AFF announces National Participation Manager
The Australian Fencing Federation (AFF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Avery Holderness-Roddam as the National Participation Manager, made possible by funding from the Australian Sports Commission.
Holderness-Roddam will collaborate with the Australian fencing community, schools, and organisations to increase participation in this fun and challenging Olympic sport, and will ensure that fencing opportunities are accessible for underrepresented communities.
Holderness-Roddam brings over twenty years of experience in developing the fencing community in Tasmania. He first encountered fencing at the age of twelve and quickly developed a passion for the sport. Currently, Holderness-Roddam is the President of the Tasmanian Fencing Association.
As an accredited coach with the Australian Fencing Federation and the Oceania Fencing Confederation, Holderness-Roddam launched the Van Diemen Fencing Club in 2011 to provide access to the sport for communities across Southern Tasmania.
An openly transgender male, Holderness-Roddam has worked with dedicated volunteers to create a safe and inclusive space for trans and gender-diverse individuals within the Tasmanian fencing community. Holderness-Roddam also promotes fencing as an inclusive sport for neurodivergent individuals, having seen first-hand how well fencing can accommodate common challenges and strengths of neurodiverse participants.
Talking about his appointment to the role, Holderness-Roddam said, “Fencing is a lifelong sport that can be modified for all ages and abilities. As one of the safest Olympic sports, I want to see more people having the opportunity to participate and find their community.”
“My experience has primarily been around LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the disability community, and experiencing life as a female athlete and coach until I was twenty-seven, so I look forward to having valuable conversations and learning from more underrepresented communities so we can ensure nobody is missing out on participating in this fabulous sport.”
Holderness-Roddam will commence his role as National Participation Manager on April 14th and he looks forward to supporting the growth of Grassroots fencing in Australia.