Roz Graham has been awarded her EFC C licence for epee and Benedict Cowan has received his for foil, following their performances as referees on the EFC circuit in 2024-25.
The EFC C licence is awarded to referees after being independently observed and scoring five “4’s or 5’s” (out of 5) at EFC nominated competitions over two seasons. The C licence is also a requirement for entry to the FIE exams.
Roz and Benedict are active members of the BF Referee Pathway Programme, which is supported by funding from UK Sport.
Upon hearing the news, Roz said:
“I am delighted to get my C licence at epee and have enjoyed the more structured development process compared with my previous experience when I was awarded my sabre FIE licence nearly 20 years ago.
“Through the development process, I have come to appreciate the more subtle nuances of epee and have come really enjoy epee both as a referee and as a spectator.
“I am really grateful for the support of the BF mentoring team and my referee colleagues (both British and international) at events this season.”
Benedict added:
“My refereeing journey began following a broken foot, which meant that while I was unable to fence I wanted to keep in touch with the sport. I decided I could do this through learning to referee while it healed.
“It feels amazing to have achieved what I hope will be the first step in my journey of international refereeing. I would like to thank firstly the BF Pathway Programme for the support I have received over the years, and secondly my mentors for their constant input and assistance.
“I aim to keep moving forward and understand that this is only one rung of the ladder in my refereeing development. I look forward to continued learning on my journey and would like to thank all those in BF that have, and will continue to help me grow.”
Georgina Usher, BF CEO, added:
“Congrats to Roz and Benedict for their recent achievements. It is great to see that the quality of our referees continues to be recognised by the EFC. With ever increasing numbers of GBR fencers competing internationally, it is vital for us to grow the referee cohort, as without our referees, we will face ever increasing fines or restrictions on participation.”
If you’re interested in joining the BF Referee Pathway Programme, please click here for further information.
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