Margaret Nolan – Head of Development
Alex Newton – Performance Director

• Develop a skilled workforce who can create more opportunities for those who want to get started, get better and be the best
• Create more places where people can start and stay fencing
• Provide high quality opportunities for fencers to achieve their full potential
3

Working with children and adults
Strength &
Conditioning
Accidents, emergencies &
First Aid
Volunteers -v- Paid Staff
Analysing
Planning coaching sessions
Media and Marketing
Practical & Theory Assessments
Personal Action Planning
Policies &
Procedures
Creating
Partnerships
Safeguarding &
Roles & Responsibilities
Protecting Children
Continuous Professional Development

Pathway for Fencers...
...increasing participation and nurturing talent
REGIONAL HUB
TRAINING
CLUBS
COLLEGE &
UNIVERSITY
PROGRAMMES
NATIONAL
TALENT
IDENTIFICATION
PROGRAMME
Bi-Monthly
WORLD CLASS
TALENT
PROGRAMME
Monthly
WORLD
CLASS
PODIUM
POTENTIAL
Part/Full time
WORLD
CLASS
OLYMPIC
PODIUM
Full time
SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
Increase Participation
(Sport England Community Sport)
School, Club and Community
(Local Delivery)
Identify and Confirm Talent
(SE Excel
– doesn ’ t exist)
Talent Development
(National Delivery)
Develop Talent
(SE Excel & TASS)
Improve / Deliver Performance
(UK Sport)
Olympic
(National Delivery)

Schools
• £150m for 2 yrs
• £10k per primary school
• Sportivate funding for 14+
• managed by CSPs
• NGB Programme
• partnership with clubs
School
• fun activity programme
• qualified leaders & coaches
• includes mini competition
• exit route to local fencing club
School
Club
School
School
6

Colleges & Universities
• 5m+ students educated and trained
• 50,000+ students regularly volunteer in sport
• 20+ sports offered per HE/FE
• BCS and BUCS run robust competitions
• CSP funding available
NGB Programmes
• AASE
• Pilot projects planned to increase participation
7

Clubs
..a Journey, not a destination
On-going development & support
Accreditation & recognition
Support to develop people, programmes, policies & finance
Self Assessment to identify need

Fencing Activity days
Courses
Support local Fencers
9

Fully Integrated System
WCPP
World Class Coaching &
Competition
Clubs
Specialised Coaching &
Competition
Schools,
Colleges &
Universities
Coaching & Competition
Entry Level Coaching &
Competition

• develop and implement programmes that positively impact on participation in Y1 and are scalable in years 2-4
• commence two pilot programmes before 01.07
• review the pilots and provide a report by 30.09
• conduct further review to demonstrate impact
• prepare a 2014-2017 delivery plan
12

Pilot 1: increase participation 14 – 18 year olds
Pilot 2: increase participation 18 – 21 year olds
Pilot 3: improve retention through novice/entry level competitions
13

• Keep in touch through Regional Hubs and
HQ staff
• Share your stories, testimonials and statistics
• Help us to create a better system that we can all benefit from
14

• Podium – UK Sport
• Podium Potential – UK Sport
• Talent – Sport England / Home Countries
• Talent Identification and Confirmation –
Sport England / Home Countries

Initial Selection Criteria:
Tactical
Technical
Physical
Test results
Life Skills
Confirmation Programme against talent indicators
Support:
National Talent Coach
Training & competition programme
National training
Link with Talent Programme
National Talent
Identification and
Confirmation
Programme
TALENT PATHWAY TO OLYMPIC PODIUM
Initial Selection Criteria:
Tactical
Technical
Physical
Test Results
Competition results
Personal Traits / Life Skills
Support:
National Talent Coach
National Coach input
National training
Training & competition programme
Key link with PP Programme
World Class Talent
Programme
2020 Olympics
Podium
Potential
(D, E, F)
12 Athletes
Initial Selection Criteria:
Tactical skills
Technical skills
Physical ability
Mental aptitude
Rate of progression
Competition results
Personal circumstances
Support:
1 : 1 National Coach / Coach support
Residential national training
Training & competition programme
Financial support – Programme
Financial support - APA
Semi Centralised
Performance Foundations
WCP Influenced
Olympic Podium
Programme
(A, B, C)
0 Athletes
Initial Selection Criteria:
Olympic medal potential
WR top 50 individual
WR top 10 Team
Competition results
Tactical skills
Technical skills
Physical ability
Mental aptitude
Support:
1 : 1 National Coach / Coach support
Centralised training
Physical
Tactical
Mental
Conditioning
Kit and Equipment
Financial support – Programme
Financial support - APA
Centralised Programme
Olympic Programme
WCP Directed

Context of UKS Funding
• ‘No Compromise’ Approach
• Investment principle 5 - Funding is a privilege not a right
• UK Sport do NOT distribute funding ‘equally’ - they unashamedly target sports / athletes capable of winning
Olympic medals
• They reinforce excellence - sports with a track record and who performed in London saw big increases
• They challenge under performance and reject mediocrity – those failing to achieve are under intense scrutiny and receive only one year awards
• A strategy designed to reinforce the best, support the developing and provoke change in the underperforming

• Funding application was the culmination of 12 months work between BF Performance Team and
UKS
• Part of the application was the submission of athletes and weapons for support
• RAG rated by the Project Rio Investment Panel
• Decisions on how many places to offer was based on the assessment of the overall business case, athletes / weapons and track record to date

• Only one year of support guaranteed
• No Podium athlete places provided (Podium = will medal at 2016)
• Only 12 Podium Potential places (Podium Potential = will qualify in 2016 and medal in 2020)
• Tasked by UKS to continue the progress made with the step change in approach to performance and build a sustainable performance programme
• Required to implement a new coaching structure, elite centralised training centre, raise standards for selection to international competitions, deliver results

• Key is to try and convince UKS through objective performance based evidence, we can win a medal in
2016
• Unlock Podium places and further Podium Potential places (116 available)
• Steer from UKS to initially focus on one or a small number of weapons and deliver success
• Operate a pseudo Podium Programme with some
Podium Potential places
• Identify athletes who are ‘real’ Podium Potential
• Start a talent identification and confirmation programme across all six weapons

• Funding focussed on a limited number of weapons
– Squad of 10 Men’s Foil / 1 x WE / 1 x WF
• Athletes will be in competition for the available spaces on the programme as restricted by funding and resources
• This mean some supported athletes in a squad may be developing and not at the same current performance standard as those in other weapons not supported
• Admission to the WCP is not guaranteed on reaching the minimum entry criteria but also on:
– There is a place available
– The weapon is identified as being targeted in Year One
– Fencer assessed in regards to likely medal potential at Olympic level in
2016 (fast track in year one)
– Fencer assessed as having the potential to win a medal in 2020
– Those joining the Programme aspire to win medals and not simply to be on the WCP
– Signed up to the level of commitment required at that stage
– Signed Athlete Agreement

• Introduction of voluntary Weapon Managers to work with the WCP to provide support to those non-funded weapons
• Works closely with WCP to further the performances of non WCP funded squads and athletes
• Responsible for putting together a programme of activity that aligns with the WCP at senior level
• Responsible for making and maintaining contact with athletes eligible for selection for international squads
• Provide help and support at competitions

• Supported by with limited funding by UKS and SE through their Excel funding
• Only one year funding at standstill level from SE
• Head of Pathway Development now recruited
• Key tasks in Year One:
– clearly articulate the vision for fencing and submit a revised funding application to SE for years 2-4
– introduction of talent assessment days across all six weapons
– put in place a squad based system to support identified talented athletes

• By the end of Year one we need to have demonstrated to
UKS and SE that we can build and run a sustainable performance programme and meet KPIs and milestones
• We would hope that we can ‘unlock’ podium places or at least receive more podium potential places
• Have a WC talent programme operating across all six weapons providing a pipeline of athletes for PP places
• Have submitted a strategy to SE for enhanced support for talent programmes
• We will amend the entry criteria and selection process in line with podium potential aspirations – qualify in 2016 and medal 2020