NOFIO CYMRU SWIM

Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014

Principal Partner Funding Partner O cial Partners

NOFIO CYMRU SWIM WALES Contents

Board Report ...... 2 - 4 Building the Framework for Success ...... 6 - 9 Disabilty ...... 10 - 11 Report ...... 12 - 13 Education and Training ...... 14 Events & Volunteering ...... 15 Masters ...... 16 Performance ...... 17 - 21 Water Polo ...... 22 - 25 Safeguarding Standards ...... 26 Swim Wales Sport Science ...... 28 Accounts ...... 30 - 31

Jazz Carlin In the remainder of the report you will be given a flavour of the achievements across our aquatics disciplines and how we are trying to give all young people a really useful life skill – the ability to swim and be safe in water.

The record results achieved at the of 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 bronze medals are the highest ever achieved by a Welsh team at the Commonwealths, Jazz Carlin breaking the 40 year fast of a Gold medal in the ladies events to be followed the next day by Georgia Davies achieving our second Gold. Jazz and Georgia also achieved Silver Medals and along with first time Bronze medals from Calum Jarvis, Jack Thomas and Dan Jervis made the record books.

We are entering the next 4 year funding cycle with , without the and their help we would not have hit our targets of seven medals at the Commonwealth Games, for that the Board would like to thank them both for their continued support

Jazz, Georgia and followed this up by achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the European Championships, the total haul at these games was a new British high of 24 medals, 9 Gold, 7 silver and 8 Bronze of which our Welsh contingent of Jazz attained 2 Gold, Georgia 1 Silver and 1 Bronze and Georgia and Jemma a Gold in a new World Record in the 4 x 100 metre Mixed relay and bronzes on the ladies 4 x 100 metre Medley Team Relay.

A week before this Jack Thomas also achieved two Silver medals and one Bronze medal at the IPC equivalent of the European Championships in Eindhoven, yet another meritorious result.

Calum Jarvis

Wales achieve highest ever results in both Commonwealth Games and European Championship

This has been an exciting year and the culmination of another 4-year Commonwealth Games campaign. The best ever results for Swim Wales and a great tribute to Martyn Woodroffe and his team of coaches and support staff which was even more outstanding considering that halfway through the campaign, funding for the Intensive Training Centre in Swansea was curtailed.

But there have been other outstanding developments for Swim Wales. In cooperation with the Unitary Authorities, Assembly Government and Sport Wales we are spearheading a national campaign to ensure that young people can swim by the age of 11 years. Our ambitious target is to achieve the figure by 2020 and this is proving to be a real challenge but Aqua Passport in all its guises is proving a real winner with young people.

In theory, the learn-to-swim campaign should help recruit more young people into the sport but we all need to review the capacity and ability of our clubs to respond positively to the challenge – the major subject of our autumn conference. We have some great examples of clubs re-inventing themselves in an effort to meet the challenges resulting from cuts in spending on leisure facilities and we all need to work closely with one another to survive and prosper in another very difficult period.

2 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 3 Our continued thrust of every child a swimmer and 100,000 members are both on track and bode well towards our 2020 targets, both of these of course depend on continued support from the Welsh Government, Sport Wales, the Local Authorities, Schools and you, our swimming clubs. Interestingly by forming a multi discipline club we have seen significant improvements in our ability to retain members and we would urge you all to seriously consider such a development.

Aqua Passport continues in attracting more and more interest and we will be launching the programme into other sports during the next year.

Our continued success in education and training of the next generation of tutors has also benefitted by the new technologies, tutors now using tablets both to demonstrate and record results of our candidates during our UKCC courses. This together with e-learning has allowed us to maintain our prices on all UKCC courses.

Water Polo has had a significant year in competitions which included the Commonwealth Championship Competition in Aberdeen. It is good to see all of our squads improving as it is to see Diving’s development improvements again this year.

We continue to follow our strategy on developing our performance clubs throughout Wales with Nofio Clwyd forming this year and our discussions with Cardiff for a High Performance Centre advancing well.

As this report goes to print we must all acknowledge the retirement of Martyn Woodroffe our National Performance Director. He returned to Wales in 2005 and has achieved more success than ever during his term with us. Martyn has decided that it’s time he spends more time with his family and is leaving at the end of September. The Board is sure that all of our members would like to express their grateful thanks to Martyn for his sterling and dedicated work with Swim Wales. Well done Martyn and have a long and happy retirement.

Board Report Roger Eady – Chairman Robert James - Chief Executive Officer.

4 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 5 Building the framework for Success

The Swim Wales team have been continuing our work to strengthen the links from when a child Learn to Swim starts the learn to swim process all the way through elite swimming. Working alongside our clubs, Sport Wales, Local Authorities and private providers, we have made good advances into our The Swim Wales Learn to Swim plan continues to be implemented across Wales and we are objectives in 2012-2013. having great feedback from teachers and swimmers alike. The national plan now has footprints in: Carmarthen, Swansea, Cardiff, the Vale, Wrexham, RCT, Torfaen, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Bridgend and Powys, with conversations progressing in other areas. Clubs: With 85 clubs in Wales, we need to ensure that we are offering our members a quality service Aqua Passport is also making a difference around Wales. We see this as the way forward in from the moment they join a club. It is our collective responsibility to have skilled and qualified learning to swim. With the support of Sport Wales we provide a structure in Wales that takes a coaches that are teaching swimmers the basics of stroke technique and ensuring we give every child from pre learn to swim all the way to elite. swimmer the correct basics to maximise their potential. Our goal is to have every child a swimmer by 2020. Whist we need each Local Authority and Alongside this we now have a structure in Wales that caters for different levels of swimmers, from education to play their part for us to achieve this ambitious goal, Swim Wales has made good development, competitive, performance and elite. It is important that we all put the swimmer’s inroads into providing the framework for our partners to implement to achieve this. progression first and sometimes this means encouraging them to move into a more competitive We have finished our work on developing a school swimming plan and strategy that we look to programme that gives them what they need. implement in 2015. This strategy gives a structure to school swimming programmes and goes Our goal over the coming years is to encourage in partnership with Local Authorities more multi side by side with the Welsh National plan. Getting all children in Wales to be able to swim will not aquatic clubs. The advantage of these clubs are that by having different disciplines such as water only make the population safer, it will give many more children an opportunity to participate in polo, diving, masters/adult swimming and synchronised swimming, we are able to attract a larger aquatic activities throughout their lives. number of participants into the club. It also allows for people to switch between the disciplines, for example a water polo player who no longer wants to play could easily do some masters swimming or move into a competitive swimming programme. This wider offering means more members in numbers and a more sustainable financial club.

We are in current discussions with some LA’s to try to set up more multi aquatic programmes. One major success last year was the formation of Swansea Aquatics which has all the aquatic offering and has seen membership grow by over 16% in a year. The club now has 80 new Water Polo members in addition to a strong Synchro and Masters programme, whilst having the best results in the pool by any Welsh club last year.

6 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 7 Quotes

Minister for Culture & Sport, John Griffiths AM, who attended the launch event at the Cardiff International Pool, said: “The Aqua Passport is an innovative scheme designed to encourage children to learn a life skill in a safe and fun environment. Swimming is a great way to keep fit and all children should have the opportunity to learn to swim at an early age. This new scheme is designed to improve the overall experience of swimming for young people, their parents or guardians, teachers and clubs and should help us deliver our commitment to make every child in Wales a swimmer.”

Georgia Davies, silver medallist swimmer, said: “It’s great to see the national launch of a new learn to swim scheme in Wales. Aqua Passport teaches children the value of water safety in an enjoyable way and the interactive element of the scheme allows parents to check their child’s progress and help them progress quickly through the stages. I would encourage all public and private swim providers to sign up to Aqua Passport immediately.”

Michelle Witch, Swimming Development Officer at Torfaen Leisure Trust “Aqua Passport allows parents and children to track their swimming progress online through an interactive game and online rewards linked directly to performance in the pool. It’s a great way to keep the kids motivated both in and out of the pool”.

Rhys Harrington, Private Provider with Sink or Swim in Cardiff: Teaching to the Aqua Passport scheme was a no brainer for us. We’ve not looked back since we formally introduced it into our lesson plans in January 2014 and we’d encourage other private and public sector swimming lesson providers to follow our lead. “Unlike many other learn to swim schemes, we’ve been particularly impressed with the way that Aqua Passport specifies and introduces the four main swimming strokes from the outset.

Membership:

2011: 14,248 2012: 21,950 2013: 25,040

There are still many challenges ahead, however working together across all partners in Wales, we can achieve our every child a swimmer in Wales goal by 2020 and create a strong pathway that links from learn to swim all the way to elite. In doing so, creating a highly skilled group of swimmers that can maximize their potential.

Mark Arnold Chief Operating Officer

8 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 9 This time last year we set a target of providing regional training programmes that underpin the national structure. This has seen an academy programme in the Vale of Glamorgan flourish, as well as a new programme being run through Torfaen Dolphins Performance club. Each of these clubs, have done an amazing job in providing the environment and training we need for swimmers to be developed and moved through the pathway. They have also created an opportunity for swimmers that would fall into a low classification to access the pathway, something that has been extremely difficult to do. We see this as an exciting prospect, as we are also currently developing a programme in the West and one in the North. The chances are that we will not see the fruits of this until much further down the line, however, this will provide sustainability for the programme and will give us a much greater chance of developing talent across all classifications.

For the next 12 months, forging better partnerships is going to be a key component to getting more success. Nothing can be achieved alone and to ensure there is a platform to build off for years to come, it is vital that these partnerships are as strong as possible. We have strengthened Ffion Butler links with NHS therapy centres and units for pathway promotion and swimmer recruitment but it is imperative that we push forward to replicate these links further and wider across the country. We also need to ensure that clubs are better supported for integrating swimmers. Swimmers with a disability can’t be blanketed; it is about working with the individuals and understanding their specific needs, if there are any at all. So the support and guidance to clubs needs to continue to improve as well as two way communication.

Disability/Para-Swimming A lot can happen in a year, and I believe in a year’s time we will be even further along that journey and it will be one that will not be lonely. Another year has gone by, another major event has passed and another year closer we are to Rio 2016. It only seems like yesterday that we were in the build up to the Paralympic Games in Huw Griffiths and we were setting targets and ambitions for where we wanted to be in time for Brazil Disability Swimming Manager and, what we now know, Tokyo.

A famous ancient Chinese proverb goes “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. In terms of the direction we are working towards taking Para-swimming in Wales, that rings true. Jack Thomas The system is starting to take shape, but there is a lot of work that needs to follow. Programmes still need to be more inclusive for swimmers with a disability, opportunities for swimmers with a disability to access the aquatic pathway needs to improve, especially for swimmers with higher levels of impairment and a more flexible approach to coaching these swimmers is going to set a foundation for future years of success. That seems like a lot to ask, and it is an ambitious target, but in order to get there we need to make that first step, however small, and keep moving forward. In time, those steps will amount to a lot.

We have continued to have success on the international stage. Billy Pye, continues to work his magic, with 4 swimmers on the GB team for the IPC European Championships, and Jack Thomas moves up another level in his development as an elite athlete. In 2012 Jack narrowly missed out on what would have been the biggest stage. Where some would have crumbled, Jack has worked harder in training and this has culminated in him not only winning a Bronze at the Commonwealth Games, but also 2 silvers and another bronze at the IPC European Championships a week later. Add to that the S14 200 backstroke World Short Course Record he broke earlier in the year and 2014 hasn’t been a bad year for the 19 year old from Swansea.

On a Talent Development level, standards are being set higher every year for National Programmes. Our Inspire programme continues to help develop potential athletes and progressing them onto the next stage and higher. We have seen an increase in new swimmers reaching World Class consideration times, some of whom are reaching times set for swimmers a couple of years older and we are creating an environment and culture within these programmes that illustrates what is required at a performance level. We see this as the ideal time to educate swimmers, parents and coaches of how high performance Para-Swimming is and what is needed for them to not only reach that level, but continue to compete on that stage.

10 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 11 Diving Report

This year has been very successful for the sport of diving in Wales. Welsh divers have attended a TID number of events with a good results and a better overall standing in Novice events. This year has As well as the prestigious results this season has brought so far we have also welcomed the also brought the first Age group diving competitors in Welsh diving since the loss of the empire emergence of the Welsh national Talent Identification (TID) programme. pool in 1998. 3,500 children were tested in schools across the RCT and Carmarthenshire regions; 300 children Armada Cup February 20th -23rd 2014 from each region were invited to a second phase of testing (water test) from this phase 12 children were selected for each region to form the TID squads in each scheme respectively. The Armada cup in Plymouth represented a step up in the level of events that Welsh athletes compete. Two representatives from Aberdare Comets Diving Club attended the event and All 3,500 children were given information about local diving programs and encouraged to try the competed in the 1m and 3m disciplines respectively. free diving taster sessions put on in each region and also to join the schemes lesson programs. This programme will be repeated on an annual basis to raise the standard of Welsh diving and 1m increase participation within the sport. Ewan Purnell 15th 114.00 Re-development Callum Williams 21st 105.35 Thanks to Sports Wales £189,000 worth of funding has been secured to re-develop the diving 3m facilities in Aberdare to create a Welsh “high performance” for diving. A further £311,000 may have been secured to redevelop the centres in Llanelli and Bangor. This would turn Llanelli into a Ewan Purnell 18th 112.50 synchronised diving venue and Bangor into a venue that can hold regular competitions. Callum Williams 20th 110.10 Participation For the first Welsh representation at this level in 16 years this marked a huge leap forward in the targeted events for Welsh athletes and has set a bench mark for others to aim towards and better Due to the closure of Aberdare for redevelopment and Llanelli due to storm damage membership/ the results of this year. participation has fallen. 60 percent of the diving scheme in Aberdare has been lost over the summer months due to this Shipley Novices March 15th- 16th 2014 closure. All divers that have not chosen to continue their training over the summer will be invited The Shipley Novices was a very successful event for Welsh diving. Divers from Aberdare, Llanelli back to resume diving once the centre reopens. and Bangor performed well at the event bringing back 1 Silver medal, 5 top 6 finishes and 6 top A second generation of TID testing has begun to refill the diving programme in Aberdare once 12 finishes. the training programme is up and running once again. This will boost current participation in the This event is one of the hardest novice events outside of the National Skills Finals. scheme by 50% and will also give a welcome boost to membership. This was also used as a selection event for the Celtic Cup. Currently there is no diving training scheme in operation in Llanelli. The diving programme is set to resume with dry training for Squad divers on the 25th July 2014. G-Star March 28th-30th 2014 The centre will provide free training for the first month to encourage divers to come back into This was the second age group event of the year to be attended by Welsh Athletes. the programme. The TID programme will also be under taken in Carmarthenshire once the pool reopens. This will again boost participation and membership will be a 250% increase to the Ewan Purnell was the only representative at this event achieving 2 personal best scores in his current training squads and membership in Llanelli. events and raised the bar once again for Welsh athletes at this level. The development of the diving programme in Bangor has become stunted. This is due to the lack 1m 13th place 126.95 of a full time diving coach involved with the scheme. The programme is currently overseen part 3m 13th place 165.05 time by lifeguards with diving coaching qualifications. Whilst this is providing participation and membership in the region the quality of coaching and development is somewhat lacking. National Skills Finals May 2nd-4th 2014 To move the scheme forward a full time diving coach would need to be appointed. The national skills finals is the largest novice event in British diving - 8 Welsh divers attended this event. Due to the drop in participation we are looking to organise a re-launch of diving in South Wales. This would include diving shows in Llanelli, Swansea and Aberdare. This brought with it 2 top twelve finishes, a Bronze medal and a Gold Medal. This would include an indoor display in Llanelli and 2 high diving shows in Swansea and Aberdare. This is a good indication that 2 of the current novice divers are on the road to stepping up into the Age Group Category in the next 1-2 seasons.

12 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 13 Events & Volunteering

Events 2014 has once again shown a growth in participation to our National Meet programme. Building on the successes of 2013 through increased entry and higher standards of delivery has built the reputation that Wales holds meets at a quality standard that attracts swimmers from throughout the UK, giving our home nation swimmers some diverse competition. Our ambition going forward is to take our meets to yet another level during 2015 based on feedback from coaches, swimmers and parents to ensure the delivery is focused on each swimmer being the best they can in a quality and relaxed environment.

Without the support of the strong team of officials and volunteers who all give up their time to achieve these aims we would not be where we are today.

Moving forward to the end of 2014 into 2015 we will be introducing the Swim Wales Short Course Championship (19th – 22nd Dec) and Swim Wales Long Course Championships (3rd – Education & Training 6th April) which will initiate a programme of meets aimed at recognising Welsh swimmers as champions in both short course and long course events. Further details will be available on our In 2012 – 13 we delivered 42 courses leading to UKCC Level 1 and Level 2 certification for over website www.swimwales.org 540 learners. Although we ran fewer courses than in 2012 – 13, we trained over 100 more learners with our courses averaging 13.4 learners for Level 1 (each course can hold a maximum of With the ongoing Competition Structure review, Swim Wales continues to 16) and 11.1 for Level 2 (each course can hold a maximum of 12). Level 1 courses are the more engage in this process but is currently not adopting any of the suggested changes with regard to popular course with 77% of the learners achieving Level 1 certification and 23% achieving Level 2. year of birth and the qualifying window for the intended British National event. We will keep you An additional 9 coaches achieved the UKCC Level 3 certificate. informed to any revisions as they become relevant.

The courses were spread fairly evenly within the regions with the South East hosting 19 courses (45%), the North hosted 13 (31%) and the West hosted 10 courses (24%). Seventeen Local Volunteers Authorities hosted at least one course during this period, making the courses quite accessible to The use of the Swim Wales Hour Bank that recognises and rewards the time given voluntarily to the majority of the population. support has once again grown with more people logging their hours. Course and membership vouchers have been claimed by many clubs throughout Wales. If you are not already a member of The tutor workforce are facing additional challenges as we embrace a culture of continuous this scheme please visit www.swimwaleshourbank.co.uk improvement to reflect the impact that QCF regulatory requirements are having on us. This includes the formation of a working group convened to develop more diverse assessment Swim Wales has set up an Officials Group to represent all officials engaging in the officiating practices and another group convened to consider our approach to the recruitment of new pathway. Each region has two representatives who will be meeting regularly to provide support, tutors and how best to implement a training programme to prepare them sufficiently to meet the train and update to those involved and also to feed into the British Swimming Officials group. demands of the QCF/UKCC qualifications. Please see the official’s page on our website for more details.

We have recently enhanced our approach to Quality Assurance aspects and have developed Swim Wales would like to thank all the volunteers who work in a variety of roles throughout the systems to support a culture of continuous progression and development which include all sport to make it as strong as it is today. Let’s work together to make 2015 a year to remember. courses being subject to a rigorous Internal Verification process and a series of observation visits conducted by senior tutors to review teaching and learning aspects of the course alongside other Leisa Forrest learner experiences – such as booking procedures, venue related features such as classroom Events & Volunteer Manager size, cafeteria availability and ease of car parking. It is hoped this will lead to improved training experiences for each learner. Finally, our tutors have recently gained significant success in the Standardisation tests which took place during the Summer, which will lead to reliable, valid and authentic assessment practices taking place on all our UKCC courses.

I can advise that we will open our Tutor Training programme once again in early 2015 so if you think you may be interested in joining this small group please keep your eye on the website or contact Katie Genan at the Swim Wales office to register your expression of interest.

Finally we are embracing technology and researching diverse methods to deliver and assess our courses and CPD’s to bring us into the 21st Century. This includes the use of cloud-based shared folders and e-learning platforms and we will pilot these in the coming months.

P.R. John-Pearse Education Manager

14 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 15 Masters

Masters swimming in Wales continues to grow and attract new members, and many participate in events all over the country and even abroad.

2013 saw the creation of a Masters section within the new City of Swansea Aquatics Club.

The merger of Cardiff Masters and CLAMS saw the creation of a strong squad in excess of 100 members. Discussions with City of Cardiff and Swim Wales took place which now sees a pathway that is clear to all from Age Group Swimming to Masters Swimming. Whilst in its infancy this seems to be working well for both clubs. Calum Jarvis Dan Jervis Jazz Carlin Georgia Davies

The GB Masters were held in Plymouth in June 2013 and there were 13 representatives from 6 Welsh clubs attending this premier Masters long course event winning 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals. This event also saw the participation of many current Plymouth Leander squad Performance members. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was obviously the highlight of the year’s sporting The ASA Masters Championships were held in Sheffield in October and 16 Welsh swimmers calendar and Swim Wales can be proud that the Swimming Team was the most successful ever attended from 7 Welsh clubs with probably a couple of exiles. This meet is the highlight of Commonwealth Games Team with 7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze): the Masters calendar and was attended by more than 1,000 Senior Age Group and Masters Swimmers. These were predominantly from English and Scottish squads. 69 members of • Jazz Carlin Gold in the 800 Freestyle and Silver in the 400 Freestyle the current Loughborough University squad attended including many current Great Britain • Georgia Davies Gold in the 50 Backstroke and Silver in the 100 Backstroke internationals. City of Sheffield’s current squad also participate in numbers. • Calum Jarvis Bronze in the 200 Freestyle The European Masters held in Eindhoven attracted only a handful of swimmers from Wales • Jack Thomas Bronze in the S14 200 Freestyle • Dan Jervis Bronze in the 1500 Freestyle Only 2 club meets were organised in Wales for Masters. The annual Arfon Masters which took place on 5 October continues its long successful run, and the joint Swim Wales/Capital Masters Additionally the Team broke 17 National Records will all swimmers (except one) progressing to a meet held in Cardiff on 7 December. It was unfortunate that the Cardiff International Pool had Final, Semi Final or Relay Final. The 2014 Commonwealth Games was undoubtedly the best ever problems with the timing system on the day and the results were not included in the annual Games in terms of organisation and performance standards and also atmosphere so the Scottish Masters Decathlon Competition. The Carmarthen Masters Charity Postal Swim also took place for People and Organisers can be proud of their efforts in terms of staging the Games. Whilst Wales those wishing to set a benchmark 800 and 1500 metre times. performed exceptionally well there were still some swimmers who underperformed and some areas where at an International Level we can improve if our successes are to be maintained in 2018. The Swim Wales Open meet was held on 8/9 March and was well attended, as this would be the venue for the 2014 GB Masters Championships to be held in June 2014. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Swimmers for their efforts at the Games; without doubt the Team of 2014 is the best team I have ever worked with and also many thanks Participation in Masters Events tends to see the same swimmers travelling to different events. to their home coaches and the team staff who helped support me in every aspect of the build up Whilst competition swimming is not for all, encouragement at all levels would be nice to help to the Games. I would particularly like to thank coaches Adam Baker, Billy Pye and Stuart McNarry raise the GB profile of Welsh Masters Swimming. for their support and effort prior to and during the Games - without them our success would not During the period April 2013 to March 2014, 95 Welsh records were broken, 34 male, 52 female have happened. I would also like to thank Gill Jacob, our Team Manager, who worked tirelessly and 9 relay. prior to the Games and worked 24/7 during the Games to ensure that the Swimmers and Staff had everything they needed to work at 100%.

Terry John Whilst the Commonwealth Games dominated the year 2014 is also a European Championship Year Secretary to the Masters Committee and the swimmers continued their successes by gaining 11 Medals (4 Gold, 1 Silver and 6 Bronze):

• Jazz Carlin 2 Gold 400 & 800 Freestyle • Jemma Lowe 1 Gold & 1 Bronze in Relays • Georgia Davies 1 Silver & 1 Bronze in the 50 & 100 Backstroke and Relay Bronze • Jack Thomas 2 Silver 200 IM & 100 Backstroke and Bronze 200 Freestyle • Sophie Evans Bronze in the Junior Europeans Open Water • Dan Jervis Gold in the European Juniors 1500 Freestyle

A full list of International Selections appears at the end of this report.

16 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 17 In 2013/2014 we also continued with our National and Regional Squad Competition Programme Any changes as a result of the review by British Swimming will be tailored to suit the needs of our sending out Senior Elite Swimmers to the 2013 US Open Championships in Irvine, California along swimmers with our Coaches Technical Panel and Competition Committees being fully consulted. with Youth and Regional Swimmers going to the Luxembourg International Meet and Regional Swimmers competing in Switzerland all being exposed to international competition at a level just Whilst we are driving up standards of performance at all levels of competition I have no doubt beyond their abilities. This exposure to a high level of racing was also used for the Commonwealth that the continued improvements are largely due to the introduction of the performance clubs/ Games Team prior to the Games sending them to France and Spain to compete in the Mare centres. However I will reinforce what I said in last year’s annual report – we still have a long way Nostrum Tour Meets which ranks as one of the best racing meets on the world circuit. I would to go in providing all of our aspiring youngsters with the opportunity to fulfil their maximum recommend that we continue to race at a high level more often in the future to ensure that we potential – we still have yet to establish Performance Centres in: give swimmers the chance to gain experience outside of their comfort zones. On the Domestic • Gwynedd front we also competed in the UK Schools Games and the ASA Inter Counties in Sheffield, these competitions providing us with a bench mark against British Standards. Unfortunately they expose • Blaenau Gwent our lack of strength of depth throughout the events and age groups and whilst this will always • Rhondda Cynon Taff be problematic with a small population base we must always aim at the standards set by the • Ceredigion bigger nations. There is nothing wrong with a small nation aspiring to be a top nation but there is • Wrexham everything wrong with a small nation using lack of population as an excuse for not succeeding. Additionally, we still need all clubs to buy into the concept of Performance Clubs and Centres – I Our own Domestic Competition Structure is still progressing well with the calendar well still become frustrated that many swimmers are advised badly about moving onto a performance established and the Legends Meet now fully established in the Calendar and our Welsh Meets club, many swimmers are led to believe that they can achieve their full potential without doing leading the way in British Swimming. In 2014 we will be changing the December Meet to a Short the full amount of training. If a club cannot offer the pool time required for elite performance Course Meet which will reflect the European Short Course Programme (including the 50 metre they have an obligation to advise swimmers to switch to a programme that can offer suitable events in all events at Junior Youth and Senior Ages). British Swimming is currently reviewing the training and coaching time. competition structure across England, Scotland and Wales. Most of the recommendations should help us develop our swimmers further and still allow our own Competition Structure to grow. Whilst we have 9 performance centres/clubs up and running we must also ensure that they One of the future areas that we will address is the balance of English Teams and Welsh Swimmers develop further - whilst they may have a full time professional head coach they now need to start entering and competing in the Welsh Summer Nationals. We are considering a system that professionalising at all levels. We need to recognise that the Elite Swimmer came from the grass ensures the top 24 Welsh swimmers have automatic entry to the Summer Nationals before entry roots and therefore the grass roots need to be strengthened and the establishment of a seamless is open to the rest of the world. pathway from Learn to Swim to Elite Swimming to ensure a production line of swimmers.

I would like to thank Leisa Forrest and her army of volunteers for the work and effort they put I would also urge the Performance Coaches to start looking at how we develop swimmers across into making all our events so successful. The organisation of the Meets rank as good as anywhere all events so that Wales has a depth of swimmers in all the Olympic and Commonwealth Events – I have seen in the world and a credit to both professional staff and volunteers working closing we are still weak in some notable events. together.

18 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 19 The Performance Centre Programme has been particularly difficult in the past 12 months – on 2014 Commonwealth Games Team the back of a poor Olympics in 2012 British Swimming had to make considerable financial savings Calum Jarvis Team Bath so the Intensive Training Centre status in Swansea was lost and City of Cardiff SC losing Podium Club Funding. Swim Wales have now taken over the complete operation of Swansea and have set Ieuan Lloyd City of Cardiff up a High Performance Centre which is a combination of resources from the Wales National Pool, Otto Putland City of Cardiff Swansea University, Swim Swansea, Disability Swimming and Swim Wales. The lessons learnt from Xavier Mohammed City of Cardiff the ITC will ensure that in future the coaches work as a team of coaches sharing pool time, land Tom Haffield City of Cardiff work facilities and support services and knowledge. Swimmers will be divided into training groups according to their event and their specific training requirements. I would also like this model to Jack Thomas Swansea University be implemented in Cardiff particularly as the City of Cardiff SC also offers the opportunity for Dan Jervis Swim Swansea 50 metre training and also has a major University so that swimmers can still continue to train Tom Laxton Loughborough University at the Elite Level whilst pursuing higher education. It is also essential that Swansea and Cardiff Marco Loughran Guildford whilst being established as Swim Wales High Performance Centres/Clubs that they also offer sport science services and support to the surrounding Performance Clubs – we must share coaching Rob Holderness Millfield expertise and knowledge if we are to get the best out of the many swimmers wanting to fulfil Jemma Lowe Team Bath their elite performance ambitions. Rachel Williams Team Bath During the last 12 months our performance programme has benefitted hugely from the Danielle Stirrat City of Cardiff appointment of a full time Sports Science Manager and the sports science support we have Chloe Tutton City of Cardiff received from Sport Wales. We must develop this further so that Sport Science and Strength and Hannah McCarthy Swansea University Conditioning become embedded in the swimmers normal training routine. Obviously we have put our resources into the Commonwealth Games effort but we must start reaching down into the Alys Thomas Swansea University aspiring swimmers so that good lifestyle and habits are established at an earlier age. I would like Jazz Carlin Swansea University to thank Natalie Williams for her work over the past year unfortunately she is leaving to pursue Sian Morgan Edinburgh University a PHD and widen her sport science knowledge. I would also like to thank Cath Shearer (Sports Georgia Davies Loughborough University Psychologist), Oliver Busby (Nutritionist), Rhys Shorney (Physiotherapist) Spence Fuge (S & C Coach) all of whom have worked tirelessly not only with our Commonwealth Swimmers but all of Bethan Sloan Bridgend our Squad Swimmers. Mari Davies Gwynedd Ellena Jones Swim Swansea At the end of each 4 year cycle we do a full review of the results and performance and excellent programme. The current review is underway and will be available on the Swim Wales Website when complete. The review will contain the views of Sport Wales Staff, Commonwealth Games 2014 European Championships Great Britain Personnel, Coaches, Swimmers and Support Staff and Professional Staff, the recommendations Jemma Lowe Team Bath will shape the future strategy of the performance programme and help us move further forward. Georgia Davies Loughborough University Finally as I head towards retirement I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many Jazz Carlin Swansea University people who have supported me during my period as National Performance Director. Whilst I know I will not have always seen eye to eye with everyone involved in the sport I do believe we have 2014 European Junior Championships Great Britain moved forward over the past 8 years, change is never easy however it is essential if we are to keep Dan Jervis Swim Swansea pace in an ever changing world. Mari Davies Gwynedd Many thanks and all the best to Swim Wales in the future. Sophie Evans Swim Swansea (open water)

Martyn Woodroffe National Performance Director

20 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 21 Water Polo

Welsh Water Polo has seen a varied year that has stretched the program in a fantastic variety of The Welsh girls took an early lead in the first match against the directions. In April 2013 we lost our full time representative in British Swimming and Swim Wales Irish, however at the start of the third quarter they struggled with Csaba Rull, this gap was one that was hard to fill by volunteers to keep the program on track, the international 5min half time break, letting Ireland back into the fortunately there were several coaches and players that were up to the challenge. game tying at 8-8. Fitness showed in the final quarter creating a lead of 2 for Wales and the team winning 10-8. The second game, against The year started with a summer of training for the 5 main squads now running in the National Scotland was a nervous affair with the girls having their first opportunity to Program: Senior men & women, Junior men & women and Youth boys. Each has been led by its win an International competition, fortunately the team were up to the task own coach that has developed the squad into a strong group of hard working athletes. and played a very mature game with all 13 girls contributing to a 13-9 win and a tournament win! The Senior Men – 6 Nations in Switzerland The Program opened its competitive season re-joining the men’s 6 Nations in Switzerland. The BWPL Season men’s team of 15 travelling athletes enjoyed returning to a competition after a 7 year absence Through the BWPL season we saw the 5 Welsh clubs all represented in the Welsh Wanderers and learnt that international water polo was a step up, however with competitive scores losing to National League teams as the clubs worked together to achieve excellence. The men fought Denmark 12-6, and then Czech Republic just 7-5 the team showed that they were learning fast. hard coming 10th in the UK with the youngest team for a decade! This is a clear example of how the hard work from the Junior National Program has paid dividends and we’re beginning to see The Tri-Nations - Glasgow the benefits in both BWPL and International results. The Tri-Nations of 2013 was a clear success for Welsh water polo, winning the competition for The ladies, who have had a stellar rise from the bottom of Division 3 however are the talk of the the first time in its four year history. This was also the biggest event organised for Welsh water season, they yet again have improved coming 9th in the UK! This is the first time they’ve broken polo ever with 4 teams travelling making a squad of 48 athletes and 13 staff. into the top 10 and it was by the narrowest of margins they did not make the 1st division. The senior men were, as always, in a very competitive pair of matches and fought hard to hold Having both a men’s and women’s achieve this BWPL standard is a first, outside the London and the strong Scottish attack and powerful Irish shooters at bay. The first game against Ireland came Northern Power houses of water polo and a testament to the programs ongoing success! right down to the line, at 9 - 9 finishing with Lewis Jones, the team’s youngest player, scoring with 16.6 seconds left to win the first match. The second game against the Scots was just as tight, but Senior Training Camp – Hungary again, the Wales team organised themselves, knowing time was in their favour thanks to creating a lead in the 3rd quarter, the Scots scored with 6 second left. But it was only consolation as Wales The senior men’s and women’s National Teams travelled to Hungary in preparation for the took the victory, 11 – 10 coming first in the tournament. Commonwealths. A men’s squad of 18 athletes, and a women’s squad of 16 athletes travelled and competed against the Eger club sides in preparation. The senior ladies first game was against Scotland, the game was tough with the Scottish team pulling away in the final quarter leaving the final score of 10-6 down. The second game was This was a chance to meet up with Csaba Rull and enjoy a few days in the Nation of Water Polo! against GB U17’s instead of Ireland and game 2 on the same day at this level was tough. The It was an experience of being in camp ahead of the Commonwealths and the squads relished game finished with the fresh GB team winning by a strong margin of 29-5 but a good experience the opportunity to focus on their sport with hard training and matches every day the teams were of competing against the team that came 7th in the World Championships the very next week! beginning to show they were ready. Wales got off to a shaky start in the first match for the Junior men against Scotland, after which it became an even affair until Scotland’s lack of fitness showed and Wales won the final quarter finishing up by 17 goals to 12. The second match against Ireland was a tight affair but the bigger Irish team came on strong and generated an early lead that was really the only difference between the teams, with the final score 8 to 6 and the boys coming second.

22 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 23 Senior Men – 8 Nations, Ireland Junior Men – 8 Nations, Czech Republic This was the final test for the men ahead of the Commonwealths. It was a tough competition On the back of the Senior men’s performance and sportsmanship in Switzerland the juniors were with a very hard draw owing to just 2 to 4 hours between games on every day! However the team invited to the Junior 8 Nations where a team of 14 athletes travelled to compete against 7 other fought hard and developed their tactics specifically for the Commonwealths. The results weren’t Nations. The boys were exposed to a LEN level of competition and had to learn fast to become favourable but the team was settled into routines ready for the Commonwealths. accustomed to the refereeing and rules at the International level. The boys fought hard, gaining some excellent results, the Austrians were held well in the opening game, losing just, 17 to 5 and this standard continued until the Sunday morning when they faced the Scots in a battle for 7th Commonwealth Championships place. The boys showed their skills beating the Scots heavily 16-4 and earning a strong finish to a In terms of performance both men’s and women’s achieved first ever international for such a young team. their performance requirements stated at the outset of this competition. Welsh Junior League The results were good and should be looked upon favourably. The Welsh Wanderers have had another successful year this year winning the Academy (U13’s) The teams were young and with so few experienced players and Youth (U15’s) leagues, however they are still held from the top spot in the Junior (U17’s) by a in both teams’ the results showed that our younger athletes strong Carmarthen team that just managed to hold out by 1 goal in the return match to clinch the were coming on strong with members of the junior program title for the third year running! It was wonderful to see the league grow to include the Swansea from the last 3 years in the starting line-up of both men’s and Water Polo Club for the first year and we are all looking forward to the new season. women’s teams, this was something that shows how the junior development program is progressing and that this competition

Team (Left to right): Back row: Steffan Williams, Jack Arthur, Dan Laxton, was ideally suited to catch the juniors at their first real Refereeing James Farror, Dan Jones opportunity to compete at the highest level. Front row: Ceri Fenner (Asst Coach), Chris Taylor, Lewis Jones, Nigel Davies (captain), A final and hugely important mention has to go to the Welsh referees Andy Allen and Frank Tim Marshall, Chris Wyatt, Julian Bewley, Carl Wyatt, The men fought hard in the big games, specifically South Africa to Ohme, throughout the last year they have been travelling with the teams to competitions and Oliver Newcombe, Greg Harper (Head Coach) ensure a better goal difference to secure their 6th placing. This have represented Wales in the best possible ways, neither has been to a competition and not shows a mature outlook to the game which Welsh Wanderers, refereed the final! as a club, have not had due to the number of young players and to gain it at this level shows the progression of the athletes, a huge testament to the coaches and athletes involved! Summary The women’s team were very unlucky to lose to Scotland Over the year we have seen a significant change in the number of fixtures and the type of results twice, these were the narrowest of margins and the older, more across all ages and genders, all for the better. The teams are competing at higher levels and the experienced side appears to have won through with late goals performances are showing. The depth of talent is also increasing, with numbers at the Welsh clinic rather than with a higher level of fitness or ability. It is good to now over 100 every month and each squad training hard. The future is brighter than ever with note that compared to the results in the Tri-Nations the ladies even more international competitions planned for 2015. have improved at a faster rate than Scotland, closing the margin The clubs are growing, the National program is increasing its international reputation and from 4 goals to just one. standard and the dividends are being paid to the athletes who have more opportunities than ever This demonstrates that the Welsh National Water Polo Program to travel further and compete more with the sport. has worked hard and achieved to an unexpected level of success and one that each of the coaches and athletes can be very Rohan Monico Team (Left to right): Back row: Alan Rotsey (Asst Coach), Laura Newcombe, proud of. The teams are now looking forward to the next 4 year Welsh Water Polo Performance Leader Claire Wyatt, Rohan Monico (Head Coach) cycle that we hope will bring greater development and success! Front row: Nichola Edwards, Rachel Roberts (Captain), Harriet Robinson, Elinor Weatherill, Emily North, Emma Hopkins (Physio), Jennifer Myo, Elisabeth Holmes, Rhiannon Griffiths, Christine Eveliegh, Laura Hatcher, Lowri Hancock

24 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 25 Safeguarding Standards Equality & Diversity A year on from achieving Level 3 in Safeguarding Swim Wales have continued to work alongside 2014 saw Swim Wales achieve Intermediate Level following a presentation to a panel of 6 in July. other Welsh sports and attend CPSU led meetings to maintain the standard. In January 2015 Our Equality policy and Statement is available on the Swim Wales website. we will present again to evidence the work being done. A robust action plan used as a working The standard presented a great opportunity to revise and refresh our policies across the board document addresses and measures all Safeguarding matters. thus ensuring our commitment. In recognising and embracing the importance of Equality & During 2014 we have run 3 Time to Listen courses – a course specifically for club Welfare Officers. Diversity, Swim Wales have developed the profile of the Board to reflect the diverse nature of the For those clubs that attended, feedback has been excellent as new friends and colleagues have population with two females with expertise in Education and Languages. been made and contact details swapped. This will enable Welfare Officers to have another source A quarter of the Swim Wales board of directors is female underlining Swim Wales’ commitment of contact to ‘bounce’ ideas off and on occasions ask for help. to Equality and Diversity and recognising we have further to go. Reasoning: we did not just appoint Time to Listen attendance now forms part of Dragon Mark and the criteria to affiliate to Swim Wales. them because they were women; we were searching for the “Education” and “Language” expertise.

Attendance at the course has provided an excellent opportunity to train club Welfare Officers as evidence checkers for Disclosure and Barring checks thus ensuring all those working with children What are we doing: are checked as part of a risk assessment. • An action plan is in place The online process for these checks has proved worthwhile as the checks are being processed so • Agenda item in quarterly management meetings. much quicker which means that Swim Wales can advise club Welfare Officers sometimes as soon • Reviewed and revised Policies as 36 hours after processing an applicant’s details that the results are back. • Working with our partners to support inclusion in our sport Currently paid coaches applications are processed through the postal method however we are • Ensuring clubs have policies in place through Dragon Mark making plans so we can use the online service for these applications as well. Swim Wales Child Safeguarding Policy & Procedures Anyone involved with children, finance and access to personal data must be club members and What do we want for our sport in the future?

have a current DBS check. DBS checks are renewed every three years.

• To promote inclusion and diversity; We recommend that all those working with children attend a Safeguarding and Protecting • The diversity we see in the schools programme to transfer into Learn to Swim and club Children course every three years. The course is an accredited Sports Coach UK course and swimming – we recognise this will take time and effort and possible intervention. Financial organised through Swim Wales/Sport Wales support will be a consideration.

• Accountability for achievement for school swimming – equal status to numeracy and The Swim Wales updated Child Protection Policy is now avail- The Y Plant policy for Safeguarding and Protecting Children & Vulnerable Adults will answer a lot able on our website www.welshasa.co.uk Please look in about us/ policies literacy targets; e.g. Caerphilly’s vision – all children will be able to read, write and swim – of day to day matters that clubs often encounter. The index is a simple method of guiding you to there must be accountability the page you are looking for however please ring with any concerns you have.

SWIM WALES

Wales National Pool Phone: 01792 513641 Sketty Lane Fax: 01792 513637 Swansea E-mail: [email protected] SA2 8QG Swim Wales staff/Board of Directors/National Team Coaches and key partners have completed Discussions are in place regarding regional annual Welfare Officer Forums. the online Equality training and we are in the process of arranging a three hour workshop which Zita Cameron will be compulsory. Safeguarding Lead Officer The ACAS training is free of charge and we have shared the details with all affiliated clubs and evidenced a commitment from a higher proportion of our affiliated clubs.

Equality & Diversity - developing an increased awareness which forms part of everyone’s responsibility.

Work is ongoing with our Regional Business Managers to ensure understanding how clubs can improve their understanding. 2014 saw the Lead Officer for Equality attend club forums with Equality an agenda item.

26 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 27 Swim Wales Sport Science

Sport Science has predominately been focussed on the Commonwealth Games swimmers, aiming to improve performance and medal potential. This has involved bespoke testing and implementation of items such as Blizzard jackets worn by pre-qualified swimmers immediately prior to racing. There has been an increased effort to improve and ensure an interdisciplinary sport science team through increased coordination to maximise the benefit sport science is having on swimming performance. Additional sport science support has been provided to National and Regional Performance Centres, aiming to introduce and improve sport science knowledge of younger swimmers. Establishing and embedding a studentship programme into some of the performance centres has been successful to increase support received by regional coaches and swimmers. Future aims will be to link with more universities across Wales to provide this service across all Regional Performance Centres. Further progression of sport science support will be provided through creating a comprehensive sport science curriculum and competency model, in line with British swimming, to further integrate sport science support into swimming programmes across Wales. Support will continue at squad camps and competitions, especially the use of video analysis, whilst also identifying and completing performance specific projects to focus on improving our elite performance and being competitive at World Class competitions.

Natalie Williams Sports Scientist

28 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 29 Accounts as at 31st March 2014

Profit & Loss Account Profit & Loss Account Report of the Directors Year End Year End For the Year Ended 31 March 2014 Year End Year End31.03.14 31.03.13 The Directors present their report and the financial statements of the Company for the year ending 31 March 2014. Income Income 31.3.12 31.3.11 Principal Activity Membership Income 252,990 253,719 The principal activity of the Company in the year under review was that of the governing body for Grants 926,303 949,500 swimming, diving, water polo, open water and synchronised swimming in wales. Membership Income -211149 -227770 Sponsorship and fundraising 115,465 118,462 Review of Business Membership Aquatic Passport -22650 -16280 Other Income 2,204 3,392 The Company was successful in the year ended 31 March 2014 in both applying for and receiving Grants -766473 -686942 funding for projects agreed in the strategic plan. In 2013 we made a specific provision in the Schools 5,178 - accounts for future commitments, £60,000 of this has been transferred from reserves during 2014. Sponsorship Education Income-89428 -134365182,978 164,491 Other Income Membership Income-3308 - Aquatic Passport -9856 18,918 12,965 Balance Sheet Education Income Competition and-155464 Training Income -93807278,610 233,916 31.03.14 31.03.13 Fixed Assets Competition & Training Regional Income-221765 -226798 89,996 108,408 Tangible Assets 305,950 303,885 Schools Diving 0 -1400 30,548 12,962 Water Polo Water Polo -15990 -1461 59,741 20,123 Current Assets 1,962,931 1,877,938 Stocks 454 - Regional Income -68314 -80055 Debtors 348,950 305,039 Cash at bank and in hand 859,153 796,166 Expenditure -1554541 -1478734 1,208,557 1,101,205 Salaries and Office Expenditure 802,274 708,952 Creditors Expenditure Committees and Expense Expenditure 7,670 8,745 Amounts falling due within one year 740,352 450,514 Membership Expenditure - Aquatic Passport 181,554 170,716 Salaries & Office Expenditure 645335 765924 Net Currect Assets 468,205 650,691 Competition and Training Expenditure 643,148 373,663 Membership Aquatic Passport Regional Costs 13281 25700 58,190 45,410 Total Assets less current Liabilities 773,999 954,576 Committees & Expenses Free Swim Initiative4753 8296 265 1,021 Competition & Training 483311 458687 Creditors Diving 6,568 6,949 Amounts falling due after more than one year (52,777) (90,122) Regional Costs Water Polo 62702 62066 99,101 21,435 Water Polo Masters 16055 5111 - 823 Provisions for Liabilities (86,056) (182,188) Masters GB Fees 350 448 57,934 57,865 Net Assets 635,166 682,266 GB Fees Schools 47815 38978 4,098 165 Education and Development Expenditure 149,167 81,595 Reserves Schools 264 2278 Other Reserves 398,676 458,676 2,009,969 1,477,339 Education & Development Expenditure 161554 159224 Income and Expenditure account 236,490 223,590 Net (Deficit)/Surplus for the Year Before Taxation (47,038) 400,599 635,166 682,266 1435421 1526712 Tax on Net (Deficit)/Surplus (62) (62) Transfers from/(to) Other Reserves 60,000 (428,000) These accounts are not the company’s statutory financial statements. Net Loss 119120 -47978 Retained Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year 12,900 12,900 (27,463) (27,463) The Statutory financial statements from which these accounts are derived were approved by the Board of Directors on 1st August 2014 and were audited by Arthur Gait and Company, Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors whose report dated 1st August 2014 expressed an unqualified opinion. R M K J James - Director

30 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru Annual Report 2013 - 2014 31 Jazz Carlin with European gold medal Commonwealth Games Team 2014

Georgia Davies with European gold medal Georgia Davies and Jemma Lowe with European gold medals

32 Swim Wales Nofio Cymru NOFIO CYMRU SWIM WALES Swim Wales Wales National Pool, Sketty Lane, Swansea, SA2 8QG

Email: [email protected] Tel: 01792 513636 Fax: 01792 513637