The term “club” includes any organized fencing group of individual members with a current USA Fencing Affiliate or Premium Club status.
A recognized club is one that is in full compliance with all USA Fencing SafeSport policies related to coaches, staff, board members and anyone authorized, appointed or approved to have regular contact with minor athletes, has a stable organizational structure and membership, a location for regular fencing activity and a USA Fencing Coach Member providing lessons and training.
The division affiliation of a club shall be the primary location where its regular fencing activity is conducted. A club may only be a member of one division.
A distinction is made between club “affiliation” and “representation.” A fencer may be affiliated with
more than one club, but they can only represent one of them (except as noted below) in USA Fencing
competitions at one time. An athlete’s club representation is based on current Premium or Affiliate clubs.
Athletes who represent a non-USA Fencing club will be considered “unattached.” This includes clubs
who are not current at the time of the competition, regardless of the club’s history of membership. All
clubs must be 100% compliant with SafeSport policy for an individual to represent the club at a sanctioned competition.
All fencers should notify the National Office of all club affiliations at the start of the fencing season and, as such, any club affiliation changes during the fencing season.
All fencers will have the ability to update their club affiliation in their membership profile twice per season.
They should also notify competition organizers of such affiliations, even if representing another club (or school) or fencing unattached for reasons given below.
Competition organizers should apply the same criteria for separating fencers with the same club affiliations as they do for fencers with same club representation.
Only current USA Fencing clubs will be listed in the membership database. You cannot affiliate with a non-member club. Only the club listed in the athlete’s membership profile will be considered valid.
Club affiliations are dependent on the date tournament organizers download the entrants for a tournament. Please note this could be up to one week prior to the start of competition. A collegiate fencer, who is also a member of another recognized club, may represent their school in dual meets and other intercollegiate competitions, and also represent the other club in USA Fencing competitions. If the rules of their school conference require it, they may represent their school or fence unattached at all USA Fencing individual competitions held during the school’s fencing season or, in the case of collegiate fencers, during the period in which NCAA rules regarding playing dates have jurisdiction. Such fencers may represent their other club during the other portions of the fencing season. Athletes should inform the National Office of their collegiate representation; this information will be used in accordance with fencing rule o.13.
Any request for club change beyond the parameters noted above requires special permission from the USA Fencing Board of Directors or its designee.
The fencer/club representation relationship may be terminated at any time by either party (fencer or club) by written notice provided to the National Office.
USA Fencing reserves the right to cancel a club’s membership at any time and thus remove that club affiliation with individual fencers.