Why is B.F.A.
membership required at H.F.A. Competitions?
Entry forms for all the competitions run by the Hertfordshire
Fencing Association contain the following sentence or equivalent:
"Individual membership of the British Fencing Association
is required for all competitors." The reason is to ensure
that the fencer in question is covered by appropriate insurance
should any accident occur.
If I am a member of another
National Federation can I compete?
The answer to this depends upon whether you are resident in the United
Kingdom or not. Competitions run by the British Fencing Association,
Regions or Counties are run for members of the Association and as such
only open to members of the Association, we have a reciprical arrangements
with other Federations to allow visiting fencers to enter events, but the
accent is on visiting. We expect fencers resident in the UK to join British
Fencing, as would a Brit living abroad be expected to join the equivalent foreign
National Association.
Is F.I.E Membership
equivalent to B.F.A. Membership?
No, the FIE licence only confirms membership of a National Federation on the
day it was issued and offers NO insurance whatever. If the fencer is a current
member of say the Spanish Federation they would need to check if their insurance
cover is valid for a fencing abroad. If they are in full-time residence in
the United Kingdom, they should obtain B.F.A. membership as indicated above.
Can I join the B.F.A. on the day of
a competition?
In the case of H.F.A. competitions it is usually possible to join the
B.F.A. on the day of the competition, but it is usually best to
check beforehand, as this depends upon the discretion of the competition organiser.
By preference, you should send your application form off to the B.F.A.
before the competition so that check in isn't slowed down by the extra
adminstration required. "On the day" insurance is not possible
for novice league matches.
You will not be allowed to fence if you are unable to prove that you a have adequate cover.
