GBR SENIOR COACHING PANEL UNDER REVIEW FOR FUTURE OLYMPIC CYCLES

As we move into the next Olympic cycle, BF will be reviewing the purpose and make-up of the Senior Coaching Panel.

Looking ahead to the Paris cycle and the re-start of senior international fencing post Tokyo, BF will be reviewing the purpose and make-up of the Senior Coaching Panel (originally appointed in October 2018) to ensure that there is a cohort of coaches being developed as part of the GBR system with the motivation, capability and capacity to develop and support athletes to Olympic success in the next 3 cycles.

This review will take into account:

• shorter-term coaching requirements of fencers likely to qualify for Paris (based on performance trajectories)
• the need to integrate senior coaches into the Athlete Development Programme (ADP) coaching team following the expansion of the ADP remit to the full athlete pathway (see below*).
• the Progression funding secured from UK Sport to support athletes and coaches to Olympic medal success in 2032.
• plans to apply for UK Sport Confirmation funding to support athletes aiming for success in 2028.

On completion of the review, the next steps will likely include an identification process to nominate ADP coaches to support the senior teams for the Paris cycle. More information to follow in September 2021.

*Beyond 2020: the story so far:

In December 2020, UK Sport confirmed a one year £418k award (from April 1^st 2021) to support long term Olympic success in fencing.

The majority of this award is for the purposes of delivering improvements to the system and structure to develop athletes and coaches for long term Olympic success. A significant area of this work is around investing in and supporting the development of a cohort of fencing coaches who, by 2028, will have developed their skills and knowledge to be able to operate in the high-performance coaching space which will include the training and support to an expanding squad of Olympic level fencers in the UK.

Building on the work which started in 2019 including the delivery of the Developing People Programme, and embedding a whole person approach with The True Athlete Project, our coaches are now being supported by coach development opportunities through our partnership work with Sport England and UK Sport.  These initiatives are building a portfolio of wider coach learning experiences with many of our coaches being supported via Female Coaching and High Performance, HiCAP, Focus and Talent programmes .

In early April BF announced the appointment of Dusty Miller as head of people and culture. One of Dusty’s primary responsibilities is to further develop and deliver the High-Performance Coaching Strategy (as set out within BF’s funding bid).

In the first 3 months Dusty’s work has started with:

• Initial conversations with our coaches about their long-term aspirations and goals.
• The review of the High-Performance Coaching Strategy and the initiation of phase 1 of the strategy, building the base.
• Working with the BF Coaches on UK Sport and UK Coaching Coach Development Programmes.

More information:

*The BF ADP is a six weapon programme that exists to support athletes in achieving Olympic success and inspiring others. 

It covers athletes from age 15 to 35 (and beyond for those performing at Olympic level) who are moving through a defined development pathway to success at the highest level of fencing.

You can find out more about the ADP here, with thanks to UK Sport and Sport England for supporting the programme.

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