Swimmingfirst

“Swimming Development is about many things but crucially it is about improving the range and quality of swimming opportunities”

On these pages swimmingfirst looks at the people and the programmes, which can make a difference.
Starting with…

Swim 21 – ASA Club Development for the 21st Century

The ASA Swim 21 Programme

Still, confusion abounds! What’s in it for us?
Why should we bother? What do we get out of it? …Hard pressed volunteer club officials, pulled together for yet another presentation, keep asking…….

Look at it this way - whether you like it or not, most clubs run as a small - maybe even medium sized business. Your club handles finances, organises a service and is responsible to its customers …the membership. And all of this often done off the dining room table!

Most clubs will know by now what to do if you want to know more…but just in case, here it is again:
	Contact your ASA Regional Development Officer and obtain Accreditation Information and an audit pack for your club.
	Convene a meeting to complete the audit pack, contact your County ASA Secretary for a contact within the organisation who might assist or put you in touch with a club, which has completed the process.
	Find out if you have a local authority Sports Development Officer or if your facility has a staff member responsible for Club liaison who could assist?
	Find out if “Active Sports” is running in your area …your regional Sport England Office can advise…if yes, there is bound to be someone who could assist you there.


	Appoint one person from your committee to have responsibility for this programme.
	Make contact with your Sports Development Officer and Facility Manager to see if there is any mileage in convening a “Swimming Development Forum” with other clubs in your area.
	Draft your Action Plan at the same time as you do your Audit …if you answer “NO” to a question there is a good chance that it will need to be a future action point.
	READ the info pack …it will take a couple of hours to digest, but it will be a good investment of your time.
	Pick up the phone if you need help and do not let the process drag on…

Surprise surprise ! this is something that you are probably already doing at one level or another !

So how can Swim 21 help you?

	If you have a plan agreed by the committee and communicated to the membership, your club is in a strong position to move forward.
	Valuable volunteer time can be spent addressing the things that matter …rather than prolonged debates upon those that don’t! Also, your committee members may well come and go, but the direction of the club can still continue to be forward, and avoid the roller coaster, ‘highs and lows’ syndrome that ‘hits’ so many clubs!
	If you know where you are and where you want to be …you can communicate this to other organisations that might be able to assist you in your quest. For example, you can use it to barter water time, financial support…
	Other agencies like local authorities and schools are increasingly looking for evidence that their partners are Quality Assured. Swim 21 Accreditation will provide this information for your club.

Swimmingfirst Comment: If you sense that this is just another burden drummed up to weigh down Swimming, please think again. All Junior Sports Clubs are now required to have measures or programmes like SWIM 21 operating.
It is part of a national programme to introduce basic assurances that the organisations we entrust our children to – often for many hours a week – are SAFE, CHILD FRIENDLY and EFFECTIVE in delivering their programmes.
Surely something we should expect as parents?