Binni, founder of Binni’s Bladez in Birmingham, hosted an awards evening in early July, where coaches were awarded Core Coach certificates.
Binni’s Bladez, a grassroots fencing club initiative founded by Binni Begum, continues to break down barriers to participation in sport, particularly among Muslim women. The club provides a safe space for individuals to support them in accessing fencing and develop their leadership skills.
For many of the award recipients, their journey began without any prior experience in fencing, but through dedicated training and mentorship, they have gone on to become qualified Core Coaches.
“These women are becoming strong, confident leaders and role models,” says Binni. “Their journey reflects the very ethos of Binni’s Bladez, creating space where everyone belongs and thrives.”
The evening celebrated the achievements of women who have overcome social, cultural, and structural barriers to enter the sport. The event also welcomed Sara Pantuliano, Chair of BF, Virginia Bailey, BF’s Participation Director and leading coaches from Birmingham Fencing Club.
“Virginia looked beyond my veil and saw my potential,” Binni said. “Her commitment to creating real change in sport, where all women feel they belong, regardless of their colour, background, or religious attire, has inspired me and many others.”
Virginia said after the event: “What is great to see is the connection that is being built between Binni and Birmingham Fencing Club. They are exploring ways to support more opportunities for women to compete, learn new skills such as refereeing and contribute to the growth and development of fencing in Birmingham. We are really looking forward to seeing how this develops and also how other clubs do the same.”
Sara Pantuliano awarded the coaches their certificates.
“I was delighted to receive an invitation from Binni to present the certificates to the women and girls who completed the course with Binni’s Bladez,” she said after the evening.
“What Binni is doing is fantastic, it really embodies the objectives and the values that we want to transmit at British Fencing. We want to be an inclusive sport, and that’s exactly why MGF and the work that Binni is doing with her club is so important.”
“I absolutely loved the evening, seeing the pride of the women coming up to collect their certificates, and hearing the stories of girls who were told when they were young, you can’t fence, because they were girls. And they just thought, ‘No, I am going to keep fencing!'”
Through initiatives like the Core Coach programme, British Fencing and community leaders, such as Binni, are working together to ensure that fencing is not only open to all but actively shaped by those who have historically been excluded.
“We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Binni added. “We are no longer just ‘the hard-to-reach community’ – we are here, we’ve always been here, and we’re claiming our space.”
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