Club History

Gloucester Fencing Club was founded in 1992 by the city’s only full-time professional fencing coach, Shaun Garley. The core of the membership were drawn from the successful adult beginner courses held at the Riverside club. After a few sessions meeting at the leisure centre, the club moved to its’ first permanent venue, the Colwell centre on Derby Rd.

GFC had the use of the main hall, but numbers were increasing so it was decided to move to a bigger venue.

In 1994 GFC moved to Sir Thomas Rich’s school. The larger Gym allowed the club to expand and gave the club a new lease of life. Up until 2000 the club was still relatively small and had no separate junior session.

In the autumn of 2000 it was decided to move away from the mixed adult and junior session and run a dedicated slot for the under 16’s. To attract juniors, the club needed to start the session at 7pm. Unfortunately, Sir Thomas Rich’s school were unable to offer the club any extra time, so another move was necessary. As it was important to find a venue central to the city and to make it accessible for all the fencers who were travelling considerable distances, we made the move to Oxstalls Community School, now known as Bishops' College.

The future of Bishop’s College was uncertain. With the threat of imminent closure, yet another move was necessary to ensure that GFC had a venue within the city. In June 2010, Gloucester Fencing Club moved to the sports hall at Crypt School. This superb facility has been a real boost to the club. With more space, better lighting and a sprung floor, our current venue is our best yet.