This guide walks you through registering for a fencing tournament on AskFRED, from finding the event to completing payment.
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:
An AskFRED account with a confirmed email address
A fencer linked to your account (with birth year and gender set)
Your USA Fencing or Canadian Fencing membership number saved in your settings (if the tournament requires it)
If you're registering a family member, make sure they're added to your account as an additional fencer. See our Multi-Fencer Accounts article for help with that.
Step 1: Find the Tournament
Visit the Tournaments page on AskFRED
Use the search filters to narrow by date, location, weapon, or event type
You can also use Saved Searches to get weekly email notifications for tournaments that match your criteria
Click on a tournament to view its details
Step 2: Review Tournament Requirements
Before registering, check the tournament page for any requirements or restrictions. These are displayed prominently at the top of the page and may include:
Age requirements — Events may be restricted to specific age categories (Youth 10, Cadet, Veteran, etc.)
Gender requirements — Some events are restricted by gender
Rating requirements — Events may require a minimum or maximum USFA rating
Club restrictions — Some events are limited to members of specific clubs
Division restrictions — Some events are restricted to fencers in a specific USFA division
Membership requirements — Most sanctioned tournaments require a valid USA Fencing or Canadian Fencing membership number
If you don't meet a requirement, the event will be greyed out during registration with an explanation of why.
Step 3: Start Registration
Click the Register button on the tournament page. You'll be guided through these steps:
Select a Fencer
Choose which fencer you're registering from the My Fencers dropdown. If you manage multiple fencers (such as family members), select the correct one.
Select Events
You'll see a list of all available events. For each event:
Available events have a checkbox you can select
Greyed-out events have a restriction you don't meet — the specific reason is shown below the event name
Full events may show a Join Waitlist button if the organizer has enabled waitlists
Check the box next to each event you want to enter. The estimated fees update as you make selections, showing:
Per-event fees
Tournament registration fee (if applicable)
Online platform fee
Estimated total
Fill in Additional Fields (if required)
Some tournaments ask for extra information like a phone number, email, or t-shirt size. Fill in any required fields.
Sign a Waiver (if required)
If the tournament requires a waiver, you'll be asked to review and sign it electronically before proceeding.
Step 4: Complete Payment
If the tournament accepts or requires online payment, you'll be directed to pay via Stripe or PayPal.
Required payment tournaments will automatically cancel your registration if payment isn't completed within the organizer's specified timeframe
Optional payment tournaments let you save your registration and pay later
Once payment is complete, you'll see a confirmation page.
Step 5: Team Events (if applicable)
If you registered for a team event, you'll be prompted to complete your team entry — adding team members, a team name, and club information.
Common Registration Errors
If you see an error during registration, here's what the most common ones mean and how to fix them:
"This fencer must have a birth year set to register for this event."
Your fencer profile is missing a birth year. Go to My Dashboard, select the fencer, and update their birth year in settings.
"This fencer does not meet the Event age requirements."
The fencer's birth year doesn't fall within the age range for this event. Check the event's age category on the tournament page.
"This fencer must have a gender set to register for this event."
Your fencer profile is missing a gender. Update it in your fencer settings.
"This fencer does not meet the Event gender requirements."
The event is restricted to a different gender than what's on your fencer profile.
"This fencer does not meet the Event rating requirements."
Your USFA rating doesn't meet the event's rating limit. For example, a Div 3 event only allows D, E, or Unrated fencers.
"This tournament requires USA Fencing Membership Number to be set."
You need to add your USFA membership number in your fencer settings before registering. Go to My Dashboard > select your fencer > USFA Settings.
"This event is restricted to specific clubs, and this fencer is not a member of an allowed club."
The event is limited to certain clubs. Your club affiliation is based on your USA Fencing or CFF membership. See our Managing Your Club Affiliation article for details.
"This event is restricted to a specific Division, and this fencer is not a member of that Division."
The event is limited to a specific USFA division. Your division is determined by your USA Fencing membership.
"This event has hit its registration cap."
The event is full. If a Join Waitlist button is available, you can join the waitlist and be automatically promoted if a spot opens up.
"Registration for this Tournament is closed."
The registration deadline has passed. Contact the tournament organizer if you believe this is an error.
Need Help?
If you're stuck on an error you can't resolve, contact the tournament organizer directly through AskFRED's messaging system, or reach out to our support team.