2019 Cadet & Junior National Championships – Accreditation FAQs

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER AS A COACH/PARENT/SUPPORTER

1. If you don’t have a relevant visible accreditation with your name on it, you are not permitted access to Field of Play (FoP) at any time.
2. No coach, parent, supporter, whether accredited or not, is permitted access to FoP during the poules.
3. During DE matches each athlete may have up to 1 nominated accredited individual on the FoP (coach or supporter).  All other coaches/parents/supporters, accredited or not, must be outside the FoP.
4. If you are a piste-side FoP accredited person it is your responsibility to know and understand the rules of the sport, specifically with regards to ‘persons not on the piste’. No coaching is permitted except at the minute break.
5. There is 1 Supporter accreditation per athlete, multiple people may be listed on that accreditation but only one person can use it at a time.

1.      What are the Field of Play Restrictions
During the Poules: Other than the referees and competition officials no-one other than the athletes are permitted in the field of play.  This means no parents, family, coaches and so on.

Please note that the viewing opportunities in the hall where the poules are running are extremely limited so athletes are expected to be capable of participating in a poule without coaching support.  If an athlete requires additional (non-coaching) field of play assistance during the poules please contact [email protected] so we can discuss appropriate arrangements.

During the Direct Elimination matches: Each athlete, for the duration of their bout is allowed one nominated accredited person within the field of play (see above). ONE accredited coach or, in the absence of a coach, ONE accredited member of BF.

There may be designated areas for these accredited nominated individuals to stand/sit.

Once the athlete has finished fencing these accredited nominated individuals are expected to immediately leave the field of play, to allow the next match to commence.

Fencers and their accredited nominated individuals who are next on piste cannot wait for their match inside the field of play.

2.      Do I have to have FoP accreditation if I am just coming to the event
No, there will be spectator seating/viewing areas for the bulk of the competition Direct Elimination rounds.  As per the above, viewing opportunities are limited for the preliminary poules however there is no benefit to being accredited as a coach or supporter for the poules.

3.      Why have you started introducing FoP accreditation?
FoP accreditation was in part introduced to control and improve the quality of the immediate environment around the athlete when they compete. Over the years an increasing number of parents, coaches etc have wished to support fencers by occupying spaces closer and closer to the piste which can cause safety issues, makes refereeing more difficult and importantly athletes tell us that they do not like it and it makes it harder to concentrate.

4.      Who is FoP accreditation for?
Primarily introduced to allow BF to accredit BF registered coaches to access the areas right next to the piste (‘piste-side’) and allow them to support their fencers according to the rules in the minute breaks of the Direct Elimination rounds only. A registered coach with one or more athletes competing will be able to apply for an accreditation. Coaches FoP accreditation will not show athlete names, only clubs.

5.      What about Supporter FoP Accreditation?
In the absence of a coach, fencers who wish to be supported piste-side during Direct Elimination (DE) bouts by an individual who isn’t a registered coach, can ask them to apply for a supporter accreditation. There will be one supporter accreditation issued per athlete. If necessary, that accreditation will have more than one supporter name on it. The name of the supported athlete will be on the Supporter accreditation.

Once DE matches are over all athletes, supporters and coaches are expected to leave the FoP to allow the next fight to continue. Supporters, coaches and athletes must not wait for matches in the FoP areas.

Accreditation will not entitle anyone to permanent FoP access but will permit that individual to act as the FoP supporter for the duration of a Direct Elimination bout, in the event that an athlete does not have an accredited coach present.

6.      Can both accredited parent and accredited coach support a fencer piste-side at the same time?
No. Only one accredited individual may support an athlete piste-side at any one point in time. If more than one accredited individual attempts to remain piste-side during a match the athlete will be asked to nominate their one person to stay piste-side. Other individuals will be asked to leave.

7.      What is the role of the referee with regards to accreditation?
Ensure that no-one, other than athletes and event officials are on the FoP for the poules.

During the DE:

1. Identify the nominated accredited individual (coach OR supporter) before the start of each match. If there is a seat, make sure they are sitting in it and it is located in a safe place in relation to the piste/fencers.
2. Where reasonable check that the names and role on the accreditation match the person using it (and the athletes names match in the case of the supporter).
3. Matches will not start if unaccredited individuals are on the FoP.
4. Referees reserve the right to confiscate accreditations if they are being used incorrectly.
5. Referees will use verbal warnings, then a yellow card then a black card if people do not do as they ask/interfere with the good order of the piste. Cards will remain in place for the whole tournament (both days).

8.      Does FoP Accreditation allow me to access all FoP areas at any time?
No, depending on the competition and venue there may be different rules. At Cadet and Junior World Championships in 2019 coaches and supporters had to remain outside the FoP for poules.  This means that there is an expectation that fencers have developed the resilience to be able to fence without a coach/parent present piste-side.

Individuals applying for accreditation (Supporter or Coach) are accepting that they are personally responsible for upholding the FoP rules and should not wait until an official reminds them they are required to leave a FoP.

Accredited individuals are expected to cooperate with officials and ensure that at any one time, one athlete is supported by one nominated accredited individual on the field of play.

9.      Why are their different colours on event accreditations?
This is to help officials see from a distance who is on the field of place and in what capacity.

10. Do I need to be a BF member to have FoP accreditation?
Yes. By being a member, we know that you are bound by the policies, codes of conduct and rules of BF and covered by BF insurance.

11. Who can collect my FoP accreditation?
Coaches – the named coach must collect their accreditation in person providing a form of identity, eg credit card, driving licence.

Supporter/Parent – either the named athlete or the listed supporter may collect their accreditation. In the event that the supporter/parent is collecting the accreditation they must supply a form of identity, eg credit card, driving licence.

12. Where/when do I collect my FoP accreditation?
These will be available for collection on the ground floor near the entrance – where the check-in desk area used to be (remember we aren’t doing check-ins!).

13. How do I know my FoP accreditation request has been received?
The application system generates a Thank you email automatically. If you can’t see it check your Junk mail.

14. How do I know my FoP accreditation has been granted?
Coaches can check here.  If your BF coach registration is up to date you can assume that your request will be granted. We will attempt to contact you directly via email if there is a problem so please check your emails. If you are a parent/supporter with a valid membership you can also assume that you will be granted accreditation.

15. Can I apply on the day?
We do not recommend that you apply on the day as we cannot guarantee we will be able to process them before you wish to use them.

If we are able to process applications on the day, the same original conditions apply (BF membership, Coaches Register). There will be a charge.

If you wish to be given a Supporter Accreditation the athlete must accompany you to the accreditation desk. If you are not the parent or guardian of the athlete and the athlete is a minor, it is your responsibility to have sought the permission of any parent/guardian present to act in this capacity.

If the athlete has already had a Supporter Accreditation issued this will need to be returned before a new accreditation (with you listed as an additional name on the accreditation) is issued.

16. Can I get a replacement if I lose it?
Yes although we may not be able to re-issue them immediately and there will be a charge, part-refundable if the original is found and returned prior to the last final.

17. Can I give my FoP accreditation to someone else?
Coaches may not give their accreditation to someone else and if an official notices that someone is wearing an accreditation not issued to them the accreditation will be immediately removed and BF reserve the right not to re-issue any FoP accreditation to either the coach or the person who was using their accreditation.

Supporters/Parents – If the accreditation lists more than one supporter name all those named may use the accreditation. Otherwise the same rule applies as per the coaches accreditation.

18. Who is responsible for checking FoP accreditation?
Any event official may request to see FoP accreditation. Referees will always check at the start of DE matches that the person acting in a piste-side capacity has a valid accreditation – either a supporter accreditation for that athlete OR a coach accreditation.

19.  What are the FIE Rules I need to obey?
If you follow the instructions of the referee, sit/stand where you are told, and only coach your fencer during the minutes break you are unlikely to break any rules (and the referee will probably try to give you a friendly warning if you start to look like you might!)

Otherwise, if you want to know details there are a number of rules about ‘disturbing good order’.

t.109, t.110, t.111, t.132.2, t.133, t.137.3/4, t.168

https://static.fie.org/uploads/20/103095-t.170%20ang.pdf

https://static.fie.org/uploads/22/113963-Technical%20rules%20ang.pdf

20.  Are there any penalties if I get it wrong?
If Supporters or Coaches remain on field of play despite being asked to leave by an event official, they will have their accreditation removed. Referees and event officials have the right to remove accreditations from people in these instances.

Referees have the ability to use yellow and black cards (note that there is no red card for non-fencers).

https://static.fie.org/uploads/20/103095-t.170%20ang.pdf

Any accredited individual who receives a black card (for any reason) will have their accreditation removed and will be automatically banned for 2 months from attending BF competitions in an accredited capacity.

21.  What happens if an accredited coach needs to move between pistes during DEs to support other fencers, can an accredited supporter take their place?

Yes, as long as only one accredited person is on the FoP at any one time.  Remember, just because someone can take the place of the coach, it does not mean they have to – the wishes and the development needs of the athlete must be the priority in this situation. So we would encourage supporters to have the conversation in advance with the coaches/athletes to decide what will happen in these scenarios.

22.  Do supporters need separate accreditation for each day of the C & J Nationals if their fencers are taking part in both events? 

No, one supporter accreditation will be issued per athlete which will be valid for the whole weekend.