BF is taking positive steps to support women entering coaching and continuing their development, by introducing a new grant scheme.
Across sport, 38% of coaches are female (UK Coaching). For BF, this number is only 17% (from the registered coaches list).
BF’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, BF has launched a grant scheme to support women’s participation in coaching 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.
BF Head of Coaching & Workforce, Chris Turner, commented:
“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 full guidance document, which includes a link to the application form, can be found here.
If you have any questions about the coaching grant scheme, please contact [email protected].
The grant scheme is supported by Sport England funding and contributes to Sport England’s Uniting The Movement strategy.
This news post relates to the BF 2030 Strategy Goal 4, to Support Women and Girls. Find out more about the BF Strategy here.
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