CHRIS TURNER JOINS BRITISH FENCING

Chris joins us as our new Coaching & Workforce Development Manager

 
Joining British Fencing from the world of table tennis, Chris Turner is our newly-appointed Coaching & Workforce Development Manager bringing 15 years of experience in the sports industry including coaching and supporting coaches.

Chris’s experiences range from school sport, supporting coaches to deliver engaging sport and physical activity to children and young people before moving into the NGB world with Table Tennis England.

There, he worked as a disability officer, working with clubs and coaches to create more inclusive environments before moving into talent development as head coach of one of Table Tennis England’s four initial Talent Development Centres.

This role progressed into a national coach role with the introduction of the DiSE programme. Chris’s final role with Table Tennis was as Youth Participation Lead where he managed their flagship youth participation programme supporting clubs and coaches to deliver effectively for U11s.

Chris says, “I’m really excited to be joining British Fencing as Coaching & Workforce Development Manager.  I have been involved in coaching since a young age and have been blessed with opportunities to coach across the sporting pathway along with the coach development opportunities that have come with that.”

“As I reflect on my own development as a coach, I have learnt and continue to learn so much from engaging with other coaches, shadowing more experienced coaches, visiting different environments as well as working with coach developers.  I hope I can use these experiences to support our workforce regardless of the spaces in which they operate.”

“Table tennis and fencing have their similarities. They are one-on-one matches in which both athletes are reacting to each other and trying to outwit one another.  In order to keep developing you have to help others develop too. Some of the best player development environments I’ve seen have this competitive cooperative environment. Players will compete against each other in the morning and then in the afternoon help each other get better.”

“I think the same goes for coaching. Sharing ideas, successes, challenges and learning helps everybody develop through an effective, cooperative learning environment.  Through this we can create a CQ – or coaching quotient as our focal point and a level in which we can keep building upon. To see and be part of the journeys that coaches go on with their athletes is something I consider a gift.  The life moments, the opportunities, the achievements that once didn’t seem possible…just being active; all that is part of coaching.”

Chris’s work has already started and he shares more about establishing a fencing development team.  “We would like to recruit, train and support a Fencing Development Team who can deliver a wide-range of support opportunities through the delivery of courses as well as connect with opportunities on a local level to support the growth of clubs. The opportunity to lead this piece of work and supporting coaching and workforce development opportunities is really exciting.” he said.

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