A Strategy to Get London Swimming to be launched in January 2008

London Swimming is pleased to announce that ‘A strategy to Get London Swimming’ will be launched in January 2008.  The draft strategy has been available on this website since late September and the final version will be available to download from the website and a hard copy circulated to clubs in January 2008.

The strategy is endorsed by our key partners the London Mayor’s Office and Sport England London.

London Swimming is currently drawing up plans for a series of club road shows, from February to April 2008,  that will involve athletes, coaches, club officers and parents from all disciplines in practical training and give them an update on the strategy. More details will follow as soon as they are available.

One particular aspect of the strategy that has already sparked much debate has been our vision for improved pathways at a Borough level. The extensive consultation we undertook in 2006 plus more recent analysis of Sport England Active People survey, pool operator figures and club audits have shown that this foundation to be a critical area for our development.

The average Borough has 10,000 children engaged in a learn to swim (school and private lessons) programme every year. However, only a fraction of these have the opportunity to progress beyond learning to swim which is a big loss to our sport.

London Swimming’s vision is that by 2012 each Borough will be able to provide:

1)    A pathway for progression that minimises the opportunity for drop out
2)    A range of opportunities to engage in all of the aquatic disciplines
3)    A financial model that encourages co-operation between partners

To achieve this each Borough needs to have in place  a facility (pool) strategy which takes into consideration the supply of swimming facilities against the demands of a growing population. Once this base is achieved each Borough needs to develop a swimming strategy which incorporates how the above vision can be delivered using this supply of pools not just for competitive sport but for all pool based activity.

London Swimming’s Staff Team are currently working across London to 1) Audit what is happening, 2) Ensure the local authority has a current facility strategy and 3) Broker partnerships between parties to ensure the forthcoming swimming strategy is achievable and sustainable.  

The benefits to the future swimmers of a common vision shared by the Local Authorities, pool operators and Clubs will be enormous, as it would embed the value of swimming, and aquatics in general, to all future London policy decisions, especially concerning the provision of pools and water time.  

If you want to know which Boroughs we are proactively working with then sign up for our weekly news or email the staff member responsible for your Borough.

“We have less than five years to ensure the foundation for Swimming is secure. We have to work in partnership both strategically and locally. To squander this opportunity will not be forgiven easily by those who come after 2012”. Will Collins, Chairman London Swimming.