U14 EFC CIRCUIT ENTRY PROCESS AND DEADLINES

Explanation of U14 EFC Circuit entry process and a request for all athletes to complete entry forms for Paris U14 EFC event by midnight 19th January to guarantee entry on the EFC portal.

(Changes added 18/01/2023 in italics, updated, following updates from England Fencing)

• U14 BF Entry Form can be found here. (No longer required for England Fencing selected athletes for U14 event in Paris, if you are in any doubt as to whether you have been selected by England Fencing please contact England Fencing directly.)
• To see who has already entered events or is liable for referees, you can view the list here: Current entries. (This does not include England Fencing selected athletes, these can be seen here for men and here for women with the club listed as England Fencing.)
• BF Entry Deadlines are published below and on the GBR calendars.

This news post contains

• Background – how entries work, why there are deadlines etc
• BF Entry Process – what is done by who and when
• U14 EFC Competition Rules –  referee provision/coach provision/accreditation
• Support – where parents and coaches of U14s go for support
• Current U14 Circuit list with BF entry deadlines

Background

All European Fencing Confederation (EFC) and International Fencing Federation (FIE) competition entries from eligible athletes (those with UK passports or, in the case of EFC UK citizenships) need to be processed through British Fencing as the registered National Federation. This is irrespective of whether the competition is a selection event (for BF or a Home Nation) or whether no selection process applies.

During the year, BF process thousands of requests for entry and, at any point in time (especially during the busy part of the season – October to April), can support hundreds of athletes fencing internationally. These entries require valid international licensed and often require referees to be sourced, who must also be entered into the system, or fines are due. Behind many of the entries lie selection processes, payments and eligibility checks.

To ensure that we can process everyone’s entries efficiently, during working hours, with the resources available, BF set deadlines to allow for the EFC, FIE and BF/Sport80 payment, administration and relevant selection processes.

For ‘non-nominated’ (no selection required) EFC/FIE competitions for U17, U20, U23, and Seniors, BF entry deadlines are already published on the GBR calendars. U14 Circuit competitions were added to this list in October 2022 when BF received final confirmation from the EFC.

BF entry deadlines are around 18 days before the EFC/FIE event. This takes into account the EFC and FIE entry deadlines of up to 7 days before the event. This timescale allows around 7-10 working days for the administrative, approval, licensing and payments functions to be carried out and the management of any queries and issue resolution required within that timescale.

It also gives the athletes (or their coaches, clubs, Home Nations) time to

• organise referees, as the number required is based on the total number of athletes attending.
• discuss and agree with the other athletes costs etc.
• provide the referee names to BF so their EFC/FIE licences can be checked, purchased if required and added to the EFC/FIE system prior to the EFC/FIE deadlines.

At the moment, entry for BF non-nominated events is first-come, first-served basis. (BF non-nominated events are events that do not have associated BF GBR selections).

The creation of a new U14 circuit and the decision to use this as a Home Nation selection event has created an extra level of workload for BF hence the requirement for U14 entries to follow the same deadlines as all other BF non-nominated events. We appreciate your understanding and thank you in advance for completing your entry forms before the deadline.

BF Entry Process

The process for entry to U14 EFC Circuit is as follows:

1. Complete this athlete entry form by the BF entry deadlines below or as published on the GBR calendars. (Clarification: England Fencing selected athletes are no longer required to complete a form.) Anyone selected by England Fencing (athlete, coach, referee) will have their entry form approved by EF. Once approved, BF will enter the person on the EFC system with the associated ‘club’ of ‘England’. All referee assignments and coach accreditations for ‘England’ and associated charges will be organised by England Fencing.- Athletes (from any Home Nation) may also apply for direct entry.  They will be entered under their affiliated BF club on a first-come, first-served basis. Responsibility for helping parents liaise to source referees and agree on coach accreditation will lie with the affiliated clubs. Clubs entering more than four athletes may be responsible for providing referees according to the reglements (rules) of the competition and any EFC rules, which may be updated from time to time here).
2. Notify BF of Referees – Where referees are required, they must be entered into the EFC portal by BF. A form should be filled in for each (by England Fencing or the person/people liaising with referees on behalf of the direct entry athletes). Any fines levied on BF as a result of insufficient provision of referees by direct entry athletes will be shared across all direct athlete entries.
3. Notify BF of Coaches – (if required by rules) If coach entry on the EFC portal is required by the competition a form must also be completed (by England Fencing or the person/people liaising with coaches on behalf of the direct entry athletes) for BF to enter the coach.
4. Check EFC Licence is valid – Everyone entered by BF on the EFC system MUST have a valid EFC license for GBR (click here for more information), which in turn requires UK Passport/UK citizenship and a valid BF membership.
5. Check Coach Meets minimum standards – Attending coaches must be on the Coach register, and to ensure that fencing remains compliant with the UKAD framework, all coaches travelling must have a valid Coach Clean certificate.
6. Check BF Entry Lists – The list of the entry requests BF has received can be checked here: Current entries.
7. Check EFC Entry Lists – BF will normally upload entries on a Thursday (8 days before a Saturday competition). Please double check before travelling that your entry is on the EFC site here.

What are the rules around referee provision/coach provision/accreditation etc at U14 events?

The liability for referee provision is usually explained on the GBR entry form here. But the U14 circuit is a new EFC circuit, and as such, there is a lack of clarity around the EFC rules and processes as the circuit develops.  The referee requirements are changing from U14 competition to U14 competition . Whilst the expectation is that these competitions will have similar rules to the U17s, we are also seeing inconsistency in applying the rules around equipment and coach accreditation. Therefore if you are planning to send a fencer to these competitions, you must make sure that you carefully read the ‘reglements’ (the competition rules, here) and any EFC rules, which may be updated from time to time here).

Who do I contact for support?

U14s is not an area which is part of the funded BF Athlete Development Programme, which starts at age 14. This means that BF only provides basic license/entry administration as described above and queries related to licenses and entry can be sent to us via the form here and a member of the ADP team will come back to you.

Parents/coaches who would like to take their U14s to compete internationally in these tournaments should contact their Home Nation Association (who are responsible for pre-ADP support) with further questions (eg around referee and coach allocation) and support navigating the reglements (the rules) of individual competitions.

Current U14 Competition List with BF Entry Deadlines

BF Entry Deadlines are published on the GBR calendars. 

If you have any questions relating to this post, please submit them to us via the form here and a member of the ADP team will come back to you.

Don’t miss the latest news. Subscribe to our weekly summary email, The Fencing Digest, featuring the previous week’s latest news and announcements. Sign up here.