Swim England are excited to announce the launch of five National Swimming Performance Centres which have been created across the country to support our future talented young swimmers.

The rationale behind the centres is that by working in partnership with swimming clubs and universities this will 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 to be located at High Wycombe, Leeds, Guildford, Manchester and Nottingham.

Grant Robins, Head of the Swim England Swimming Talent Programme said

“The Performance Centre project is an exciting initiative that will expand and extend the Swim England Talent Programme. 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 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 Performance Centres and how we can expand the programme in the future.”

Congratulations to City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team for their successful application to be the Performance Centre for the North West. The Regional team today asked Mark Rose, Head of Performance Coaching at City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team & Strategic Aquatics Lead for Manchester City Council,  how he felt about the clubs opportunity. He replied

“We are excited about developing the unique partnership that exists in the city between, Council, University, Region and Club to incorporate the National governing body. All of us working together have a great chance to deliver the best outcomes for swimmers in a unique training environment that can enable swimmers to continue their duel swimming and academic career to the the very highest levels.”

Good luck to all the clubs across the country in your new venture and this is a fantastic new opportunity to enhance our existing base of swimming talent within the region.