British Fencing are taking positive steps to support women entering coaching and continuing their development with the introduction of a new grant scheme.
Across sport, 38% of coaches are female, with this number only 17% for British Fencing.
The national governing body’s 2030 Strategy includes a specific goal to support women and girls by fostering inclusive and supportive club environments and removing barriers to drive meaningful change.
The goal also includes increasing engagement and awareness in female-focused programmes.
To support this strategy goal, British Fencing have launched a grant scheme to support women’s participation in coaching courses.
Chris Turner, Head of Coaching & Workforce, said: “From our conversations with female coaches, we know that there are barriers in place making access to coaching courses challenging. Our data backs this up too.
“We also know how powerful it is for women and young girls to see women coaching at their clubs, providing strong role models and empowering other women to participate.
“Therefore, we need to take positive action to support women to enter and develop through our coaching pathway.
“The grant scheme is one such example, including supporting more women to join our Fencing Development Team and tutor right across our range of courses.”
The grant scheme intends to remove some of the barriers that prevent women from participating in coaching courses.
It will cover associated expenses with attending courses, such as overnight accommodation, evening meals and travel, which we recognise adds a significant cost on top of the course fee. Expenses will be covered in line with BF’s Expenses Policy.
The scheme is open for women. When evaluating applications, higher weighting will be applied to women from ethnically diverse communities, those with a disability, and from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
For coaches who are not eligible for this specific grant scheme, other opportunities are available, including BF Learning Month and Sword in Hand coaching CPD opportunities.
The grants will support participation in BF coaching courses (Introduction To Coaching Fencing, Coaching Fencing Level 2, Weapon-Specific Level 3) between July 2026 and March 2027.
Turner was speaking from the Para Fencing European Championships in Cardiff, with the continental showpiece being held in the UK for the first time in 15 years.
World Abilitysport awarded the hosting of the event to British Fencing, in partnership with UK Sport, supported by funding from The National Lottery and the Welsh Government.
The event comes after the successful hosting of a World Cup event in the city two years ago with Disability Sport Wales, the lead organisation for sport and physical activity for disabled people in Wales, leading the team of over almost 100 volunteers.
These European Championships also mark the maiden qualification event for the LA2028 Paralympic Games.
Turner added: “In sport in general, the majority of coaches are male, and the UK coaching research will back this up and it’s the same in fencing.
“It’s really important to have representation - one of our strategic objectives is to support women and girls, and we want to increase the number of women and girls who get an opportunity to participate in fencing and growing female coaches.
“Supporting female coaches is a huge part of that.
“Coaching is such a rewarding and fulfilling role.
“You can step into a club, and you can make an impact, a positive impact on people's lives from day one.”
British Fencing's Charitable Fund actively supports the development of fencing and aims to diversify participation by providing financial and other support to encourage and nurture the talent of the future. Find out more and support this here
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