The SwimMark accreditation is Swim England’s recognised kite mark. This accreditation recognises high standards of governance, the development of effective and sustainable clubs and to raise the quality of all aquatic disciplines across all areas. Any affiliated Swim England club can complete this accreditation, regardless of the size or disciplines delivered by the clubs.
What is SwimMark?
There are three modules clubs can aspire to: SwimMark Essential Club, SwimMark Network Member and SwimMark Performance. Please click here for more information to gain accreditation and details of each module.
SwimMark Essential Club
This is the primary module for clubs, helping you to achieve good governance, grow membership, develop volunteers and ensure your activity is sustainability and in line with your club objectives.
Swim England North West currently have 81 accredited clubs and this number is growing each quarter. Ashton under Lyne and Cockermouth achieved their first SwimMark accreditation in June 2017 and here is what the clubs had to say:
Colin Holmes, Head Coach and SwimMark Coordinator at Ashton under Lyne SC said “The process was made easy through the excellent templates and supportive materials available on the portal. The key is to develop a structured approach by using the online documentation and the advice and support of your Club Development Officer.”
Michelle Jenkinson, SwimMark Coordinator at Cockermouth SC said “Although this involved quite a lot of pulling evidence together, a lot of documentation was already in place and the use of the templates on the SwimMark portal really helped. This meant the club could streamline a lot of the things they were already using such as medical forms and code of conducts to ensure and continue the future running of the club.”
SwimMark Network Member
This module encourages clubs to work collaboratively across a localised area. This approach helps athletes to maximise their potential and be retained in the sport. It also increases volunteer opportunities and helps to raise the standards of teaching and coaching.
In March 2017, Cheshire Network made up of 9 clubs, who have been actively working together for the past two years were rewarded with the SwimMark Network Member accreditation. This accreditation highlights the collaborative work between all the clubs to increase volunteer opportunities and workshops and to also help raise the standards of teaching and coaching by organising several Level 1 and Level 2 coaching courses over the previous 6 months.
Karen Nolan, Chair of Poynton Dippers says “This has helped our club to share best practices and ideas which we have been able to implement and see substantial benefits.”
SwimMark Performance
The Performance module provides a benchmark for clubs coaching and developing high-level athletes across the four sports (swimming, diving, water polo and synchro).
Clubs need to demonstrate that athlete pathways, the physical environment, quality coaching practices and support services are all in place for athletes to reach the pinnacle of their aquatic sport. Performance standards are measured by England Programmes.
If your club would like more information on how to become accredited please contact us
Here at the North West Regional Office we get asked a variety of questions to do with the SwimMark accreditation. We have compiled answers to the most frequently asked.
Should you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
