Entries are now open to the Swim England South East Open/Junior Short Course Championships taking place on 03-04 November in Portsmouth.
Please click here for more information. Entries close Monday 22 October 20:00.
Clubs
Easyfundraising Competition
Show support and raise FREE donations every time you shop online
Raise funds for your club when family, friends, coaches and club members shop online, with over 3,300 online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, Tesco, JUSTEAT and trainline. PLUS, if you register your club OR raise a donation before the 22nd October 2018 you could WIN £100 worth of swimming kit.
There are so many ways you can raise FREE funds for your club this season, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- If you are competing away from home and need overnight accommodation, book your stay through easyfundraising with Booking.com and you will receive a 3% cashback donation on your purchase.
- Perhaps you are competing close to home, however still need to book return transport. Get travel tickets, through easyfundraising, with trainline and you will receive a 5% cashback donation. It’s simple!
Don’t forget, your club could be WINNERS with the easyfundraising competition, simply register your club to enter the competition. Already registered? Then raise a donation before the 22nd October and you’ll be entered in to the draw. Good luck!
Regional Swimming Off Shore Camp 2019
The region will be sending a team to compete in the Flanders Cup in Antwerp from the 17th – 21st January. The 17th and 18th will be travel and training days with the competition running over the weekend.
Selections will be made from the Regional Winter Championships on the 3rd/4th November in Portsmouth. The full selection criteria can be found here; Selection Criteria for the 2019 Swim England South East Region Off shore camp
We are looking for a qualified and experienced female Team Manager to support this event. Expressions of interest are to be sent to [email protected] /07725201601
Coach Development Opportunity
In addition to the Head and Assistant Coach we are looking to send a third coach as a personal development opportunity. For further information please see the attached criteria and application form.
Flanders Coach Application Form
Swim England Youth Panel Members
Swim England are looking for Youth Panel Volunteers to join their current Youth Panel.
The Youth Advisory Panel is a group of young people aged between 16–25 years old. Collectively, they act as representatives for all young people involved in the sport of swimming, providing them with a voice.
The Youth Advisory Panel meets up to 4 times per year, usually for a 4 hour meeting at a weekend, and typically in Loughborough at the Head Offices of Swim England. Meetings are led by the Youth Advisory Panel chair, who is supported by a vice chair, with both being elected from the Youth Advisory Panel membership, by their peers. In addition to attendance at meetings, there may be a small amount of work required between meetings, and some online surveys sent by Swim England to seek more immediate feedback on a particular topic. Youth Advisory Panel members’ expenses for travelling to and from meetings are covered by Swim England to ensure that these are accessible to all.
Who are we looking for?
- Young people who are actively involved in the sport as a participant, teacher, coach, official or volunteer
- Young people who are between 16-25 years old
- Young people who are active in one of the following disciplines:
- Diving
- Water Polo
- Synchronised Swimming
- Open Water
- Para Swimming
- A non-swimming volunteer
- Young people who are ideally a Swim England member (Cat 1 – non-competitive, Cat 2 – competitive Cat 3 – other)
What are we looking for?
We are looking for dedicated new members who will be committed to attending meetings, contributing to discussions and working collaboratively with their Youth Advisory Panel peers. We are looking for passionate young people who want to positively influence the experiences of other young people involved in the sport and to act as representatives for them. If you think this could be you then please apply!
Applicants can be active in swimming but one of the disciplines listed above must be their primary focus.
Applications will be considered from individuals who are not members as long as the application demonstrates significant experience of sports participation and/or volunteering.
How to apply
The application process has two steps – an online application form and a video submission
Please complete the online form by clicking on this link:- click here . Please complete the online personal details form and submit a video no longer than 2 minutes to the email address below.
Your video should focus on:-
Discussing an issue in sport which is important to you
Video Tips
- Tell us what the issue is, why it is important to you, how does it affect you or people you know, how would you solve it?
- Please make sure you introduce yourself so we know who you are and can match your video to your on-line application.
- Think about where you are when you record your video – is it bright enough for us to see you? What is around you? Could someone identify where you are or see something you don’t want them to?
- Two minutes goes by quicker than you think when you’re recording so plan what you want to say.
- Think about how quickly you speak.
- Make the video as interesting as you can but remember it’s about you.
Who will review the applications?
Applications which meet the criteria will be reviewed by the current Youth Panel who will decide on who should join as new members.
Contact email
Closing date for applications is 30th September 2018
Swim England Club Survey 2018
Swim England is keen to help clubs and members develop and succeed – but this is only possible with your help.
We last asked clubs for their opinions two years ago and the findings from that survey helped to:
- Develop a new Club Awards scheme
- Revise and rebrand the accreditation scheme Swim21 to SwimMark and reduce 21 elements to 16
- Increase levels of accreditation, therefore strengthening club governance
- Continue to deliver and organise a significant number of coaching courses across all disciplines and regions in order to meet the coaching need.
- Develop seven new informal workforce development workshops, to support our clubs’ development needs.
- Continue to support club to pool operator relationships.
Now we would like to hear your views again.
Ian Cotton, chairperson of the Club Management Group, said: “Swim England continues to support and fully value the role that clubs and their members play in our sport. With this in mind, the Club Management Group and Club Development Team are always looking at ways to enhance and improve the service offered to clubs to help them meet their own objectives and ensure the sport continues to succeed.
“Therefore, we feel it is time to ask your views once more through a survey so we can understand the current strength of our clubs, but also see what the current challenges are you face. The last survey was carried out in 2016, and so it now seems time to get an updated picture from clubs directly.
“The results of the survey will help form the priorities of the Club Management Group and Club Development Team as we move forward. We would encourage all affiliated clubs to complete this online survey to enable us to assist and support clubs over the coming years.
“Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.”
The survey should take around 10-15 minutes to complete and will remain open until Thursday 18 October 2018.
Click here to complete the online survey.
Click here to download a PDF version of the survey.
Please note, there are certain questions which may need to be discussed with committee members, therefore a downloadable version of the survey has been made available to ensure easy accessibility for clubs. We encourage clubs to discuss the questions at a club committee meeting.
Don’t forget, your answers will then need to be uploaded onto the online survey.
Clubs who complete one online survey per club will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad (terms and conditions are included in the survey introduction).
Your answers will be treated in confidence, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct, so please be as honest as possible.
Nutrition and S &C Workshops for Swimming Coaches
Supported by the Swim England Talent Team, the South East Region will be running two coach development workshops on Saturday 1st December at Ashford School, Ashford, Kent.
Youth Strength and Conditioning Workshop for Swimming Coaches
9.30am – 12.30pm
This workshop is for swimming coaches who take land work with 14-17 year olds. It will cover the following information;
- How to use self-checks to create an individual pre pool plan
- Progression and regression of fundamental movement patterns in preparation for loading
- Specific exercises for starts and turns
Nutrition Workshop for Swimming Coaches
1.15pm – 3.45pm
- Varying nutrition for training loads over the annual plan
- Travelling and staying in hotels
- What changes do we need to make with the female athlete
Please see below for a booking form; Youth SC and Nutrition Workshops
Annual Council Meeting and Development Morning 2018
Our Annual Council Meeting (ACM) and Development Morning will take place on Saturday 15 September at the Holiday Inn, Guildford, GU2 7XD.
This is your opportunity to help shape the work we do and where we invest.
Development workshops will start at 10:00 with the Annual Council Meeting, including presentation of our Volunteering Awards, starting at 12:15.
The following workshops will be running on the day:
- The Volunteer Journey – Claire Coleman, Swim England Head of Volunteering and Pathway
- Keeping Your Club Safe – Shelley Robinson, Regional Welfare Officer
- Club Incorporation – Chris Lee, Swim England South East Board Member
For full details on these sessions and to book your space please visit the Annual Council Meeting page. Bookings for workshops must be made by Friday 7 September. Papers for the meeting will also be available on the Annual Council Meeting page, as they are released.
New national performance centres unveiled by Swim England
Swim England have announced that five national swimming Performance Centres have been created across the country to support talented young swimmers. Two of these centres are within the South East, High Wycombe and Guildford.
Swim England is working in partnership with swimming clubs and universities to give swimmers the opportunity to stay in the sport, achieve academic excellence and perform to the highest standards.
The five Swim England Performance Centres are located at High Wycombe, Leeds, Guildford, Manchester and Nottingham. The clubs and universities involved are:
| Club | University |
|---|---|
| Guildford City Swimming Club | University of Surrey |
| Leeds Swimming Club | University of Leeds / Leeds Beckett University* |
| City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team (COMAST) | Manchester Metropolitan University ** |
| Nova Centurion Swimming Club, Nottingham | Nottingham University |
| Wycombe District Swimming Club | Buckinghamshire New University |
* Also supported by Leeds City Council
** Also supported by Manchester City Council
Grant Robins, Head of Talent for Swimming at Swim England, said: “The Performance Centre project is an exciting initiative that will expand and extend the Swim England Talent Programme.
“The Performance Centres link swimming clubs and universities to support the development of young swimmers both in the pool and academically.
“By creating a number of centres, swimmers will be able to move from the junior to senior swimming ranks while continuing their studies. It will also help to make the transition to the British Swimming World Class programme more accessible, leading to more English athletes reaching the highest levels of the sport.”
The centres were selected following an application process and have been developed using a partnership model to ensure long-term sustainability. The Swim England Talent Team will provide support through funding, coaching, and technical advice.
George Wood, Swim England Sport Development Director, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working with local partners to develop these Swim England Performance Centres. We are passionate about providing our club members with opportunities to keep training and by working with local universities, this will enable them to achieve both their academic and swimming potential.
“We look forward to supporting the Swim England Performance Centres and how we can expand the programme in the future.”
Swim England Senior Coach Programme – Application Stage Now Open
The Swim England Senior Coach Certificate will give you the knowledge and skills to effectively plan, deliver and evaluate a macro cycle of work. As a senior coach you will be able to lead a coaching team and manage resources to support all areas of a swimming club or squad programme.
The programme will allow you to:
- Develop your confidence, communication and inter personal skills
- Identify the principles of coaching in a development or performance environment
- Develop an awareness of your professional role and responsibilities
- Adopt an integrated approach to the theory and practice of performance swimming
- Reflect on your experience and skills, and identify areas for personal development.
Key dates:
The programme will commence with an Induction day followed by the 1st of 3 learning days at Swim England office, Loughborough, Leicestershire on the 29th and 30th September 2018. If you cannot attend this weekend please do not apply.
29th September 2018 – Induction day
30th September 2018 – 1st Learning day
6th January 2019 – 2nd Learning day
31st March 2019 – 3rd Learning day
These workshops will cover key topics relating to Swim England Senior Coach Certificate content
The application stage will remain open until 24th July 2018. Applications are free to submit and a screening and selection process will take place after applications close. The course cost, if selected, will be £2100.
For full details or to apply please click here.
Swim England Sport Operations Committee – Skills Based Member Recruitment
- Are you passionate about our sport and want to contribute to its future direction?
- Do you have knowledge and experience of the pathway from learn to swim to elite?
- Do you have broad experience of the club environment? Yes? Then we are currently in search of someone just like you to join the newly formed Sport Operations Committee.
In the new Swim England governance structure the Sport Operations Committee reports directly into the Swim England board. It has wide brief including overseeing the effective delivery of the pathway (all disciplines) from learn to swim through to the elite programmes, ensuring a seamless transition for all participations. It will also provide direction on the development of the sport from clubs through to Regions, as well as guidance and input into the annual implementation plans in place to deliver the Swim England strategy.
With Neil Booth as Chair, he is joined by two other Swim England Board members, four members of the Senior Leadership Team and a nominated Regional Chair. To complete our team we are looking for four committed individuals to join us as we embark on this exciting time for our organisation.
To apply please provide a written statement outlining how you meet the personal specification to Emma Griffin, Operations Director – [email protected]. Closing date: Midnight 10th July.
Harold Fern and A H Turner Awards
The Regional Management Board welcomes nominations for the Harold Fern and A H Turner Awards. Any nomination should be accompanied by a supporting letter and CV for the nominee. The criteria is as follows:
The Award is given to the individual or organisation making the most outstanding contribution to aquatics at club, county, regional, national or international level.
In selecting the winner of the Award each year, the Sport s Operations Committee will give consideration to the following:
- outstanding achievement in advancing the sport through competition/coaching/officiating
- outstanding achievement in the administration of the sport
- outstanding achievement in advising the sport
Please send any nominations across to [email protected] no later than 12pm on Monday 2nd July.
Swim England Coaching & Teaching Guidance
It is vital for the future of our sport that participants are confident in the quality of activities offered by Swim England affiliated organisations. It is also very important that clubs, administrators, coaches and teachers have the peace of mind that they are covered by appropriate insurance.
Swim England have put together Coaching and Teaching statement and guidance which covers Swim England’s expectations of clubs in relation to the level of coaching and teaching in all disciplines in the club environment. This is also the standard that is required by Swim England’s insurers in relation to a club’s liability insurance.
