On 29th May 2019 the region will be running a swimming development event at Anglia Ruskin University for coaches, swimmers and parents. The day will feature a range of guest speakers, both from swimming and other sports, who will cover a variety of interesting topics. Full details can be found here:
Coaches – Swimming Development Conference (9.30am – 2pm)
Swimmers and parents – Pre-Nationals Day (8.30am – 3pm)
Bookings close on 15th May 2019.
The squad for the GB men’s U19 water polo team has been announced, including six players from the East. The lead coach for the squad, Dean Walker (Chelmsford), is also from the East Region. The squad is working towards qualifiers for the European Championships in 2020. For more information, including a full squad list, visit the Swim England Water Polo Hub.
The Regional Management Board has approved the regional plan for 2019-20. The plan contains details of all intended activities for all disciplines and can be viewed in full on our What we do page. Any questions regarding the plan should be sent to [email protected].
On Saturday 27th April, we will be hosting a Workforce Development Day at the Swim England East Region office in Kentford. There will be three workshops for club workforce which will include Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Time to Listen and a combined Team Manager 1 & 2 workshop. Bookings for all workshops close on 22nd April 2019.
Clubs have until 31st March 2019 to submit details for the Swim England Teaching and Coaching Register. All clubs are required to provide details of all of their active coaches and teachers, both paid and volunteers and across all disciplines, via the Online Membership System. Swim England has provided a guide to help clubs and a FAQ sheet.
A Level 2 Open Water Coaching Course is now available to book. The course will have face-to-face days on 2nd June and 17th August with online learning to complete between these two dates. Bookings will be accepted from members of clubs affiliated to Swim England East Region and places will cost £325 per learner. For further details and to check if you meet the course learner prerequisites, please visit our coaching courses page. All places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Congratulations to the regional winners of the 2018 Masters Decathlon Competition! Each year the top three swimmers in the region in each category are pulled from the national results and receive a regional trophy. The 2018 winners are:
| Ladies | Mens | Ladies’ Team | Men’s Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | Liz Woolner (Flitwick) | Chris Dunn (Hatfield) | City of Cambridge | Team Luton |
| 2nd place | Silvia Ferdin (Co Cambridge) | Marcel Scholten (Modernian) | South Beds Masters | Brentwood |
| 3rd place | Catherine Markwell (EAST) | Ryan Kelly (Chelmsford) | EAST | Chelmsford |
The next regional Para-Swimming training session will be running at Hertforshire Sports Village, Hatfield, on 23rd February 2019. The day will include a guest speaker as well as the usual land and pool-based sessions. There is also a session for coaches to learn more about land training for Para-Swimmers with physiotherapist Stephen Batchelor.
For further information, plus dates for Para-Swimming training throughout 2019, please visit our disability swimming development page.
On Sunday 10th March we have a great event running from 10am – 4pm at Freckenham Village Hall (IP28 8JB) that is free for East Region club coaches to attend. Book now to reserve your place!
During the year, the Region will be starting an audit of club constitutions to ensure that these comply with the amended Model Club Constitution, issued by Swim England in August 2018. All clubs should review constitutions on an annual basis, and are required to submit their constitutions to the Region for approval, every four years. In addition, SwimMark clubs are asked to submit proof that their constitutions have been approved by the Regional Membership Officer, as part of the accreditation process.
As Swim England Regulations require that all affiliated clubs operate on the basis of a standard constitution, during the next few months, we will be checking our records to establish when constitutions were last submitted and will be contacting Club Secretaries where we find that constitutions have not been approved within the last four years.
More information on Club Constitutions can be found on the Swim England website.
New Clubs
We have produced a guidance document for those considering forming a new club in our Region. If you need support please contact the Regional Membership Officer at: [email protected].
Swim England is launching a Coaching and Teaching Register in 2019 that will bring benefits to clubs, coaches, teachers and participants.
From January to March 2019 all clubs will be required to provide basic information on all active coaches and teachers, regardless of qualification or discipline for inclusion on a new Swim England Coaching and Teaching Register. This includes paid and voluntary coaches and teachers.
As a membership organisation, we are eager to strengthen our relationships with those delivering within clubs. The Register will be a platform to provide better communication and support to coaches and teachers, and help us, as the Governing Body, to demonstrate best practice in terms of recording and providing quality assurances on the delivery of our sport. It will also give clubs a central database to record their delivery workforce and ensure that their qualifications and training are in order and up-to-date.
There will be two stages in the roll out of the register. During the first stage, which runs until the end of March 2019, clubs will need to let us know who their coaches and teachers are. A new ‘Coaching and Teaching’ tab has been developed within the Online Membership System (OMS) which will provide a simple way for clubs to identify and create a list of their teachers and coaches.
During the second stage we will ask coaches and teachers to verify information we hold on their qualifications, DBS and safeguarding training. At this point it may require them to supply further documentation if required.
Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive Officer said: “We know our dedicated and hardworking coaches and teachers do an amazing job across the country and as the governing body we want to support them with improved services and enhanced learning support. The Register will also allow us to take ownership of providing quality assurance for our own workforce”.
“Swim England’s intention is that the register is a positive process that does not impinge on the delivery of our aquatic sports whilst ensuring that we all adopt best practice. This is why we have implemented a phased approach to implementation”.
There will be no additional cost for coaches and teachers to be part of the register other than existing fees paid by members. As set out in Swim England’s Regulations, it is the responsibility of every club to ensure that volunteer coaches and teachers are members of Swim England. Also that paid teachers and coaches are a member of either Swim England, the Institute of Swimming or the BSCA.
Coaching and Teaching Register key dates:
Stage One (January – March 2019)
Stage Two (April – July 2019)
We understand that there will be questions and queries and have therefore created an FAQ document CLICK HERE
Congratulations to all of the swimmers from the East Region who took part in the National Para-Swimming Championships took place on 1st and 2nd of December in Manchester. The event saw multiple British records, including one for Colchester Phoenix’s Ellie Challis who, at 14, broke the record in the SB2 50m breaststroke.
Further information about the event can be found on the British Swimming website as well as full results.
