Following the broadcast of the Panorama episode relating to swimming clubs in England, the Board of the BSCA have reflected upon its content before saying any more.
We urge all coaches involved in our sport to watch and consider the content of the programme carefully. We recommend you use it to reflect upon your own practices and perhaps use it as a talking point within your own Clubs and programmes, to ensure that best practice is observed at all times.
What was apparent from not only this programme, but the Swim England Listening Report and from our own Research findings in partnership with NTU, was that in recent years, many people in many areas of the aquatics, including our own coaching members, have not had the positive journey we all want from our sport.
However, we believe that this is already changing and agree with the statements of the Swim England CEO Andy Salmon in the programme, that the new processes now in place or being initiated, mean that Aquatics in 2025, is not the same as the period that the programme refers to.
This is amply illustrated in the joint statement from the BSCA & respective Aquatics NGB’s in Britain, recently issued following the publication of the BSCA/NTU Coach Welfare Research.
As highlighted in this statement, we as a coach representative body, look forward to working in partnership with stated NGB’s to enhance best practice in coaching and also to promote the well-being of all swimmers, coaches and the wider workforce, be they paid or volunteers, to improve the experience for all within swimming in Britain.
BSCA Board
