COVID-19 Club Information
Welcome to the DWFC Covid-19 club information page. All information for club members and guest can be found in the tabs and comments below.
Session Times
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Before booking your place online, please check your emails and double check which session you are in. Guests please see the guest tab for instructions. Once you have booked a place online please complete the pre-session survey. This must be completed within 24 hrs of your session commencing. In addition please make sure that you have read our club rules and the British Fencing guidance (which can be located in the tabs above) and become familiar with our floor plan (see below).
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Session 1 (6:00pm - 7:00pm)Session 2 (7:15pm - 9:15pm) |
Guest Members
Due to safety measures put in place as a result of COVID-19, if you wish to attend the club you must get in contact with us prior to the session. Depending on availability of spaces we can then allocate you a session slot, should one be available. If you wish to come please contact us on either one of the following email addresses with the dates that you wish to attend: Daniel Robinson.
Please make sure that you have up to date British fencing membership otherwise you will be unable to partake in any sessions.
Please make sure that you have up to date British fencing membership otherwise you will be unable to partake in any sessions.
DWFC & BFA Club Rules & Protocols for Fencing
Equipment Sharing:
If you normally borrow equipment, please don’t worry, you can still come training. If you are a member of the club, we can offer you a set of kit (for a refundable deposit) to keep at home for the duration of DWFC COVID equipment sharing regulations. Excalibur sports (the fencing equipment company of Dan & James) are also offering monthly repayment plans if you wish to purchase your own kit instead. If you require kit (DWFC or Excalibur) please state this in the survey and we will contact you with all the details.
Before the Session:
All participants (fencers, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators) should:
- You must book your session before every session (by 10am each Tuesday). You can book your session and do your pre-session survey on our website under the COVID tab. You will be asked to provide your email and phone number so we can aid NHS contact and trace. Booking the sessions each week allow us to manage the number of fencers attending to fit in with social distancing guidelines and assign people to appropriate pods for their weapon, age and ability.
- You must fill out a pre-session survey before every session.
- Follow UK Government guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 if it applies to them.
- Comply with all public health restrictions and avoid high risk behaviour outside the sports setting to reduce the risk to your fellow participants when you do attend a fencing club or venue.
- Carry out personal hygiene measures before and after fencing activity.
- Bring your own hand sanitiser where possible and maintain strict and frequent hand hygiene measures at all times.
- Follow UK Government guidance on best practice for travel, including minimising use of public transport and limiting car sharing.
- Follow BF’s guidance in relation to equipment cleaning (found on their website)
- Ensure that your contact details are up to date on the BF membership system and the DWFC club records.
- On arrival ensure that your attendance is recorded (see Dan, our secretary)
- The academy has asked us to ensure that when parking your cars, please ensure that you leave at least one car space between you and the next car.
- Check for symptoms of COVID-19 before travelling to training. In line with current UK Government Guidance, if an individual is symptomatic and/or living in a household with a possible COVID-19 infection, you should remain at home and follow UK Government guidance. In addition, any participants who have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace because they are a contact of a known COVID-19 case, must not exercise outside their home or garden and must not exercise with others.
During the session:
- Do not make any physical contact with other participants (such as shaking hands or high five).
- Stay at least two metres away from other participants as far as possible including when taking breaks and before and after bouts.
- The handshaking rule is suspended. Fencers should replace the end of bout handshake with a salute observing 2m social distancing.
- Corps a corps, deliberate close quarter actions and any actions that breach the 1m distancing are not permitted.
- Fleching/running attacks are not permitted.
- Hand signals should be used where possible in place of verbal signals.
- Participants should avoid any shouting/screaming, particularly during 1:1 activities.
- If parents would like to stay during the session, this must be kept to 1 person per fencer.
- People will be placed into pods for the sessions, you will remain in these pods for the entire session. You will have your warm-up, footwork and fencing within these pods.
- Pods will consist of a maximum of 6 people. These pods cannot change during the session but can change from week to week. We will inform you of which pod you have been placed in and if any changes occur. Each pod will be assigned a badminton court where you and your equipment will be placed for the session. Social distancing still needs to be maintained within the pods.
- Spools will be cleaned before and after each session. Anti-bacterial wipes will be provided for fencers to use on the spool after each bout.
- Everybody inside the hall (including spectators/parents) will be required to wear a mask, excluding those who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons. When fencing, fencers will be required to either wear a mask or use a mask liner as well as their fencing mask.
- Toilet and handwashing facilities are available; however, it is advised that all fencers bring their own hand sanitiser with them. We would also encourage people to wear clothing that fencing kit can easily go over to reduce the use of changing facilities.
- Fencing bouts are restricted to fights to 15 hits or three fights to 5 (and a maximum of 10 minutes fencing time or 15 minutes elapsed time). As you won’t have fenced for a long time and you will be fencing with a mask, it is advised that at first you stick to one fight to 5 before having a break and some water. As you will have 6 fencers in a pod, you can easily alternate the fights so ensure that everyone gets a break.
- There should be no sharing of equipment during a session (excluding spools), if you do not have the correct equipment or it breaks, please speak to us about sorting out appropriate club kit rather than sharing or borrowing kit from another fencer (unless they are a member of your household).
After fencing sessions...
- All participants should sanitise their hands after the completion of activity.
- Participants should exit whilst maintaining social distancing.
Important extras:
Please note: BRITISH FENCING MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED, otherwise your insurance and DWFC’s club insurance is void. Please make sure that your membership is up to date (for beginners there is a 3 month free membership). Any questions, please contact me or visit our website for more information on the different memberships available and how to purchase them.
We will be undertaking a risk assessment of every session and carrying out hygiene and safety checks before each session as well as ensuring that we are following all of the steps required by British Fencing and the academy. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Patrick Leighton for further advice. Our risk assessment, Hereford Academy’s risk assessment, and British Fencing’s guidelines can be found on the Risk Assessment tab at the top of the page.
Please bear in mind that although we are taking steps to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19, we cannot completely remove all risk and if you choose to participate in fencing you do so at your own risk.
We will be undertaking a risk assessment of every session and carrying out hygiene and safety checks before each session as well as ensuring that we are following all of the steps required by British Fencing and the academy. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Patrick Leighton for further advice. Our risk assessment, Hereford Academy’s risk assessment, and British Fencing’s guidelines can be found on the Risk Assessment tab at the top of the page.
Please bear in mind that although we are taking steps to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19, we cannot completely remove all risk and if you choose to participate in fencing you do so at your own risk.
If you have any concerns please contact one of our club officials below:
