Coaching Team
“The discipline and concentration the sport demands have strengthened my daughter’s focus both on and off the piste and the steady progress she has achieved has greatly boosted her confidence and self-belief. Her coaches are patient and encouraging and they have encouraged her to approach things with determination, resilience and pride in her own abilities”
Brian Matless
Brian has been one of the countries top coaches at both foil and epee for many years and is a British Academy of Fencing Coach and level 3 epee coach. He is also our Life President and he has coached numerous fencers to Olympic and international standard in addition to pentathletes and wheelchair fencers. Brian retired from the weekly running of the fencing club in April 2011 but continues to keep a close eye on the coaching team and programme.
Helen Kay
Helen is “The Boss” and is responsible for all aspects of running the club . She has fenced foil for over 30 years at International, National and County level and, for many years, was ranked number 2 in Great Britain. She has been coaching foil for 25 years to all ages and abilities and is a level 3 British Fencing foil coach..
Simon Trevithick
Simon is responsible for the implementation and delivery of the club and community fencing programmes together with the development of the sport across regional schools and community'groups. Prior to joining the club Simon lived and coached in China, where alongside his ‘proper’ job, delivered junior fencing programmes in local state and international private schools. Simon also delivers programmes for Mencap, and Special Olympics Great Britain as well as lead coach for a number of schools in the area including those at Yarm School and Queen Ethelburgas Collegiate in York. . In 2018 Simon became British Fencing ‘Community Coach of the Year and in 2025 was awarded The FIE Diploma (Budapest).
Caitlin Chang
Caitlin started fencing at the age of seven after watching a demonstration of the sport on a school trip to the Royal Armouries. Since then, and under the guidance of Brian, she has travelled the world fencing for Great Britain (and more lately Jamaica), won many National and International epee titles at both junior and senior level and even carried the Olympic flame in 2012 through the streets of Harrogate. In January 2024 Caitlin won the Yorkshire epee title for a staggering tenth time and qualified as a Level 2 Epee coach. Needless to say she is the clubs most successful ever fencer and we are delighted that she is now a valuable and integral part of the club coaching staff. Caitlin is a BFA Level 2 Epee coach and is a mentor on the British Fencing ADP programme.
Gary Coe
Gary has been fencing since he was 14 and started as a coach at Harrogate when his twins took up fencing. He is a BF level 2 qualified foil coach and has started coaching epee to support fencers at our Club and organises Harrogate’s Performance Epee Sessions.
Gary competes at local and veteran competitions and spends an increasing amount of time travelling to national and international competitions with his two children and other Harrogate fencers.
Jill Mooney
Jill is a fencing mum whos motto literally is “if you can’t beat them join them”. Having fenced nationally at both school and university, Jill brought her two sons down to the club for fencing lessons and finished up getting involved! As well as being a level 2 foil coach Jill, is welfare officer for both the club and regional safeguarding officer for British Fencing . Apart from managing all the paperwork. she is now responsible for the clubs new Sabre programme as well as being instrumental in the relaunch of the York Open, now established as one of the largest Open competitions in the country. Jill was a founder member of the Wirral Fencing Club.
Nathan Mooney
Nathan has been fencing foil at Harrogate from the age of 7 and as well as coaching the cadets and juniors, he is also competing on the national and international circuits. Over the years Nathan has won many medals both regionally and on a national scale and was recently an integral member of the Yorkshire team that won team gold at the 2024 County Championship (Winton Cup). He is also an athlete on British Fencing Development Programme.
Nathan is a Geology student at Leeds University and active member of the University Fencing Club. He also has a BTEC Diploma in Sporting Excellence and if that’s not enough, he also recently received his British Fencing Level 2 foil coaching qualification.
He hopes to provide aspiring athletes with a comfortable and positively challenging environment with clear end goals in mind.
Alistair ‘AJ’ Lusted
Alistair, or AJ, as he is affectionately know, is a man of many talents. As well as being our Chief Armourer he is also a BF foil coach and more impressively a father of five , two of which are fencers.
Nicole Brown
Nicole is one of our junior coaches and helps out with cadet and beginner sabre classes. Nicole current fences on the GB ranking circuit and is working towards her level 1 coaching qualification.