says, adding that the camaraderie as part of the sport’s third team was another thrill. “I’ve made friends all around the world out of it. In American Football, refereeing is something you never do alone,” he says, contrasting it with rookie soccer refs who tend to begin on the lowest rung with no help at all.
“In British American Football, even your first game can’t be lower than Division Two, because we don’t have any lower divisions! You’re always in a crew of minimum four, usually five. For bigger games, we can even go to nine. So it’s a team activity, not an individual activity. You’ve got a mix of personalities and you can hide people who aren’t quite as experienced. You can get away with not knowing the rules perfectly, because somebody will be able to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. It’s a tremendous team activity.
