Applications are currently closed for the 2024 Swim England Senior Swimming Coach programme.

Great coaches shape and enrich the lives of those participating in our aquatic sports. They are the life-blood of our clubs and sports programmes; providing guidance, support and encouragement in order to help people to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.

Great coaching is central to our Swim England vision, Championing a healthy and successful nation through swimming and our mission to Improve the health and success of the nation by enabling access to aquatics for all.

Swim England Senior Coach Programme

The Senior Coach programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to be able to create and deliver a holistic, individualised development programmes which optimise the potential of aspiring athletes, at both youth and senior level.

This year-long programme is delivered through a blend of online learning and face to face workshops. You will also be assigned a mentor who will provide bespoke in situ support throughout the duration of the course.

In order to achieve this certificate, you will be also expected to complete a series of assessment tasks to ensure that effective learning and development has taken place.

The full programme cost is £2,100.

Who is the course designed for?

The Swim England Senior Swimming Coach programme is for Swim England Swimming Coaches leading a squad of swimmers throughout their programme. Please see the prerequisites below.

Course content

Before applying to the programme, please ensure you can attend all the below dates. All dates are compulsory and will take place in Loughborough.*

The induction and learning days for this year’s programme are:

• Wednesday 3rd July 2024 – via Zoom 1pm to 3.30pm
• Saturday 28th September 2024
• Sunday 29th September 2024
• Sunday 12th January 2025
• Saturday 1st March 2025

*If for any reason learners miss any of these days they will be required to attend an online catch up session at a mutually agreeable time with a member of the delivery team to cover the missed content. There will be an additional charge of up to £150 for this (depending on numbers).

The programme must be completed within 12 months.

Applications

Applications are currently closed for 2024.

Applications are currently open and need to be submitted by midnight on the Thursday 30th May 2024.

Shortlisting and appropriate checks will take place from Monday 3rd June 2024.

Applicants will be notified if they have been successful on or after Wednesday 12th June 2024.

There are up to 30 places available on the programme across England and Wales.

As part of the application process you will need to submit supporting evidence to confirm that you have met the essential pre-requisite criteria via this form.

Prerequisites

Before starting your application please make sure you meet the following pre-requisite criteria;

• Be at least 19 years of age at the start of the course.
• Hold a valid enhanced DBS and Safeguarding certificate as per SwimMark criteria.
• Hold a Swim England Swimming Coach Certificate (or equivalent).
• Have a minimum of 12 months experience as a qualified swimming coach.
• Listed on the Swim England Club Personnel Record (Teaching and Coaching Register).
• Coach at a SwimMark or Stronger Affiliation accredited club.
• Currently coaching for at least 10 hours per week, spanning a minimum of 5 sessions, with the same group of swimmers and can guarantee this will continue into the 2024/2025 season.
• Be the lead coach for a squad of swimmers throughout the programme duration and working with swimmers who are competing at regional level or above.  *You will need to provide evidence that you have coached at least five swimmers to regional or national standard in 2023/2024 and evidence that you will continue to coach at this level for the duration of the programme. Swimmers must be aged 13 years and over (as of 31 December 2024).

Please do not apply if you do not meet the above pre-requisites. 

Applicants must commit to attending all sessions including the induction day and all 4 learning days, as well as completing the programme within 12 months.

Application Priority Criteria

Due to the high volume of applicants we receive, in addition to the criteria above priority will be given to coaches as follows:

1. Coaches who are the Head Coach of their club.
2. Coaches who can demonstrate their proactive approach to engaging with opportunities for ongoing learning; for example Talent Pathway coaching roles, Swim England Regional/ National conferences etc.

*Consideration will also be given to the geographical landscape in order to ensure that we have adequate coverage of swimming and para-swimming programmes that can offer a performance environment that can effectively cater for the needs of our aspiring athletes.

*The quality of the application in general will be taken into account and background checks will be carried out as part of the screening process.  

Recognition of International Prior Learning

Find out how to apply with a recognised International coaching qualification.