Our latest episode of Telescopic Tech Talks features none other than James Craig from British Fencing.

British Fencing (BF) is the National Governing Body for Olympic and Paralympic Fencing. Their mission: inspire people to start, stay and succeed in fencing. Because let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to pretend they’re a swashbuckling hero?

James is BF’s Commercial Director. He’s making fencing cool, modern and accessible by bringing tech into the mix. So, we’re pretty excited to hear what he’s got to share. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

James launched BF’s License Partner Programme. Partners can use BF’s own system to deliver fencing training and coaching. They get access to specialised resources and help from BF to boost their own programmes.

PGL and Center Parcs are two big partners. Both are seeing huge benefits, but let’s spotlight PGL. For one thing, they pay less per course compared to one-off purchases. This lets them invest more in growing their coaching team. The extra training is also drawing wannabe coaches to PGL and motivating current coaches to step up their game.

“After forming a partnership with PGL, they went from having around 300 coaches to over 500,” James highlights. Having more coaches means more people can get involved in fencing. In just three years, PGL’s programmes engaged around 97,500 unique participants (an increase of c.21k).

“We’re showing people that fencing is popular and can be a big hit in community sports by making it more accessible” James says. “This shift in thinking is driving curiosity about fencing. It’s not just a fancy sport for a select few, but something exciting and open to everyone.”

Fencing isn’t just about getting fit while swinging a sword. BF uses fencing for social change. It’s about reaching out to people who wouldn’t usually give fencing a second glance and allowing the sport to help them see themselves in a new light.

As James puts it, “Fencing is this catalyst for conversations and changing people’s self-perception. Just look at our Muslim Girls Fence project. It’s created spaces for Muslim girls and women to challenge assumptions about their gender, race, religion, and other identities. It’s both physical and creative, and it’s also busting myths about fencing being an exclusive sport just for the privileged.

“There’s something primal about wanting to wield a sword, and we’re tapping into that latent demand with our game-based programmes.”

“We’re not just about teaching fencing,” James continues. “We’re helping people develop on a personal level, building resilience. Because once they’ve got that sword in their hands, both sporty and non-sporty alike feel included.”

Explore Fencing is BF’s game-based app that welcomes beginners into the world of fencing. The app is also a handy tool for BF’s Licensed Partner Programme and their coaches. With a paid subscription, they access premium content like teaching materials and tweak it to fit their needs. It wasn’t always this way, though.

“We had an app built previously but it was buggy and inefficient,” James explains. “We found a new partner (hi, that’s us) who were committed to understanding our vision. Together, we worked out a budget-friendly plan that would revive the app and help us achieve our goals.”

Explore Fencing is no one-trick pony. It’s the foundation for future improvements and a tool for bringing all of BF’s data together.

Explore Fencing serves as a fun introduction to fencing and captures the users’ imagination. Digital partners are vital in making these experiences happen, so what traits does BF seek in them? “We need self-awareness, technical expertise, and a vision,” James shares.