Recruitment - Scottish Fencing Board vacancy - Finance Director

Scottish Fencing is seeking a qualified individual with knowledge of and expertise in accounting standards and concepts to support the Board and staff team in the role of Finance Director.

In joining the Board of Scottish Fencing you will gain experience of working as a leader within a small but dynamic Governing Body.   You will help to shape the future of Scottish Fencing, at a point where the relationship between sport, health and well-being is strengthening.  Re-invigorating the sport, encouraging people to participate and volunteer are key activities. 

The successful individual will bring their skills and knowledge to the Board and develop an area of expertise and interest as part of an integrated team with the elected Board members.  Each Board Member holds a portfolio which we adapt according to the skills and interest of Board members, aligned to the organisational strategy.  Directors take decisions within their portfolios on behalf of the Board.

This appointment is a great opportunity for someone with a passion for sport. It presents an opportunity for the development of new and existing skills, meeting new people and new networks, and making a genuine difference to sport in Scotland. 

For more information and details of the application process, please click the Role Description and Full advert below.

Scottish Fencing Board vacancy - Finance Director role description

Scottish Fencing Board vacancy - Finance Director advert

Team Scotland Achieve Programme - Salma Ahmad represents Scottish Fencing in Birmingham

Salma Ahmad has been selected to represent Scottish Fencing in the Team Scotland Achieve programme which takes place alongside the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this week.

The Achieve programme is an educational programme aimed at athletes that have the potential to progress in their sport and have a passion for inspiring others to take part in sport. Achieve athletes will spend 5 days in Birmingham at the Games and will have access to a well-qualified and experienced mentor that will guide them through this educational experience.

Salma is a member of both West Lothian Fencing Club and Heriot Watt Fencing Club, where she is also the armourer for the university fencing club. She is focussed on developing her competitive experience with the aim of representing Scotland at the next Commonwealth Fencing Championships. Salma is also extremely passionate about encouraging others to try fencing and aims to be a positive role model for anyone who is keen to try the sport.

Salma travels to Birmingham on Wednesday 3rd August, where she will be given a tour of the athletes village before taking in cycling, hockey, gymnastics, table tennis and athletics. There is also an educational programme where Salma will take part in inspirational talks, media training and interactive workshops to share learning across sports.

Everyone at Scottish Fencing sends their best wishes to Salma for what is sure to be an unforgettable experience and we are looking forward to hearing all about the programme on her return.

Daniel Baker joins Scottish Fencing as Club and Community Development Manager

Scottish Fencing is delighted to confirm the appointment of Daniel Baker as Club and Community Manager.

Daniel joins us from Bowls Scotland where he has been a National Development Officer for the past 3 years and previously worked with Enable Scotland. In his role at Bowls he was responsible for supporting clubs to provide increased opportunities for people to participate and also focussed on areas such as business planning, funding applications and membership recruitment and retention.

Daniel is also on Sportscotland Changing Lives Leaders Programme and this experience will be valuable to the team as we look to deliver our ‘Forging the Future’ strategy and make the sport of fencing a welcoming and inclusive place for all.

We are sure Daniel will be a great addition to the team and will be a great asset to our clubs. We look forward to welcoming him to his new role when he begins on 15th August.  

Coach Education and Coach Educator Development Courses

There will be a Coach Education weekend on 23-24 July at Salle Holyrood Fencing Club. Over the weekend there will be two courses running concurrently.

Coach Education course

One course will be a Coach Education course for coaches working towards levels 1, 2 or 3. Details as follows.

Dates    Saturday 23rd July & Sunday 24th July

Time     12.00 – 6.00 pm

There is no cost for this training, however coaches will have to pay for certification if they pass. Minimum age for Level 1 is 14 years old. Coaches can bring someone along to practice their coaching on if they wish.

For more information and to sign up please click here.

Coach Educator course

The second course is for current and prospective Coach Educators and will take place from 9am – 6pm on both days. The programme for this course will be 3 hours of preparation in the morning and then delivery of the Coach Education course in the afternoon.

This course is open to current and prospective Coach Educators. If you think you may have an interest in becoming a Coach Educator in the future this weekend will allow you the opportunity to explore this. There will also be some discussion around the development of the Scottish Fencing Coaching qualifications and future Coach Development. 

For more information and to sign up please click here.

Obituary John McKenzie 17 April 1943 - 18 May 2022

John was born in 1943 during the war in Parkhead Avenue, Gorgie, Edinburgh. He had two older sisters, Mary and Louisa.

In his youth, like most boys his age, John was a keen footballer, however a nasty leg break at primary school meant he could no longer play. John was a talented musician, following after his father and sister who were both musical. The family often played together and John could play several instruments but preferred the cornet, guitar and piano. He was a member of the Salvation Army Band and once played at the Royal Albert Hall.

black and white picture of Salvation Army band featuring John McKenzie

John was introduced to fencing by Professor Bert Bracewell whilst studying Agriculture at Edinburgh University and it became a life-long passion, both fencing competitively and coaching.

Black and white picture of University of Edinburgh fencing club members with the trophies they had won

John joined the University fencing team in 1967 which was the start of a highly successful fencing career. In 1968, he completed a hat-trick by becoming the Scottish University Champion in Foil, Epee and Sabre in the same weekend. The first person to achieve this and a feat that has not yet been repeated.

Although John fenced all 3 weapons, he favoured Epee and had many outstanding achievements across the years. He was a founding member of the highly competitive and successful Lothian Fencing Club from 1969 onwards. He won the coveted Burn Murdoch trophy for Epee in 1969. He was a member of the Scottish team at the Commonwealth Games in Canada 1974, the same year he won the Scottish Epee Championships. John also competed as a Veteran for Scotland Great Britain in matches at home and abroad.

Lothian Fencing Club with a large selection of medals and trophies which they had won.

John qualified as a coach in all 3 weapons, with his first coaching qualification in foil in 1968, not long after he had started fencing. John realised early on that coaching fencing was going to be important part of his life. He was one of very few coaches who achieved the accolade to be qualified in Foil, Epee and Sabre at advanced level.

Over the years John contributed significantly as a coach to many clubs and schools with the aim of making fencing as accessible a sport for as many children as possible. He coached for many years at Dunfermline Fencing Club, University of Edinburgh, George Watsons school, Fettes school, Corstorphine Primary and Currie Primary, to name but a few.

John had a rare talent to inspire and challenge his students through humour and a wry smile that meant many of them achieved great success and have continued fencing long after leaving the schools he taught at.

John invested a significant amount of time and energy into developing Fencing in Scotland – not only competing and coaching, but spending countless weekends, either as a parent supporting his children fencing, as a referee for many competitions across the years, or fundraising for his local clubs.

John’s enthusiasm and passion for fencing was apparent to all who met him. He was very much loved and will be sadly missed by his wife Sheila, his children Kerry, Martin, Tracy and Jennifer and his six grandchildren.

Words by Tracy McKenzie

Scottish Secondary Schools Championship round-up

Over the weekend the Scottish Secondary Schools Championship took place at Bathgate Academy. This was the first time the event had been held since before the pandemic and it was great to see so many fencers over the two days. The event has a tremendous history and some impressive trophies. Overall, 60 fencers took part across Under 14, Under 16 and Over 16 age groups. It was also nice to see some fencers take part in all three weapons to compete for the three weapon trophies.

Scottish Fencing would like to extend our appreciation to everyone involved in the running of the event. A special thank you to Kevin, Wendy and the members of West Lothian Fencing Club who helped with a number of roles over the two days and kindly allowed us to set up during their club time on Friday evening. The club also provided a tuck shop and the home baking received many compliments.

The referees are crucial to any event and a big thank you goes to all of the referees for their efforts over a busy two days.

Many thanks to The Foundation for Scottish Fencing and David Barbour who ensured the event ran smoothly. Thanks also to Fiona Morrison, Lorna Smith and Wendy Hearty who were the DT’s over the weekend, Paul Thompson, our armourer.

Overall Best School – Dunblane High School

The winners of the three weapon trophies were:

Under 16 Girls - Zoe Wagstaff

Over 16 Girls - Sophie Schofield

Under 14 Boys - Euan Drummond Murray

Under 16 Boys - David Kelly

Over 16 Boys - Jaimie Cook

Full results from the weekend can be found here.

Congratulations to everyone who took part.

Best wishes

Stan Stoodley

Scottish Fencing President

Scottish Fencing Volunteer Lead Safeguarding Officer

The Board of Scottish Fencing are looking to recruit a Volunteer Lead Safeguarding Officer who will Support the Scottish Fencing Board and staff team with the effective development and implementation of Safeguarding policies and procedures throughout the sport in Scotland.

This is a key role within the organisation and we are seeking a  motivated individual with exceptional communication skills, sound judgement and experience of adult and child wellbeing and protection.

For more information please see the full advert and role description below.

SF Volunteer Lead Safeguarding Officer Advert

SF Volunteer Lead Safeguarding Officer Role Description

Master Armourer - award congratulations to Malcolm Napier Holford

Congratulations to Malcolm Napier Holford. He has just been awarded the award of Master Armourer, by the Guild of Armourers. A first in Scotland!

 Malcom started looking after his own kit in the 1980's as his coach insisted he should. Professor Bracewell, taught him some basic principles and gave him some great advice, which is still valid now "look after your own kit, remove that variable, then you can only do your best". 

 From then Malcolm slowly learnt more, working up from apprentice armourer, journeyman to armourer by way of written tests and practical assessments. 

 Armourers as well as setting up and stripping down kit at events are also responsible for advising on how health and safety rules are applied. Malcolm currently looks after the equipment for Scottish Fencing and West Fife fencing club. He helps and trains fencers on how to look after and maintain their equipment. He also advises Scottish Fencing on the application of material and organisation rules to ensure the safety of all involved. A very important role.

 Malcom says:

 “What I enjoy is the challenge of never knowing what has gone wrong, finding the fault and fixing it. Over the years, I have been to lots of events including FIE and Commonwealth as a lead armourer. Now getting awarded my Master Armourer is a great honour. And the first in Scotland.”

 Congratulations, Malcolm.

 If you are inspired by Malcolm’s story and also like fixing things get in touch with Scottish Fencing as we are looking to train more armourers and get more people involved in this important role. Email us at admin@scottish-fencing.com. 

Recruitment - Club and Community Development Manager

Scottish Fencing is looking to recruit a motivated individual with excellent communication and networking skills to support fencing clubs and the wider fencing community. The intention for this role is to support the growth and benefit of fencing across Scotland as a driving force for inclusion and change within the sporting community. 

This is a dynamic period for Scottish Fencing and we are looking for an individual who will support and build the growing presence of fencing within Scotland through supporting & encouraging fencing clubs and communities to participate in innovative development & inclusion activities  

The above is a snapshot of the role, for the full advert and job description please click on the links below.

For an informal conversation about the role, please reach out directly to Clare Queen, Scottish Fencing COO/Head of Pathways on clare.queen@scottish-fencing.com

CCDM Full Advert

CCDM Job Description

SF Application form

Equality Monitoring Form

Closing date is 5pm 22 June 2022

Scottish Fencing strategy sub-groups

Scottish Fencing are seeking volunteers from within the fencing community to support the staff team and Board with the roll out of the new Scottish Fencing strategy, #ForgingTheFuture 2022-2025.

Our strategy places strong clubs and pathways at the heart of what we do but also sets out our mission to create an inclusive sporting community where the power of fencing drives social change.  

We plan to establish sub-groups for the following key areas of our strategy (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Women & Girls, People Development, Competition Management and Events). The sub-groups will be led by the Scottish Fencing board and staff team and will include members of the fencing community who are passionate about bringing the objectives in our strategy to life. If you are committed to supporting us on this journey and feel you have the skills and experience to contribute, we would love to hear from you.

To view the strategy, click below

Forging the Future strategy 2022-2025

Further information about the scope of the sub-groups can be found in the draft Terms of Reference below. These Terms of Reference are draft and will be agreed and finalised by members of each sub-group.

Women & Girls sub-group draft Terms of Reference

People Development sub-group draft Terms of Reference

Equality, diversity & Inclusion sub-group draft Terms of Reference

Events sub-group draft Terms of Reference

Competition Management sub-group draft Terms of Reference 

To register your interest for any of the sub-groups please complete the online form by clicking here.

The registration period will close on Wednesday 22nd June at 5pm.