British Fencing Association
| British Fencing Association BFA | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Fencing |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Affiliation | FIE |
| Regional affiliation | CEE |
| Headquarters | London |
| Chairman | David Teasdale |
| Chief Exec | Piers Martin |
| Official website | |
| www.britishfencing.com | |
 | |
British Fencing is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the Olympic sport of Fencing in the British Isles (excluding the Republic of Ireland).
History
In 1902, the Amateur Fencing Association (AFA) was founded as the governing body for amateur fencing in the UK. (The governing body for professional fencing, the British Academy of Fencing, was not founded in its current form until 1949). However, the requirements for amateurism have now been dissolved, and professionalism is permitted in the UK, so in 1996 the name was changed to the British Fencing Association.
The AFA's had combined twin roles as both Home Country Governing Body for England and National Governing Body. Not long after the British Fencing Association was formed, a new, separate body - England Fencing - was formed specifically to carry out the role of Home Country Governing Body for England. Over time, the clear boundary between the two roles has eroded.
Despite the BFA's change of name, and acceptance of professional fencers as members, the British Academy of Fencing still carries out its pre-1996 role of providing training systems, training, and other facilities to and for fencing coaches.
Activities of the BFA
The BFA is responsible for all international fencing conducted while representing Great Britain. They control the selection criteria for all relevant competitions. They are responsible for any attendance by fencers at official FIE competitions, including the World Championships and World Cup competitions, and also at the Olympics under the IOC.
The BFA is also responsible for all national domestic events. It runs British Championships in a variety of age categories and at all three weapons of fencing (foil, épée and sabre). In addition, a series of national 'Opens' are held by independent organisers affiliated to the BFA. These events collect points, which are used by the BFA to create national rankings at senior, junior (U20) and cadet (U17) level.
The BFA also run coaching schemes, and other activities relating to the promotion of fencing in the UK.
The BFA publishes a magazine, The Sword. BF also publishes an electronic newsletter called To the Point
Sponsorship
In January 2011 British Fencing announced a five year sponsorship deal worth £1million with Beazley Group, the specialist Lloyd’s insurer. Beazley will be the principal sponsor – as well as the official insurer - of British Fencing until the end of 2015, building a lasting legacy in the sport.
Andrew Horton, Beazley Chief Executive said: "Fencing combines discipline, agility and precision – all qualities we admire at Beazley. It is also a sport to which we can make a meaningful contribution, both at the highest competitive level and through fencing schools throughout the country."[1]
The investment will help fund Great Britain teams (including Paralympic hopefuls), The National Academy, programs for increased grassroots participation to the sport, British Fencing run events, including World Cup events as well as Marketing and promotion of the sport.
World Class Performance Programme
The World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) is a programme which helps British Fencing to fund those athletes who are likely to achieve podium success at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
As of 1 April 2010, the WCPP supports 21 fencers. These fencers include 10 from the very successful men's foil squad with four (Richard Kruse, Laurence Halsted, Edward Jefferies and Jamie Kenber) receiving the highest level of funding as Podium Level athletes.
The performance programmes of all elite athletes are tailored towards achieving qualification for the London 2012 Olympics. British Fencing aims to qualify 3 teams of 3 fencers, and 3 individual fencers in the other disciplines for 2012.
Podium Fencers
| Fencer | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Laurence Halsted | Men's Foil |
| Edward Jefferies | Men's Foil |
| Jamie Kenber | Men's Foil |
| Richard Kruse | Men's Foil |
Development Fencers
| Fencer | Weapon |
|---|---|
| Thomas Bennett | Men's Épée |
| Jonathan Willis | Men's Épée |
| Elsia Albini | Women's Épée |
| Corinna Lawrence | Women's Épée |
| Peter Barwell | Men's Foil |
| Keith Cook | Men's Foil |
| Jamie Fitzgerald | Men's Foil |
| Marcus Mepstead | Men's Foil |
| Ben Peggs | Men's Foil |
| Ahmed Rosowsky | Men's Foil |
| Anna Bentley | Women's Foil |
| Martina Emanuel | Women's Foil |
| Alex O'Connell | Men's Sabre |
| Louise Bond-Williams | Women's Sabre |
| Joanna Hutchison | Women's Sabre |
| Katherine Kempe | Women's Sabre |
| Chrystall Nicoll | Women's Sabre |
Rankings
Fencers are ranked by category (Cadet, Junior and Senior), weapon (foil, épée or sabre) and gender.
Rankings are calculated from ranking points earned in competitions attended by the fencers. The amount of points earned depends on the strength of the competition as well as how well the fencer did.
Current rankings can be found on the British Fencing Website.
Governance
The Board of British Fencing is the body responsible for the overall governance of the sport. They set the strategic direction of the sport and monitor implementation.
The Board currently consists of 9 elected Board Directors (who are the decision making and voting body of the board), plus various other members such as Home Country representatives and technical expertise. The Athletes Commission are also represented on the Board. The CEO is secretary to the Board and staff members attend to update the Board on individual areas.
Subdivisions
Under its auspices the four Home Nations (Wales, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland) have their own governing bodies. The country is further subdivided into 'regions'.
Home Nations Governing Bodies
Regions
- East Midlands
- Eastern
- Guernsey
- Jersey
- London
- North East
- North West
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland Central
- Scotland East
- Scotland North
- Scotland West
- South East
- South West
- Southern
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire
Administration
The British Fencing officer is based at 1 Baron's Gate, 33-35 Rothschild Road, London W4 5HT. Its current Chief Executive is Piers Martin.
External links
- British Fencing
- Beazley British Fencing homepage
- Federation Internationale D'escrime
- BBC Sport - Fencing
References
- ↑ Williams, Ollie (18 January 2011). "British Fencing secures £1m sponsorship deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
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