Running a Club
To ensure the success of a Club and its members, the Club needs to be effectively governed. There are many different areas which need to be taken into consideration:-
- Governance - making sure the Club has rules and policies in place
- Welfare - ensuring the wellbeing of members
- Workforce - making sure there is the appropriate staff and volunteers
- Marketing & Communications - portraying the correct image of the Club
- Athlete Pathways - ensuring athletes have access to the best possible opportunities.
On the Swim England website there are Club Officer Toolkits (click here to view) which can help you better understand the roles within a club more clearly.
To understand each Club Volunteer roles in more details, please click here. Swim England have produced a guide which outlines all of the roles on OMS along with their qualification, DBS and Safeguarding requirements, click here to dowload the document.
Click here to view OMS Guide which is the Online Membership System, this allows your club to register your members and manage your workforce roles.
Becoming a Club
If you are looking into becoming a Swim England Affiliated club there is a wealth of guidance and support available on the Swim England Website (Click here to visit the page). There are different types of club which you will need to decide on and procedures you will need to have in place. Once you have this arranged please download the below Affiliation form and complete fully.
New Club Affiliation Application Form
New School/College/University Affiliaition Application Form
Return this form to swimsouthwest@swimming.org and the team will start the affiliation process for you.
SwimMark
SwimMark accreditation is Swim England's ‘quality mark’. It is about creating the best possible swimming experience for all and raising the quality of swimming provision across all areas. However SwimMark is not just a badge of honour, it is also a development tool that allows swimmers, teachers, coaches and those responsible for developing programmes to continually improve.
The opportunity to gain SwimMark accreditation is available to all clubs, across any aquatic discipline (including Masters), regardless of size and activity delivered. It gives national recognition that clubs are providing a quality service for all members, which is recognised by Sport England. A
To view the quarterly SwimMark updates produced by the Swim England Club Development Management Group please click here.
There have been a few changes to the SwimMark and Club Affiliation evidence requirements and therefore the Region will be running an update session on Wednesday 24.05.2023 at 18.30 via Zoom. If you would like to attend please register your interest using the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Z5NSQN8
Useful SwimMark Information
For important SwimMark documentation click here.
To discuss SwimMark or for support, please contact Jackie Hilleard.
Useful SwimMark Links
You can find further information about SwimMark, including a list of the accredited Clubs, on the Swim England website.
Club Affiliation
Completing Club Affiliation means that a club is operating in a safe and compliant way and has achieved the minimum standard of safe and effective practice.
In doing so, members of an affiliated club are permitted to train and compete safely and with insurance.
Without Club Affiliation, a club may be temporarily suspended and as a result, its members are not insured to train and are not permitted to compete at any level of club, county, regional, national or international competition.
If a club fails to complete the Club Affiliation process and remains uncompliant, it leaves the Swim England memberships of each club member at serious risk.
Click here to visit the Swim England website to read more about Club Affiliation.
Risk Assessments
A risk assessment is an examination of the possible risks and hazards that could occur and cause harm. Once potential dangers have been identified it is essential to put measures in place to minimise the risk of them happening, and plan what to do if any of them should occur.
Sports organisations have a duty of care to their paid staff, volunteers and athletes. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also places a duty on employers to assess risk to those who may be affected by their activities which includes staff and volunteers.
We have put toegther this handy guide which can help you when it comes to writing your Risk Assessments. Included in this document there is a working example of a risk assessment along with a template and frequently asked questions. Use the link below to access the document.
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