BRITISH FENCING MEMBERSHIP

British Fencing (BF) is the national governing body for fencing in the UK. Holding an active ‘compete’ level membership is a prerequisite for taking part in competitions.

BF memberships are purchased and managed via the online platform sport80. Fencers (or their parents/guardians) need to create an account and enter their details. Full details on membership levels and taking out membership are on the BF website.

During signup process, select England as your home nation. Your region can be either the region in which you live, or the Salle Paul’s region which is London. Both home nation and region affect competition eligibility, even at youth level. They cannot be changed except at membership renewal. Please ensure they are selected correctly the first time around.

Follow this link to take out a British Fencing Membership.

ENGLAND FENCING MEMBERSHIP

England Fencing (EF) is the body responsible for fencing in England. All members of British Fencing who select England as their home nation automatically receive membership to EF.

EF maintain their own rankings for U10, U12, and U14 fencers. EF are also responsible for selecting fencers to represent England at certain international competitions.

LEON PAUL JUNIOR SERIES

The Leon Paul Junior Series (LPJS) is a series of competitions that runs throughout the year across the country. LPJS competitions are run for U10, U12, U14 and U17 age-groups. They are most often the first competition fencers take part in.

A calendar of all LPJS competitions is visible here. Foil events are listed in red, and Epee events are listed in blue.

Entry to LPJS competitions is via the LPJS website.

Results from most LPJS events count towards England rankings, and certain competitions count towards British U14 and U17 rankings.

ENGLAND YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

The English Youth Championships (EYCs) is the annual championships organised by England Fencing. The EYCs take place in Hatfield in late June and are open to all fencers of appropriate ages who are members of EF. Registrations are through sport80, under the events tab, or the link to the appropriate platform will appear onsport80.

The EYC results are counted in EF’s national rankings for weapons. Full details for the event are on this page of the EF website.

EYC age groups are U11, U13, and U15.

BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

The British Youth Championships (BYCs) are the annual fencing championships for under 18s. It is run directly by British Fencing to celebrate the best of youth fencing in the country.

The BYCs take place in Sheffield over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. Entry to the BYCs is not open, fencers must qualify via regional events. The number of fencers that can qualify from a region is capped.

BYC age groups are U12, U14, U16, and U18.

REGIONAL QUALIFYING EVENTS

The Regional Qualifying Events (RQEs) are qualification events for the BYCs. They are usually run between late January and late March.

Fencers are only eligible to enter the RQE for the region they are affiliated to under their British Fencing membership. Registration to RQEs is done through fencers’ sport80 accounts.

Most RQEs also serve as the region’s youth championships.

U14 OPENS AND OTHER SERIES

U14 Opens and other youth events take place throughout the year. These are usually considered by EF and BF for their respective U14 rankings. Entry is normally done through sport80 but may be taken through other platforms.

These are not centrally organised and are planned and run by a variety of organisations. The best way to find events is the sport80 ‘Events’ tab.