Leeds Fencing Club in Kirkstall Leisure Centre with world veteran championship competitors left without a home

Leeds Fencing Club has been based at Kirkstall Leisure Centre for 35 years, but recent changes at the centre has left management of the club fearing that the club may “fall apart”.

In April, the centre began specialising in gymnastics and gym equipment now fills the space where the fencers have met every Monday evening since 1989.

With little options of relocation, Leeds Fencing Club began running sessions from a “much smaller” activities room in Kirkstall Leisure Centre.

Senior coach John Crouch said: “We’re having to split the club into three different groups. We can't get the club together because the room is too small and a bit cramped. And we need the whole club to be together.”

The smaller space also means that the club can no longer offer coaching while the waiting list for the beginners course continues to grow, John said.

It is the only place to fence in Leeds and the club has “doubled in size” in its three-decades of operation, now with 40 full-time members between the ages of 12 and 76.

It is also home to two members that are due to represent Great Britain at the World Fencing Championships, which will be taking place in Dubai in October.

John said Active Leeds, the group that operates council-run gyms in and around the city, has recommended a few other venues to the fencing club - but he said these venues are not fit for the fencing club.

He added: “Either they don't have room on a Monday night, or they don't have enough space for us, or they can't store our equipment. None of the options they've come up with so far are suitable. 

“It’s disappointing that we are the only option for fencing in Leeds and there’s nowhere for us to do it. We're a successful club that don't have a home.”

Leeds Fencing Club needs a large sports hall (equivalent to four badminton courts) that is available on Monday evenings with a secure storage area for our swords, protective clothing and scoring equipment.

“It's a sport that anybody can do,” John said.

“It's not like if you play badminton or squash, you've got to be able to hit the shuttle. You've just got a sword in your hand, and you've got to poke somebody with it. It's great for people who are with slight disabilities or not very well balanced. It’s a sport anybody can have a go at. “It's just not ideal. The club is gradually going to fall apart if we carry on like this.”

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