ANNUAL REPORT
2020
Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 Organisational Structure
Irish Amateur Swimming Association Company Limited by Guarantee. Trading as Swim Ireland. Head Office: Irish Sports HQ, National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
Telephone: 01-625 1120 | Website: www.swimireland.ie | Company number: 112024
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2 Toe in the water. Face in the water. Stay afloat. Touching the bottom. One length without stopping. Fifty lengths without stopping. ___ Me and the water.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 3 Table of Contents.
1. Governance 6 Executive Summary 6
Our Governance Structure 6
Board of Directors 7
Chairman Statement 12
CEO Statement 13
2. 2020 Activities Report 17 Clubs And Communities 17
Mass Participation 24
Education 27
Performance 30
Leadership 35
3. Regional Highlights 41 Regional Reports Overview 41
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 4 Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 5 Executive Summary
As the National Governing Body for swimming and associated aquatics, Swim Ireland’s role, as set out by Sport Ireland, is to administer the competitive element of our sports and to encourage participation. We have articulated our Mission as to“encourage participation, develop excellence and regulate our sport”, and on a day to day basis in practice this means that we:
• Organise and administer the sports of swimming, diving, water polo and synchronised swimming in Ireland including training and deployment of coaches; organising representative level sport; provision of sporting opportunities and pathways leading from local sport to national and international competition • Provide accredited aquatic qualifications • Provide programmes to encourage participation in swimming • Deliver on the aquatic actions and strategic objectives set by the Irish Government in the National Physical Activity Plan and National Sports Policy, one of which is identified as to ‘Get Ireland Swimming’
Our ambition for our sport is set out in our Strategic Plan 2017-2021 underpinned by our vision as to:
“be acknowledged as at the forefront of Irish sports bodies in terms of best practice and standards”
The Strategic Plan sets out our ambitions under five different pillars:Member’s Participation, Mass Participation, Education, Performance and Leadership, and is supported by an Annual Operational Plan, approved and monitored by Sport Ireland and the Board of Swim Ireland.
2020 was a very difficult year for sport and our ability to deliver activity, particularly indoor, was severely impacted by COVID-19. However, our strategic investment in our online education platforms over the course of this Strategic Plan enabled us to respond very quickly to the wide-ranging challenges of keeping our athletes and wider communities engaged.
The types of activity across the organisation may look very different than in previous years, but this report highlights that the fundamentals of our sport are strong and that we have managed to keep the show on the road despite the closure of swimming pools for most of the year. We are particularly grateful to the Government, and to Sport Ireland, for working with us on protocols that enabled our elite athletes to continue training in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
This Report sets out the highlights from each area of activity under each of the strategic pillars and shows that despite the challenges in the external environment we have remained generally on track to deliver the goals set out in our Strategic Plan 2017-2021. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 Pandemic will impact our outlook beyond this current strategy, but we believe that the foundations of our sport are strong and the commitment by our Government to develop a National Swimming Strategy is of fundamental importance to securing our future. Our Governance Structure
Swim Ireland is the trading name for the Irish Amateur Swimming Association, Company Limited by Guarantee. We are a 32-county body, recognised at a National level by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media through Sport Ireland and in Northern Ireland by Sport Northern Ireland and by the Olympic Federation of Ireland. We are recognised at World level by FINA, and at European level by LEN.
We adopted the Voluntary Code of Governance in 2013 and were the first sporting NGB to be compliant with the Code. A Board appointed Governance Committee, whose members includes an external appointee, monitor our ongoing compliance with the Code, which is now overseen by Sport Ireland.
The constituent documents of the Company are the Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A). The Swim Ireland M&A deals primarily with the functioning of Swim Ireland as a legal entity (i.e. as a company) but does not provide the level of detail required for the day-to-day operations of the organisation. A Rule Book deals with the more general operational aspects of the organisation. Copies of all of the governing documents, our Public Statement of Compliance with the Code of Governance, and our Strategic Plan, are available on the Swim Ireland website: https://www.swimireland.ie/about/policies.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 6 Board of Directors
The organisation is overseen by an 11 strong voluntary Board of Directors, elected annually at our Annual General Meeting (AGM). We have an experienced Board made up of individuals with a variety of skills and experience as seen in Table 1 . The role of the Board is clearly defined in the Company Memorandum and Articles of Association but in brief, the role of the Board is to provide strategic direction and oversight. Responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Company rests with the Chief Executive Officer and staff supported by voluntary committees operating within Terms of Reference approved by the Board.
Virtual Meetings, the new normal. Swim Ireland Board Meeting 16 February 2021
1st row from left to right; Eugene Hillick (President), Sarah Keane (CEO), Gary Stoops.
2nd row from left to right; Dara O’Mahony, Graham Beegan (Treasurer), Aidan McLaughlin.
3rd row from left to right; Katie Sadleir, Sorcha Ní Chléirigh (Board Secretary), Peter Conway (Chairman).
4th row from left to right; Mariea Flanagan, Patricia Cleary, Gillian Markey. Missing from photo: Director Colin Morrissey.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 7 Table 1: Board Biographies and Experiences
BOARD SPECIFIC ROLE DURATION ON BOARD SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS MEMBER Peter Chairman Appointed Ordinary Director post-AGM Project Manager. Swim Coach at Aer Lingus Conway 2016 and ratified AGM 2017. Masters Swim Club. Open Water and Masters Swimmer. Appointed Chairman 13 April 2019 (AGM ratified).
Graham Treasurer Appointed Treasurer May 2017 to date. Member of Cormorant SC. Beegan Commenced first year of office May Chartered Accountant. 2017 for 2-year term and 2nd 2-year term ratified AGM 2019. Company Director of a number of companies.
Sorcha Ní Board Secretary Commenced first year of a two-year Professional background in marketing and current Chléirigh term of office in July 2020 role is Head of Marketing-Spirits Portfolio at Diageo Patricia Board Director Appointed Board Director May 2017 for Retired. Cleary 2-year term. 2nd 2-year term ratified at AGM 2019. Swim Ireland Skills Coach, Connacht Region: Swim Teacher Special Needs, Team Manager, Gala Official, Competitions Secretary Treasurer Athlone SC.
Technical Official National Judge. Board member of Athlone Regional Sports Centre. (Representative for Athlone SC)
Mariea Board Director Appointed Board Director May 2017 for Solicitor. Flanagan 2-year term. 2nd 2-year term ratified at AGM 2019. Member of Nenagh Swim Club. Former member of Swim Ireland Complaints & Disciplinary Board Commenced first year of office as (2016-17). Board Director May 2017.
Aidan Board Appointed for a two-year term of office Professional background in communications and McLaughlin Director in July 2020. branding. Currently Global Director of Branded (Independent) Content and Storytelling in Indeed.
Katie Sadleir Board Appointed to a two-year term of office Professional Background in High Performance Director in July 2020 sport and governance. Current role is General (Independent) Manager Women's Rugby at World Colin Ordinary Board Appointed Ordinary Board Director Sport: Lifelong member Half Moon Swim Club Morrissey Director April 2019 (AGM 2019) - currently Leinster Rep on Ireland Water Polo Committee & Div1 Water Polo player. Former member Irish Junior & Senior Teams.
Career: 2005-2015: Partner Horizon Sports Management managing careers, branding etc including Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell. 2017-to-date works with Orreco Irish Sports Performance & Data Science experts.
Gillian Board Director Co-opted in December 2020 to replace Qualified Swim Ireland National Judge & Level Markey John Mullins who resigned as Leinster 2 Coach and experienced in the areas of sales, Nominee in October 2020. Will finish marketing, event management, strategic planning, John's two year term which concludes fundraising and project management. Currently at the AGM in 2021 and is eligible for Chairperson of a community owned outdoor re-election for a second two-year term. swimming pool.
Dara Board Director Appointed by the Board as Board Company Director with extensive experience in O’Mahony Director 2-year term November 2018 to sales, business & marketing strategy, tech and fill vacancy. e-commerce.
Gary Stoops Board Director Appointed Board Director 2-year term Insurance Executive April 2019 (ratified AGM 2019). Term of office expires at the AGM in 2021 and is Swim Ireland member. Previously Officials eligible for re-election. Committee member. Currently member of the LEN Swimming Technical Committee and FINA Referee.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 8 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 8 The Board undergoes an annual training and induction programme following on from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and before the first meeting of the incoming Board, in addition to undertaking an annual evaluation of performance. The Company M&A supplemented by a range of policy and procedural documents underpins the working of the Board. A Schedule of Matters Reserved for the Board provides a clear division of responsibilities between the CEO and the Board, there are policies in place for dealing with conflicts of interest and of loyalty.
Meetings take place approximately every six weeks with all Board papers issued at least five days in advance, allowing Directors time to prepare for the meeting. The CEO attends meetings of the Board but is not a Director of the Company. The Company Secretary is a member of staff but is not a Director of the Company and may attend meetings at the request of the Board, often taking the Minutes of Board meetings.
The President of Swim Ireland, elected annually on a rotating basis from the four Provinces, represents the organisation at ceremonial occasions and attends Board meetings in an ex-officio capacity and is not a Director.
30 Jul ‘20 29 Sep ‘20 24 Nov ‘20 26 Jan ‘21 16 Feb ‘21 16 Mar ‘21 NAME/DATE Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Meeting Meeting Meeting Meeting Meeting Meeting
Peter Conway, Chairman Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Graham Beegan, Treasurer Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Sorcha Ní Chléirigh -Secretary Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Patricia Cleary No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mariea Flanagan No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Colin Morrissey Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Dara O’Mahony Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Gary Stoops Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Aidan McLaughlin Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Katie Sadleir Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
John Mullins* Yes Yes
Gillian Markey** Yes Yes Yes
* John Mullins resigned 1 October 2020
** Gillian Markey was appointed in December 2020
Table 2: Board Attendances July ‘20-April ‘21
At the start of the year the Board approves the Annual Budget and Operational Plan and reviews the key areas of risk and the operational key performance indicators (KPIs) that it wishes to monitor. There are a number of standing items on the Board Agenda including Finance, Risk Register and KPI update and the Board will undertake a deep dive into areas of strategic importance over the course of the year. The Board issues a points of note information document to all members and staff following each meeting and engages with external stakeholders through meetings and attendance at events.
There are 11 Directors and, as vacancies arise, the Board will review its collective skill set and gender balance and will set out the skill set that, in its view, the Director should hold. 9 of the Directors must be members of Swim Ireland. Individuals become members by affiliating through Clubs, of which there are 162 throughout the country. 2 Directors must be independent of the Company. The M&A provides that a Nominations Committee will be convened to fill the vacancy of Chairperson and Independent Directors and sets out the nomination process for all Directors.
Terms of office for Directors, except for the Chairperson, is for two years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms allowed. following which a Director is ineligible to serve again for 2 years. The term of office for the Chairperson is 3 years with a maximum of two consecutive terms allowed. The lifetime limit of any Director is 12 years.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 9 National Committees are appointed by the Board of Frequency of Swim Ireland to undertake some of the day-to-day Committee Name 2020 Update operations of the Company. The Committees are made Meetings up of volunteers supported by a member of staff who Child Welfare The Committee has been functioning well throughout 2020; Meetings were held in February, March, and June. Committee has been actively supporting the National acts as liaison to the Committee. The Swim Ireland Quarterly Children's Officer in designing and delivering messaging for Young People and testing programmes and modules of delivery for the Parent's Programme. Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) Committee specifies how National Committees are appointed and individual Terms of Reference describe its function. The The role of this Committee is to select teams for international events. As there have been no international meets to select teams to, this committee have not met/ Terms of Reference can be viewed on the Swim Ireland Selection Panel As required corresponded since September 2019. The next potential meeting will be early 2021 to select the Diving team to compete at the FINA Diving World Cup. website. Terms of Office begin at the conclusion of the Swim Ireland AGM and run until the conclusion of the AGM in 2021. Committees report to the Board through the offices of the CEO or, in the case of oversight Disciplinary All Committee members have undergone induction training and has been set up within the Microsoft Teams Platform. The Swim Ireland Operations Administrator is committees through a formal written report directly to and Complaints As Required providing administrative support to the Committee. Since their appointment in July, there has only been one occasion where it has been necessary to convene a panel to the Board. Table 4 is a general update on the work of Committee conduct a Hearing. the Committees in 2020.
There has been limited master’s swimming in 2020 because of lockdown and the frequency of meetings has therefore changed. The first meeting on the incoming committee Masters Committee Quarterly was in October 2020. The committee have decided to run a Virtual Swim League from January-June 2021, which will be supported by monthly virtual swim clinics. A smaller working group also met to discuss the running Meets in mid-2021 if possible.
Meet Licencing Annually and as The Meet Licencing Committee is responsible for the issuing Licences for Regional and Club Competitions. The suspension of the Competitions Calendar due to COVID-19 Committee required thereafter has meant that there has been no need to meet throughout the season.
Performance As Required This group met on 2nd November to discuss the potential Irish Winter SC Meet and Regional Winter Sprint Meets Advisory Group
The role of the HR & Remuneration Committee is to determine and agree with Chairperson of the Board the remuneration of the CEO and, in consultation with the CEO, for Remuneration As Required other members of staff and to approve the HR Strategy for Swim Ireland, including any broad reaching organisational changes. The Committee met twice during 2020 and Committee formally reported to the Board in Quarter 1 of 2021.
The role of the Internal Audit Committee is to provide advice to the Board on in relation to the adequacy of the systems of internal control and risk management of financial and non-financial risks and reporting of results. The Committee met December 2020 in line with previous years and has been kept informed of relevant matters via email Audit Committee As Required during the year.
Nominations As Required There was no need to convene a Nominations Committee in 2020 as there were no relevant vacancies arising on the Board. Committee
The National Water Polo Committee (NWPC) are functioning well and meeting approximately every 2-4 weeks online. Throughout the initial stages of lockdown, the National Water Polo Every six weeks Committee met weekly to discuss issues relating to Return to Water and the provision of club supports. The focus for the committee throughout 2020 has been on education Committee approx. and online engagement of clubs and members. The NWPC also launched the Ireland Water Polo Website in 2020. Performance As Required The Performance Management Group is an advisory group for the National Performance Director. The Group met twice in 2020 Management Group The role of the Commercial Committee is to develop commercial strategy and policy for the organisation and to oversee the implementation of the commercial and Commercial As Required sponsorship goals. The Committee met formally on two occasions in 2020 and is in regular phone and email contact. Committee
This new Committee was established in September 2020 and is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Commercial Strategy and procedures Communications As Required of Swim Ireland. Committee
The Committee is responsible for overseeing governance matters on behalf of the Board with specific focus on monitoring Company compliance with the Governance Code Governance and the review and approval of Company Policies on behalf of the Board. The Committee met 4 times in 2020 and formally reported to the Board that it is satisfied that Quarterly Committee the organisation is complying with the Code. The Committee approved a new Diversity and Inclusion Policy for adoption by the Board in Quarter 3. The Committee also reviewed the Board Handbook and deemed it an important and useful resource for current and new Directors.
Diving Development Bi-Monthly There has been no requirement for this Committee to meet as no diving has taken place during lockdown other than at elite level. Steering Group
Swimming Annually or as Technical The Committee is functioning well and has met numerous times throughout COVID-19 to review competition plans as required. required Committee
Table 3: Overview of Swim Ireland Sub-Committees activities
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 10 Some of the key discussions and decisions taken by the Board in 2020 are set out in the table below:
SWIM IRELAND BOARD SUBSTANTIVE DECISIONS & DISCUSSIONS 2020
Approval of the Risks & Controls Register and Review and approval of the Governance Goals for quarterly review of the management of risk 2021
Update by CEO at every Board meeting on Return to Review and approval of a Swim Ireland Diversity & Water actions and advocacies Inclusion Policy
Approval of the 2020 Audited Financial Statements Approval of changes to the Olympic Selection Policy and ongoing review of finances at every Board as a consequence of COVID-19 meeting
Review of Swim Ireland compliance with the Approval of the Business Plan and Budget for 2021 Governance Code and with the governance requirements of our world governing body, FINA
Approval to explore the development of a Club Approval of the process for Performance Planning for Support Draw the next Olympic Cycle
Review of the Annual Safeguarding Report and Review of the management of complaints and approval to align the development of the new Youth disciplinary matters across the organisation and the Strategy in line with the timeline of the overall appointment of Brian O’Connor as the Chairperson of Company Strategy the Complaints & Disciplinary Committee
Discussion on the need to establish a Participation Working Group tasked with further developing our Review and approval of Terms of Reference for all strategy and vision to increase participation and the sub-committees roll out of a Leisure Membership Category
Update from the HR & Remuneration Committee Approval to commence recruitment of a Head of and discussion of HR & Remuneration across the Participation organisation including staff remuneration and succession planning for key roles
Review and approval of a new Board Handbook
Table 4: Board Substantive Discussions and Decisions 2020-2021
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 11 Governance Chairman Statement
2020 has been a year like no other for Swim Ireland and we have all had to dig deep as individuals and as an organisation. It has been my pleasure to witness first-hand the dedication and commitment of people at all levels of our sport for a return to water and I would like to begin my report with a heartfelt thanks to each one of you for your support and enthusiasm in helping us to keep the show on the road. During a time when our country was struggling to understand and live with the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to pivot quickly to full online delivery and offer multiple engagement opportunities to our members and the wider industry. Few sports have responded so well and so quickly to the challenge that has been COVID-19. The word that has been most often at the forefront of my mind is resilience. Board, Staff, Coaches, Athletes, Committees, Parents and Officials have all shown incredible resilience and a willingness to rise to the challenges even as plans had to change time and again.
One of our strengths as an organisation is our strategic focus and our response has not been accidental or lucky but has been possible through the foresight of the Executive and the Board in putting certain initiatives in place, and in particular through investing in online education over the course of the current strategic cycle. We as a Board met with the CEO and discussed and agreed our approach to this Pandemic very early on ensuring that the Executive was empowered to move quickly to address the matter as efficiently and effectively as possible. Recognising that the matter was ever evolving we sought to ensure that our response was constantly revisited and representation on behalf of our organisation and our Clubs became a clear strategic focus item. We are also conscious of the challenging year that we are in currently and the level of support and guidance that will be needed to help our clubs and members to rebuild our sport as we emerge from this Pandemic.
I am aware of the frustration of some of the other operational committees, whose work is referenced in the report, particularly as carefully laid plans for returning to water had to be redrawn as public health guidelines were updated. The work of our National Water Polo Committee has been particularly affected and to the volunteers on all of our committees and in our clubs, I pledge that the Board will do everything in our power to support a return to water.
2020 would have been much more difficult without the support of Sport Ireland. You will note from our Financial Statements the additional funding that has been provided in the form of a Resilience Grant for clubs. We also successfully lobbied for support to be provided the wider Leisure Sector in the pools grant. This funding has helped to keep us all afloat, and I would like to thank the staff of Sport Ireland for their continuing support. I note that we are the highest recipient of Dormant Accounts funding of all the National Governing Bodies of Sport, and I would like to say a particular thanks to the Board of Sport Ireland for their faith in us.
I would also like to extend my particular thanks to our Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Keane, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of our sport and the leisure industry which I know continues unabated. As a result of her efforts our elite swimmers have been able to continue their Olympic preparations with minimal disruption, albeit with strict protocols in place, and we now have an Olympic Trials event to look forward to in April of this year. I would like to acknowledge the dedication of our elite athletes and our Performance Team who are our frontline staff and thank them for their willingness and dedication to keeping the Performance Programme running. The support of the Sports Leadership Group and the Institute of Sport, in working with us to develop the relevant protocols has been invaluable and I thank them for this. As I look forward to 2021 my fervent hope is that the grassroots of our sport will return to water soon. I know that public servants and politicians have understood our concerns and are working with us towards a safe return to water. No matter when that is, we will remain focused on keeping our members engaged and supported. I do not underestimate the job of rebuilding our sport from the ground up, we have for example some serious concerns about the viability of swimming pools and feel that this may be a major challenge for us. However, we are nothing if not resilient and as we emerge in a post-Covid era we aim to build on the success and the growth of Open Water swimming and are looking at some innovative ways to address the challenge of pool space. It is perhaps very fitting that 2021 is the final year of our current Strategic Plan and the Board will focus on reviewing where we are and developing a new strategy appropriate for a post COVID world.
All of what we do, in crisis or otherwise, is underpinned by our standards of good governance. The governance overview in this report sets out in some detail the robust structure underpinning our governance and I would like to pay particular thanks to my fellow Directors and to the oversight committees including Audit & Risk, Governance, HR & Remuneration who provide assurances to the Board and our members that the organisation is being held to account across all areas of activity. I would also like to reference the important work of the Commercial Committee in seeking out sponsorships and partners and to thank the members of the Committee for their hard work and commitment. I would finally like to pay tribute to the staff of Swim Ireland. I have witnessed first-hand their total dedication to the organisation and to our athletes and volunteers in seeking out ever more innovative ways to keep members engaged and keep the show on the road. I look forward to working with them and you, our dedicated volunteers to coming back stronger than ever.
Peter Conway | Chairman | Swim Ireland SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 12 Governance CEO Statement
It is hard to believe that it has been a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores. I want to start by commending our members, volunteers, coaches, committee members and all involved in our sports on the tremendous work that has happened. Collaboration across our staff, regions, clubs, and communities has never been more apparent than now. The work that has gone in to keeping the show on the road across all disciplines has been enormous and the range of programmes on offer to keep our members engaged through a difficult period is a testament to all involved in our sports. We have had many highlights in 2020 despite the crisis that has hit us; over 10,000 of you joined us for online webinars, CPDs and events; In the open water, we had almost 1,000 participants in programmes across the summer culminating in several events to celebrate European Week of Sport in September. The mental health and well-being of our members during this period was always on our minds and we ran a number of programmes and interventions to try and support you all. Our performance athletes managed their time out of the water, incredibly well supported by our front- line workers in the form of the High-Performance team, and then did their best through online webinars and engagements to support our younger athletes who couldn’t necessarily return to training as usual. Our Clubs, Committees, Coaches showed amazing fortitude and adapted and implemented our Return to Water protocols with diligence. I could go on and on, but you can read a whole list of highlights throughout this document.
We began 2020 with great plans building on some of excellent work which had taken place across the organisation as a whole in 2019. As the Pandemic developed we were very clear on our priorities, being the support and survival of our clubs; the support and engagement of our members; representation of our sport and our members, support and representation of the Industry and facility operators; support and survival of our organisation and staffing structure; and recognising the opportunities available to us such as our ability to pivot and deliver enhanced education and training opportunities (primarily for free), and the enhance interest in open water swimming/dipping.
We now look ahead to 2021 and onwards. We are keen to get our members back in the water and we are cognisant that certain areas of our sport, such as water-polo, have not been able to carry out their sport for a significant period of time at this juncture. We are conscious that young people have missed developmental opportunities, missed competing in certain age-groups and the many other challenges that they and our older athletes face from being away from your sport and interest. We are keen to get competitions up and running but obviously at the right time bearing in mind no training is happening for our sport at present save for our elite athletes. And we do look forward to seeing our elite athletes compete at the first ever Irish Olympic & Paralympic Trials taking place in April. We will continue to represent our members in their journey to return to the water and to work with pool operators, Ireland Active and the Dept of Sport and Sport Ireland to seek to ensure that pools continue to be viable, and we are grateful for the funding from Government already established to support in alleviating this issue thus far.
We are conscious that this year is the final year of our 2017-2021 Strategic Plan, and we have already started work on our new Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025. The Pandemic has taken a toll on our organisation, our clubs and members and our sport and we must be cognisant of this as we move forwards. Despite this we continue to keep focused on the future development of our sport and the recruitment process for a new Head of Participation is currently underway, a key role and a key focus for the organisation going forward. With the delayed Olympic Games now set to take place in July and August and planning in place we also turn our attention to a new Performance cycle for 2021-2024, whilst always having as a priority the return to water of all of our members on a fulltime basis and the rebuilding involved in this.
I would like to finish by saying that we are very lucky to have a very dedicated and expert Board led by our incredibly capable Chairman Peter Conway. We are fortunate to be supported by our incredible members in our day-to-day work, and indeed by Sport Ireland and many of our own partners in the world of Irish and International Sport. We have an exceptional team of staff who are dedicated to doing everything they can to develop, engage and encourage our members and who have worked tirelessly during 2020 to do just that.
As we look once again to prepare for our ‘Return to the Water’ it is fair to say that we will require the resilience, adaptability, discipline, commitment, and enthusiasm that we gain from our sport and that we have shown in abundance over the past year to help us return to the water stronger than ever. Thank you to everyone in the Swim Ireland family for all that you do.
Sarah Keane | Chief Executive Officer | Swim Ireland
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 13 Organisation Purpose and Principal Activities
We pride ourselves on being innovative, solutions driven and at all times focused on the delivery of excellence. We therefore have continued to be open for business and have been committed to engaging with members and the sporting community offering learning opportunities and support through this time.
The range of activity is best seen in the context of our departments and these are:
Clubs and Supporting our Clubs and Members at grassroots level. Communities
Participation Driving participation in our sport at a community level, directed in particular at hard-to-reach groups who are a particular focus of National Sports Policy including: women & girls, people with a disability, older adults and those from the lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Education Delivering education to our own Workforce of Swim Coaches and Teachers and also within the Leisure Industry.
Performance Providing a High-Performance Structure that supports our elite athletes.
Young People Providing a safe and secure environment to the young people involved in our sport.
Corporate Growing our financial base, improving the profile of the aquatics through marketing and promotion, contributing to the shaping of relevant National policies, stakeholder relationships, staff training and development, ensuring our organisation is operating to best practice governance.
‘If I had a wish for the children of Ireland into the future, it would be that they all have access to reading and access to a musical instrument and maybe even be able to swim, then you have the greatest equipment for life.’- Michael D. Higgins
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 14 Department Domain Department Services Key Support Staff
Clubs and Communities Providing support to Clubs and Head of Safeguarding, Ethics, & Youth Development Regions to deliver a high-quality experience for their members at Head of Clubs and Communities grassroots level and across all disciplines Club Support Manager Regional Support Officers Competitions Manager Discipline Support Manager Providing education and support to Membership Administrator volunteers Water Polo Education Administrator Running an Annual Competition Programme Competitions Officer
Managing a database of over 15,000 members and 155 clubs
Participation Delivering events and programmes Get Ireland Swimming National Coordinator Participation aimed at general participation with a Officer particular focus on underrepresented groups Women in Sport Development Officer
Building effective Get Ireland Swimming Partnerships to help drive swimming activity
Education Provide affordable qualifications and Head of Swim Ireland Education, Education Operations CPD opportunities for members Manager
Delivery of a comprehensive suite National Pool Partnerships and Programming Manager of programmes and qualifications Education Support Officers to support the Long-Term Athlete Development Pathway
Providing aquatic expertise and education opportunities to the leisure industry
Performance Providing a Performance System National Performance Director which can deliver sustainable results on the World Stage National Centre Dublin: National Senior Team & NCD Head Coach, NCD Senior Coach, NCD Coach Assistant, Providing effective National and Assistant Heads of Performance Services Regional programmes with a clear pathway from Club to National level National Performance Manager, National Performance Pathway Manager Sport Science, testing, performance planning Regional Pathway Development Coaches National Centre Limerick: Head Coach, Assistant Coach National Diving Coach
Performance Research Manager
Corporate Delivery and tracking of monthly Chief Executive Officer, Personal Assistant to CEO, Head and annual financial statements, of Safeguarding department budgeting, creditor/ debtor management, cash-flow, Finance: Finance Director, Account Assistants banking, budget planning Operations: Operations Director, Operations Policy writing, grant applications, Administrator strategic planning, liaison with partners and stakeholders Communications: Head of Comms & Sponsorship Liaison, Director of Sponsorship, Communications Executive Social media, communications delivery, stakeholder HR Manager communications, newsletters, website, brand management
Staff training and development, employee welfare
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 15 ‘Me and the Water’ represents Swim Ireland’s ambition to ‘Get Ireland Swimming’.
We believe in the aquatics. We believe in the value of all the sports that constitute the Swim Ireland family, and we believe that absolutely everyone has a relationship with the water that can be of benefit to them.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 16 Clubs and Communities Strategic Goal: To further support and develop our aquatic communities
Swim Ireland currently has approximately 15,000 members and 155 clubs spread across every county in Ireland. Our strategic goal is to provide support to clubs, regions and disciplines enabling them in turn to deliver a high-quality experience to our grassroots membership. Our Clubs and Communities Team is led by a senior manager, a club support manager and by regionally based club support officers (1 in each Region), a competitions officer, a disciplines support manager, and a part time Water Polo administrator.
The work within the Clubs and Community team is supported across different departments including the Performance Department where a Regional Pathway Development Manager oversees two Regional Pathway Development Coaches who work directly with Club Coaches and Regional Squads. The Head of Safeguarding, Ethics and Youth Development also plays an important role in providing support, guidance, and oversight in respect of matters specifically relating to young people.
The strategic goal for Clubs and Community came into intense focus over the course of 2020, as we worked to keep the show on the road through the challenges of COVID-19.
We do not own or operate any of the facilities within which our sport operates and that presented unique and significant challenges throughout the Pandemic. The extended closure of swimming pools and the severe restrictions on their operation when they did re- open impacted hugely on our clubs, both in terms of the types of activity they could undertake and on their financial viability.
Of all our disciplines, Water Polo has probably been the hardest hit. Even as pools re-opened the ban on almost all forms of ball work was very restrictive. Despite this, the National Water Polo Committee and our staff have been proactive in creating other forms of competition between the clubs in the form of exercise challenges for members. It has been incredibly inspirational to see clubs use their own initiatives to keep their members, both athletes and parents, involved in challenges. Our National Head Coach, Goran Sablic also delivered CPDs to Water Polo Coaches with excellent uptake as 43 out of 47 Coaches attended. There was also excellent uptake on online Table Official courses and refresher courses for Referees and Table Officials.
Our strategic aim to support and develop aquatic communities took on a different context than we could ever have envisaged as 2020 became a year where survival was the main driver. Keeping our communities engaged and supported was a key priority for the Clubs & Communities team. Securing €500,000 in financial support for our Clubs and, in partnership with Ireland Active, €3.2 million in industry support in the form of a pools grant was crucial in terms of the future outlook.
The engagement we have had from our members during a time when very little organised sport was possible has been phenomenal and points to the underlying strength of our clubs. Our investment in online education in recent years allowed us to pivot very quickly to the online delivery of wide range supports for our clubs. Not only did our young athletes stay engaged with fitness and nutrition regimes through our online forums but many of our volunteers used lockdown to upskill themselves in areas such as club development, officials training, governance training to name but a few.
Creating a safe and secure environment for young people is always a key priority for us. In 2020 we fully updated our Safeguarding Policies, and our Regional and Club Children’s Officers, worked tirelessly to support our young people throughout a very difficult year. We also developed an Athlete Ethical Framework which takes a person first, athlete second approach and in June we released a new online Aquatic Parent Programme.
Swim Ireland Head of Safeguarding, Ethics and Youth Development Kate Hills, reflecting on the year said: “Despite the restrictions we have faced over the past eight months, our Club Children’s Officers are as engaged as ever, and the launch of our online Aquatic Parent Programme has been a great success. We continue to engage with young people directly, supporting and guiding them through these difficult times.”
Our Safeguarding Policies and other important documentation can be found on our website at: Safeguarding Report 2019 - 2020Youth Development Strategy 2019 – 2021; Safeguarding Policies 2019
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 17 Key highlights for the year are:
We rolled out 60 Online Athlete to Athlete Clinics. These were From March to year end 70 new delivered to over 1,500 young club athletes and featured clinics led resources, including guides, videos, by our elite international swimmers. samples, and template documents were developed and rolled out.
The Return to Water Working Group 22 Motions passed at established in March the first Virtual Water Polo AGM
€500,000 made available to our clubs via the Club Resilience Fund Club Support tools provided in the form of Online modules covering areas of the club such as holding effective meetings, managing finances, creating development plans, and holding AGM’s. Weekly Return to Water Webinars for all our clubs and the wider industry, providing them with much needed support in how to manage the challenges of COVID-19 on a practical level in their club sessions. One of our members, Catherine Mulcahy developed a ‘Little Book of Swimming Happiness’, launched in October 2020, featuring 50 personal swim stories from 50 swimmers. All proceeds from Ran online coaching programme, provide the book going to the RNLI. club athletes with virtual coaching from experienced club coaches from around the country.
We ran two competitions in November and December (restricted to senior athletes), and designed a Virtual Swim We invited elite athletes from all sports to engage Meet, allowing Clubs to run an inhouse with our members, giving them advice and sights in competition in line with COVID-19 managing the challenges of COVID-19. Our Tuesday restrictions. Insta Takeovers by Elite athletes gave younger athletes a glimpse into the lives of performance athletes, providing insight into their training and nutrition regimes during lockdown. Online Safeguarding Module developed and approved by Sport Ireland and rolled out to our Clubs. Roll out and ran May Membership Challenge
Water Polo: WaterPolo website launch and Competition Management System
COVID-19 Officer Training Module developed and rolled out– 3,600 Trained 118 club volunteers came to our four through online course and webinars. Club Days, before COVID-19 hit
Cathal Brugha Water Polo Club Glenalbyn SC received achieved Club mark status Club mark status
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 18 Sports Club Resilience Fund We advocated on behalf of our Clubs for a Resilience Fund to support them through the Pandemic and administered the scheme on behalf of Sport Ireland. Tables 5 and 6 below set out the amount of funding awarded to Clubs over two rounds of funding.
ROUND 1
Club Name Region Funding
Aer Lingus SC Leinster €17,000.00 ALSAA Swim Club Leinster €4,500.00 Asgard Swimming Club Leinster €8,000.00 Athlone Swimming club Connacht €17,000.00 AURA Dundalk Swim Club (ADSC) Leinster €10,000.00 Bluefin Swimming Club Connacht €22,000.00 Carrick fins Connacht €13,000.00 Celtic Waves Swim Club Munster €6,000.00 Claremorris Swim Club Connacht €5,000.00 Clontarf Swimming Club Leinster €9,000.00 Comans Swim Club Roscommon Connacht €18,000.00 Coolmine SC Leinster €20,000.00 Cormorant Swimming Club Leinster €14,000.00 Curragh Swim Team Leinster €7,000.00 Dolphin SC Munster €12,500.00 Drogheda Water polo Leinster €6,000.00
East Cavan Swim Club Ulster (€) €4,000.00
ESB Swimming Club Leinster €24,000.00 Galway Swimming Club Connacht €29,000.00 Glenalbyn Swimming Club Leinster €12,000.00 Lahinch Swim Club Munster €3,478.00 Laois Marlins Swimming Club Leinster €13,000.00 Laser Swimming Club Connacht €10,000.00 Longford Swimming Club Connacht €13,000.00 NAC Swim Club Leinster €20,000.00 New Ross Swimming Club Leinster €16,000.00 Shark Swimming Club Connacht €15,000.00
Sliabh Beagh ASC Ulster (€) €6,500.00
Slaney Sharks Leinster €11,000.00 St. Fiacc's Swimming Club Leinster €8,000.00
Swilly Seals Ulster (€) €11,500.00
Titans Swim Club Leinster €13,000.00 Trident Swim Club Connacht €14,000.00 Trojan Swimming Club Leinster €20,000.00 Wexford Swimming Club Leinster €22,000.00 Wicklow Swimming Club Leinster €9,500.00
Table 5: Round 1 Club recipients of COVID-19 Resilience Fund
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 19 ROUND 2
Club Name Region Funding
Blackrock Swim Club (BSC) Munster €3,500.00
Tallaght Swim Team Leinster €5,000.00
St. Vincents WPC Leinster €5,000.00
Limerick Swimming Club Munster €5,000.00
Portmarnock Swim Club Leinster €2,750.00
County Sligo Swimming Club (CSSC) Connacht €5,000.00
Sandycove Swimming Club Leinster €3,500.00
Terenure Swim Club Leinster €5,000.00
Sundays Well Swimming Club Munster €900.00
Mallow Swans Swimming Club Munster €350.00
Table 6: Round 2 Club recipients of COVID- 19 Resilience Fund
In Northern Ireland, the Government provided 2 different funding opportunities for our Ulster clubs to submit applications to avail of: the Sustainability Fund and the Hardship Fund. Tables 7 and 8 below set out the amounts received by the clubs in the region.
Sustainability Fund
Club Name Funding
Ards £33,537 Ballymena £11,452 Ballymoney £ 6,014 Banbridge £18,815 Bangor £27,317 Bangor Barracudas £2,994 Cathal Brugha £16,652 Cu Chulainn £3,497 Dungannon £10,393 Enniskillen £12,240 Kilkeel £1,212 Larne £39,606 Leander £2,096 Lecale £20,899 Lisburn £18,330 Lurgan £11,569 Riversdale Otters £7,550
Table 7: Sustainability fund recipients and amounts awarded, Northern Ireland
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 20 Hardship Fund
Club Name Funding
Alliance ASC £2,000 Ards Amature Swimming Club £2,000 Ballymena Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Ballymoney Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Banbridge Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Bangor Swimming Club £2,000 Coleraine Swimming Club £2,000 Cookstown Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Dungannon Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Enniskilen Lakelanders Swimming Club £2,000 Larne Swimming Club £2,000 Leander Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Lisburn City Swimming Club £2,000 Lurgan Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Lurgan Masters Swimming Club £2,000 Newry Swimming and Waterpolo club £2,000 Portadown Amateur Swimming Club £2,000 Riversdale Otters ASC £2,000 Strule Dolphins Swimming Club £2,000
Templemore Amateur Swimming Club £2,000
Bangor Barracudas Water Polo Club £2,000 Cathal Brugha Water Polo Club £2,000 Clonard Waterpolo £2,000 Diamonds Ladies Water Polo Club £2,000
Table 8: Hardship fund recipients and amounts awarded, Northern Ireland
In early September 2020, as the country opened again, we launched a ‘Return to Water’ campaign, encouraging our members nationwide to return to their local swimming pools and clubs. The campaign, supported by FINA (World Swimming Federation), is both a celebration and a reminder of the unique connection enjoyed by everyone with the water. Watch out for our Leisure Membership ‘Me and the Water’ which will launch in 2021. This was developed throughout 2020 to bring swimmers of all ages and abilities who are currently swimming anywhere in the world together in their common love of swimming.
Speaking about the Return to Water campaign, Chairperson of Swim Ireland, Peter Conway commented:
“Never before have we faced a period where our swimming pools remained closed and inactive for such a long period of time. We are delighted that so many of our facility partners around the country are now in a position to re-open swimming pools and we are encouraging our members to get back into the water, whilst respecting the guidelines in place for their safety, in support of our sport and Swim Ireland. Now, more than ever, the support of Swim Ireland members in getting back to the pool is needed to ensure that our sport remains vibrant whilst continuing to grow and develop despite the different challenges we are all facing. The aquatic sports be it swimming, diving or water polo are more than just a sport, they are a life skill that can be called upon at any life stage to enjoy competitively or simply as a tool to enhance physical and mental well-being. We are really looking forward to reconnecting as a Swim Ireland family not just online but at last back in the water where we all belong.”
In all 22,000 people viewed our Return to Water Video and over 30,350 read about Return to Water. You can view the video here: ‘Return to Water’
Yes, 2020 has been tough but it has also shown us how much our sport means to so many and we look forward to building it back up together.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 21 Swim Ireland Provision for Clubs:
In the midst of COVID it was easy to forget that for many Club Committees it was business as usual. Our Staff worked particularly hard to provide support and guidance throughout the year. We would like to thank all of our volunteers and reassure you that we remain available to support you in any way that we can. Some of the provisions that have been provided (and will continue) are:
• Providing regular communication and updates in relation to public health provisions.
• Delivering online webinar training forums, and discussions aimed at supporting individuals in their roles (Coaches, Secretaries, Chairs, Treasurers etc…)
• Providing club committee meetings/visits through online meeting rooms on request.
• Rolling out online resources https://www.swimireland.ie/membership/club-resources
• Providing continued access to safeguarding and vetting support.
• Provision of advice and support regarding insurance.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 22 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 23 Mass Participation Strategic Goal: Get Ireland Swimming
The Mass Participation Strategic Goals is to simply ‘Get Ireland Swimming’. This is in keeping with one of the goals of National Sports Policy which recognises the importance of swimming due to its ability to retain participants over the full life course. The Swim Ireland Participation Department is responsible for the delivery of non-club events and programmes. The Department is overseen at senior management level by the Director of Operations and day to day operations are managed by a National Get Ireland Swimming Co- ordinator, Women in Sport Development Officer and Participation Programmes Officer (who is also the Diversity & Inclusion Officer). Swim Ireland works closely with LSPs and other community partners on programme delivery. At local level, programmes are delivered by qualified teachers and coaches contracted to Swim Ireland. The main funding for Participation comes through Dormant Accounts and Healthy Ireland with a view to increasing sports participation amongst hard-to-reach groups.
COVID-19 severely impacted the planned Calendar of Activity aimed at non-members that is funded through Dormant Accounts and Healthy Ireland. Programmes impacted include Schools and Community Learn to Swim (LTS) Programmes, Community Participation Programmes and Swim for a Mile (SFAM). With indoor activity cancelled for an extended period and uncertainty as to when we will be able to resume our Schools Lessons Programme, we moved additional funding into supporting target groups to participate in an extended Open Water Programme of Activity, supported by Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in each Province. We have seen significant growth in in Open Water throughout the year and have been surprised at the numbers of people who remained swimming outdoors over the winter. Our first winter swimming tips webinar with the RNLI sold out within hours of launch with almost 200 people in attendance.
We received important investment from the Sport Ireland Innovation Fund in September 2020 which has allowed us to begin developing an App which will be used as a single access point to all the information that people need to use the Open Water. This App is currently under development and will be launched in the coming months. Some of the highlights for our 2020 programmes
Key highlights from the 2020 Participation Programmes are:
• Drowning Prevention Week ran from 12-19 June and we ran a campaign aimed at helping everybody across Ireland to #BeALifesaver, take charge of their own destiny and to enjoy the water safely.
• 2020 Open Water Summer Series was rolled-out between July and October, almost 1,000 participants took part 53 separate programmes and events.
• A weeklong series of Open Water Events took place as part of European Week of Sport 2020. Each event had swims of varying distances to suit a range of swimming abilities, 500 swimmers entered over the course of the week.
• We were unable to run the Annual Swim for a Mile (SFAM) Pool Challenge, but 186 swimmers took part in SFAM Open Water training with 88 going on to complete SFAM event.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 24 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 25 Women in Sport
Despite the effects of COVID-19, the Women in Sport Strategy (available to view HERE) has progressed well through 2020 with projects and programmes delivered across the four key areas of Coaching & Officiating, Active Participation, Leadership and Governance & Visibility.
Key highlights from the programme were:
• Launch of the #WePlay Online Series:
• The videos included athlete panel discussions and educational pieces for athletes, coaches, parents, and supporters of any age from Ireland’s elite athletes from a wide range of sports including Ellen Keane, Phil Healy, Leona Maguire, Sanita Puspure, Katie Mullen, Darragh Greene, Rhys McClenaghan and many more came together, whilst apart, to share their experiences and advice from their sporting journey so far, including how they are keeping healthy and active.
• 22,000 people watched and 30,351 people read about it!
Swim Ireland’s #WePlay Inspiring Girls in Sport Conference, which aims to do exactly as it says, entered its fourth year in 2020. In practicing what we have learnt from our #WePlay speakers in the past, about adapting in the face of adversity, instead of cancelling the Conference because of COVID, we moved it to an online series. The online series included athlete panel discussion and educational pieces from industry experts for athletes, coaches, parents and supports of any age and from all sports. We thank Sport Ireland for their continued support of #WePlay through the Women in Sport Initiative and were delighted to announce Kinetic as sponsors.
Sorcha Madigan, Business President Kinetica said: ‘As an inclusive Irish brand, we are thrilled to be able to support our partners Swim Ireland on the #WePlay women in sport initiative. The online conference series is exactly the type of content that is needed during these uncertain times, to uplift and inspire a broad audience with compelling stories and insightful advice from female athletes who have experienced and overcome so much.’
You can view #WePlay 2020 episodes
Women in Sport Leadership Programme
We rolled out two very successful Women in Sport Leadership Programmes in 2020. Swim Ireland has led the programme which is open to other NGBs such as Hockey Ireland, Tennis Ireland, Irish Amateur Boxing Association, Triathlon Ireland, and Cycling Ireland who have all had representatives on the course.
Diversity & Inclusion
Our Participation team has a particular responsibility for ensuring that our individuals with specific support needs are catered for within our programmes. In 2020, we signed up for the CARA Xcessible Bronze Award, which aims to support NGB and LSPs through the process of developing and increasing their capacity to support people with disabilities within the sport and physical activity environments. We were delighted to achieve the Award in January 2021 and are about to embark on the Silver Award. As one of the requirements of the Bronze Award 57 members of our Board, Staff and Contractors completed Disability Awareness training in 2020 and we will continue to roll out this training throughout 2021 to our clubs. It is interesting to note that the most watched video on our YouTube channel, with 11,422 views in the last year alone, is our ‘Greetings and General Conversation for Swimmers in Irish Sign Language’.
In November 2020, our Board approved a Diversity and Inclusion Policy. This Policy provides a set of guiding principles that goes beyond what is required by law or regulation in promoting equality and preventing discrimination. Its aim is to provide a culture within our sport that is inclusive for all, ensure that everyone is given an equal opportunity and is empowered to participate, and that everyone is treated with the same level of respect and importance.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 26 Education Strategic Goal: Become recognised as the leading provider of accredited aquatic qualifications and programmes across the island of Ireland.
Our Education Department is headed by a Senior Manager and is supported by a Programmes and Facilities Manager, Education Operations Manager and two Administrators. In keeping with our strategic goal of being the leading provider of swim education on the island of Ireland, we have invested heavily in online in recent years. This investment yielded significant dividends when COVID-19 hit our shores as we had the ability to pivot very quickly to online delivery across all areas of education without compromising the quality of our courses. To give an indication of this, in January 2020 all our teaching and coaching courses were delivered in blended format and by July 2020, we had moved the face-to-face classroom element of most courses to the virtual classroom. The speed at which this was achieved, whilst simultaneously managing the delivery of a whole host of online support to our clubs and the industry was remarkable. The range and quality of our online aquatic qualifications and support for the industry throughout COVID has increased our profile as a leading provider of aquatic education in Ireland.
Working with the industry has been an important goal for us also. Our response to the COVID crisis has been to lead the way in providing guidance and support to the industry as well as to our Clubs and Communities. We recognise that a healthy industry is important for the future of our sport and whilst our Board and CEO were undertaking a strong advocacy role on behalf of the industry and our sport our Education Team provided on the ground practical support and advice to operators. We worked closely throughout the Pandemic with Ireland Active, the representative body for the majority of pools and leisure centres in Ireland, on the development of Return to Water Protocols for the industry and provided guidance and support throughout on an individual basis and in the form of webinars and other virtual interactive forums.
2020 was an extremely busy year and challenging year for everyone but from a Swim Ireland education perspective it was an important year strategically, allowing us to reap the benefits of our investment in online education and to demonstrate the value that working with an NGB can bring to the industry.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 27 Highlights
500 learners have attended a Safeguarding course in the virtual 295 virtually classroom since the taught Level 1 beginning of April Team Managers
80 learners have attended Level 1 82 learners have attended Level 2 Assistant Swimming Coach courses Swimming Coach courses (including in the virtual classroom since the open water) in the virtual classroom beginning of May since the beginning of August
10,000 attendees completed learning and 5 weeks of Baby Swimming CPD, development webinars led by globally- renown expert Ulrika Faerch, with attendees from all over the globe!
92 learners have attended Level 2 Swimming Teacher courses in learners have attended Level the virtual classroom since the 150 1 Assistant Swimming Teacher beginning of June courses in the virtual classroom since the beginning of May.
YouTube Resource Library additions: Swim Ireland’s YouTube Channel now has an extensive library of tutorials for 80 learners have attended Level 1 volunteer Club Committees Assistant Swimming Coach courses in the virtual classroom since the beginning of May
850 learners have completed CPDs and webinars since the beginning of August 295 Online-qualified Level 1 Swimming Officials
99.9% of our qualification courses can be, and now are, delivered online using our Virtual Classroom
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 28 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 29 Performance Strategic Goal: Provide an environment that helps our athletes perform to their best
The Swim Ireland Performance Department is responsible for the highest performing athletes (and the coaches and clubs working with/for them) in Ireland up to and including the Olympic Games - in both swimming and diving. The department oversees the Regional Squad programmes in all four provinces as well as the National Squad Programmes and Performance Pathway levels. It is also responsible for the selection of all National Teams at junior, youth and senior levels on an annual basis. The Performance team currently consists of twelve full time employees, two part time employees and seven part time contractors all working under the direction of the National Performance Director. Our key measure of success in respect of our strategic goal is a simple one; Are our atheletes performing to their best?
Challenges of 2020
• Maintaining delivery of the Performance programme through the restrictions and two lockdown periods • Limited access to pools/facilities for training • Limited number of athletes with exemptions to train • Lack of significant racing opportunities • Contrasting restrictions in place north and south of the border at times
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 30 The changing of restrictions throughout 2020 caused several challenges for the Performance Team. The Return to Water (RTW) Group worked tirelessly to ensure we kept our Community engaged while they were (and continue to be) out of the pool:
The Performance, Clubs & Communities and Education Teams delivered (and continue to roll out) numerous Webinars and CPDs for Club Personnel, Coaches and Teachers to allow them to upskill From June, our Tokyo Olympic while not in the pool and Paralympic athletes were The Clubs & Communities permitted to return to training Team and Regional in the NAC. In July, this was Pathway Development expanded to allow training for Coaches held (and this group in the NAC, UL, or continue to hold) regular Bangor. Other National Squad meetings with all Club and select Regional Squad Coaches and Chairpersons athletes based in NI could also to ascertain what support access training in Bangor. is needed A series of webinars offered support to athletes and coaches in the areas of nutrition, mental wellbeing, mobility & stability, and conditioning; this has become a Support was offered (and long-term programme that will well received) to all other continue throughout the rest of National Squad athletes the season. The first round of based in Ireland to aid these webinars was delivered their training while they by practitioners from the Sport are out of the pool – in Ireland Institute. late 2020 these athletes were permitted to join one of the training hubs mentioned above
We continue to liaise (in conjunction with Ireland Active) with A revised Regional the Return to Sport Programme was Expert Group on launched which will run several matters virtually for the 2020- 2021 Season allowing the group sizes to be increased so more athletes can access the programmes
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 31 Highlights
Maintaining delivery of the Performance programme through 19 Instagram the restrictions and ‘Takeovers’ two lockdowns
More than 20 Webinars from world- leading coaches and practitioners, Divers making four semi-finals in the delivered to over 30 identified coaches. Madrid and Rostock FINA Grand Prix During initial lockdown there were up to competitions three of these each week
600 young swimmers An addition to our National Squad in our ground-breaking was introduced, the ‘Performance Online Athlete Coaching Transition’ Cohort - a group designed Programme to help junior/youth athletes’ transition to senior international swimming.
60 Inspiring Stories told online by our Performance athletes directly to 1,500 members of our clubs at a time when they needed it most. Roll out of a Women in Sport ‘Coach Mentorship Programme’ via the National Centre (Dublin)
More than 40 Webinars from our own team to all coaches and to our members to help Participation in the ‘Stay develop and engage, while our at Home International sport was paused. Diving Competition’ during December 2020
Racing Series
During November, a small number of Performance Athletes were permitted to take part in a series of Time Trials run across three days in Dublin, Limerick, and Bangor.
With overall prizes on the table, athletes were required to race in multiple events, some of which they would not normally do. Points in the Open and Junior Sections were awarded based on finishing position with bonuses available for lifetime bests and Irish records, with the Para points calculated on percentage outside of the World Record in the event within an athlete’s classification. In total there were 77 lifetime bests set across the three days.
Due to COVID restrictions, Racing Day 1 took place across the three venues, with no-one traveling outside their regular training environment; on Day 2 racing took place in Limerick and Bangor, with no-one leaving their home jurisdiction, and on Day 3 all athletes came together in Dublin. Strict COVID protocols were in place in all venues.
A huge thank you to the staff in each of the venues, and our volunteer officials who made it possible for these events to go ahead.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 32 Irish Winter Meet 2020
• The 2020 Irish Winter Meet took place at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin from Thursday, 17th to Saturday 19th December. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, entries were limited to Swim Ireland members representing a Swim Ireland club and who were able to be categorised as ‘elite’. The competition featured 60 swimmers with a unique format of heats in short course (25m) and finals in long course (50m).
• 9 National Records were set across the three days of competition, five Senior and four Junior.
• Diving International Stay at Home Competition Three of our top divers joined others from all over the world to compete against each other on 11th December, without the need to leave their home pools. All nations videoed their divers during a two-day period. The video footage was then sent to a panel of Inter- national judges, who scored each of the dives. The videos were then tagged and edited together to create one full video that would simulate a regular competition. Our divers picked up three Top 10 finishes, with Tanya Watson finishing 2nd in the 10m Platform event.
What is there to look forward to in 2021?
• Swim Ireland Irish National Team Trials in Dublin as the qualification meet for Olympic individual events.
• LEN European LC Championships in Budapest as the final qualification meet for Olympic relays.
• LEN European Junior Championships in Rome
• Olympic Games & Paralympics in Tokyo
• The return to training and domestic competition for athletes outside the current permitted group
• FINA World Junior Championships in Kazan
• LEN European SC Championships in Kazan
• FINA World SC Championships in Abu Dhabi
Anti- Doping Report 2020
Anti-Doping Programmes around the world continue to face scrutiny, and as a result of adverse findings in the samples of many individual athletes, sports as well as nations have suffered greatly. It is imperative that now more than ever, governing bodies and their members continue their efforts to ensure that sport is fair and clean for all from grassroots to high performance.
In 2020 we faced the dilemma where no face-to-face workshops were able to take place, and there was no syllabus for a virtual programme. Athletes on various squads were required to complete the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping eLearning module and we communicated relevant updates to all while our Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Tutors Amanda Ní Ghabhann and Aisling McKeever developed a virtual programme to be rolled out in 2021.
The Swim Ireland Anti-Doping programme will be expanded across swimming, diving, water polo and masters with a view to also developing an updated CPD module that coaches, teachers, team managers and parents can avail of.
Swim Ireland would again this year like to extend its thanks to Betty Beattie, ably assisted by Pat Daly (Competitions Officer) who continues her excellent and effective work as Event Contact Manager for all domestic Anti-Doping In-Competition tests.
2020 Anti-Doping Statistics
Total number of tests for all sports carried out by 1,045 the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Unit
Total number of tests for swimming/diving carried 85 (covers in Competition, Out of out by the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Unit Competition and Blood Test)
Number of Irish swimmers/divers on the 16 Registered Testing Pool
Table 9: 2020 Anti-Doping Statistics
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 33 Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 34 Leadership Strategic Goal: Be recognised as an organisation that leads with integrity and operates to high standards in all areas.
Nobody could have anticipated the year that 2020 turned out to be for our country. We certainly never imagined that swimming pools would be closed for such an extended period. But adversity reveals underlying strength. The passion, drive, resilience and sincere commitment of the Swim Ireland staff, board, volunteers, clubs and overall aquatics family was demonstrated over and over again in 2020 and inspired us all during an incredibly challenging time.
We do not believe that this is accidental and have long held the belief that excellence in governance delivers a culture of excellence across the organisation. Our strategic commitment to being an organisation that leads with integrity and operates to high standards, underpins everything that we do and receives continued focus at all levels of the organisation. The Governance Code for Sport, overseen by Sport Ireland, is the framework within which we operate. The Corporate Team monitors standards across the organisation and is overseen by the CEO supported by five senior managers (Finance, Operations, Communications, HR and Safeguarding) and administratively by 1 full time and 4 part time staff members. The Head of Safeguarding, Ethics and Youth Development oversees the overall safeguarding ethos in Swim Ireland, ensuring that the organisation is at the forefront of implementing best practice, statutory and legislative requirements where required.
The strength of the relationship between the Swim Ireland Board and Executive became very clear during 2020 as we managed the crisis of the pandemic and the impact on our sport in a way that enabled both groups to be empowered, and involved at the right level of decision making and action.
We are proud that as an organisation we never stopped or stuttered we were always open for business and driving forwards despite the challenges the Pandemic brought, and we sought out the opportunities that arose as well as looked to manage the challenges. We remain steadfast to the Governance Code throughout and maintain our position of one of the leading governing bodies of sport in terms of our commitment to governance.
Key Governance Goals delivered in 2020 were:
• Successful Mid-Year and End Year Review Process with Sport Ireland. • Business Goals agreed and approved by the Board across all Departments in line with the Strategic Goals of the organisation. • Monitoring and reporting on performance against KPIs. • Appointment of new members to the Internal Audit Committee with relevant Financial expertise and qualifications reporting directly to the Board. • The development and launch of a Diversity & Inclusion Policy. • Ongoing focus on supporting best practice governance in our Regions including quarterly meetings with the Regional Executives and support in developing Regional Risk Registers and Regional Reserve Policies. • Successful piloting of the CARA Xcessible Bronze Award, a programme which aims to support and empower NGBs to provide positive and meaningful participation opportunities for people with disabilities.
Statement from CARA: “CARA is delighted to recognise the outstanding work undertaken by Swim Ireland over the last 12 months in the inclusion of people with disabilities within their sport by awarding them with the Xcessible Bronze Award. It is clear to see the commitment and passion of Swim Ireland towards inclusion and great to see the progress they made in through the Xcessible Programme, particularly in the training provided to staff in relation to inclusion of people with disabilities in Swimming at all levels. We congratulate Swim Ireland on their achievements so far and look forward to supporting them on the next stage of their Xcessible journey in 2021”.
• Successful advocacy with Sport Ireland and Government on behalf of our sport, ensuring that our elite athletes were able to keep training throughout the COVID Pandemic and our Clubs received financial support.
• Return to Water Group formed to spear head the development of Return to Water Protocols and a Living and Swimming with COVID Framework. • Engagement with Sport Northern Ireland (NI) and the Department of Communities on the development of a 10-year Strategic
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 35 Plan for Sport in Northern Ireland. • We held our first virtual AGM with over 100 in attendance at which Delegates voted unanimously in favour of a Motion to imple- ment a 60/40 gender balance on our Board. • Following a period of consultation, we launched a revised Employee Handbook. • We launched an Employee Wellbeing Programme in partnership with Laya Healthcare. • We undertook a formal review of our compliance with the Code in line with the three-year review period. This was the second such review since we became the first sporting body to be compliant with the precursor of the current Code, the Community, Voluntary & Charity (CVC) Code, in 2013.
Sub Committee Reports
The Governance Section of this Report (page 10) describes in some detail the Governance Structure and includes detail of the workings of the various National Committees who support the work of Clubs and Communities Team.
Governance Committee
The Governance Committee members are: Mariea Flanagan, (Swim Ireland Board Director), Clare McGrath, (former Swim Ireland Chairperson), Mary McMorrow, (Swim Ireland Company Secretary) and John McShane (Mid-West Corporate Services Ltd. and Independent member).
The Committee’s key role is to oversee company compliance with the CVC Code of Governance and to review and recommend any relevant changes to policies and terms of reference to the Board of Directors. The Committee met 4 times in 2020 and key outcomes were as follows:
• Review of Swim Ireland’s compliance with the Governance Code. Review of the compliance checklist is a standing Agenda item at every meeting. • Reviewed the Status List of Company Policies and Procedures and the timeline for review of same. • Review of Deloitte Governance Audit Report • Reviewed and recommended the adoption of a Disability & Inclusion Policy and a Volunteer Policy • Reviewed and approved the Board Handbook for Directors • Review of AGM arrangements for virtual AGM • Review of Director’s Travel Policy
Internal Audit Committee
The members of the Internal Audit Committee are Paul Hannigan (Former Swim Ireland Director and Chairman of Committee), Keith Lynch (ACA and Water Polo Treasurer), Andrew Bonehill (ACCA & external to Swim Ireland), Graham Beegan (Swim Ireland Treasurer),.
Neither the Chief Executive Officer nor the Director of Finance sit on the Committee although they may be invited to attend Committee meetings and report at same. The Committee operates to Terms of Reference which were last reviewed in December 2020 and can be viewed on the Swim Ireland website. The Committee met virtually on 10 December 2020 and reviewed the following:
• Review of Company Management Accounts • Review of 2021 Budget • Review of the Risk Register • Review of internal Controls and noted no significant control issues during 2020 • Reviewed the Company Risk Register • Reviewed amendments to the Finance Policy • Reviewed the Carmichael Ireland Annual Report & Financial Statements Technical Screening 2020. • Noted that this is the last year under the current agreement with Auditors OSK and that a tender process will be held in 2021 to identify new Auditors.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 36 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 36 HR & Remuneration Committee
The Governance Section of this Report sets out the work of our various National Standing Committees. Two of our core governance committees are the HR& Remuneration Committee and the Complaints & Disciplinary Committee. An overview of their work is as follows:
The HR & Remuneration Committee members are: Sean McHugh (Independent HR Consultant), Graham Beegan (Honorary Treasurer), and, Dee Maguire, Former Treasurer of Swim Ireland.
Neither the Chief Executive Officer nor the HR Manager sit on the Committee although they attend Committee meetings and report at same. The Committee operates to Terms of Reference which were last reviewed in December 2020 and can be viewed on the Swim Ireland website.
The Committee met on three occasions in 2020 and the following were the key points discussed:
• Remuneration parameters for the role of Head of Participation
• Overall Staff Remuneration
• General review of Employment Contracts and, where relevant, Contract renewals
• Talent and Succession Plan
• Values and Behaviours
Complaints and Disciplinary
The Complaints and Disciplinary Policies & Procedures (2017) outline the complaints process in Swim Ireland. An externally appointed Complaints & Disciplinary Officer (CDO) oversees the process at national level. The CDO gives a written update to the Board at each meeting on the status of complaints in addition to a year end review. Highlights from the 2020 Review is as follows:
There were 7 new cases in 2020, comprised of: 6 Complaints and 1 Appeal. There were no Disciplinary Actions. On average to date there have been 14 per annum. By and large the cases consisted of isolated Complaints/Incidents spread across different clubs/ entities. The outcomes were as follows:
• 1 Complaint was dismissed by the CDO for being out of time.
• 1 Complaint was remitted to a Regional Complaints Committee.
• 1 Complaint was deemed withdrawn/abandoned due to inactivity and lack of engagement of the complainant.
• 4 Complaints went to Hearing.
There was 1 Appeal which has now been resolved following mediation by the CDO.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 37 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 37 Financial Governance
Our Finance Report and our 2020 Financial Statements set out our financial position, and is presented as a separate document available on our website.
Our Income & Expenditure Account show significant reductions in income and expenditure in comparison to 2019 as we feel the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our total income in 2020 is 25% lower than 2019, significantly impacted by reduced activity. Despite a very difficult year we have continued to operate as fully as possible in engaging with and supporting our Members, Clubs, and the wider Leisure Industry with various online initiatives, clinics and programmes and remained ‘open for business’ throughout 2020.
Throughout 2020, we continuously forecasted our financials with a range of scenarios to reflect the constant changes the COVID-19 Pandemic brought and in turn, delivered on our ‘COVID-19 Budget’.
60% of our 2020 income has been funded by Sport Ireland through various grants in comparison to 43% in 2019. The increase in this funding in 2020 can be attributed largely to the Sport Ireland COVID-19 Grant Scheme rolled out by Sport Ireland in 2020 in direct response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As always, we remain extremely thankful to Sport Ireland for this continued support. Swimming is recognised as a priority sport in National Sports Policy and this prioritisation gives us a reasonable assurance of secured funding into the future.
We will continue to seek to grow our self-generated income into the future by securing further sponsorship partnerships and increasing our membership by providing the best resources and support to our Clubs and Members and to be recognised as the leading organisation in offering Learning and Development opportunities to our Members. In 2021, a key priority is to develop and grow our Participation Department and in turn provide opportunities to all to become a part of the Swim Ireland family.
As we move into 2021, the key risk in generating this self-generated income continues to be the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic as we continue to feel its effects around pool closures and reduced activity in general.
As already noted, as our income reduced during the year and we therefore monitored our expenditure very closely to ensure the financial stability of the Company in moving into 2021, whereby we estimate we may be harder hit financially in this period, however we remain focused and determined to grow in 2021 to the best of our ability.
Reserves Policy
Swim Ireland’s Operating Reserve Policy is to ensure the stability of the mission, programmes, employment, and on-going operations of the organisation. The Operating Reserve is intended to provide an internal source of fund for situations such as a sudden increase in expenses, one-time unbudgeted expenditure, unanticipated loss in funding or uninsured losses.
Our 2020 Financial Statements show reserves of €873,245 at 31 December 2020 broken down as follows:
Swim Ireland €449,486
Water Polo €88,873
Leinster Region €94,254
Munster Region €169,479
Connacht Region €71,153
A priority for 2021, is to review our Reserves Policy against our 2020 expenditure and in consideration of our 2021 Budget, strategic financial planning to 2024 and trying to grow our income back up to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Risk Management
Our Risk Register identifies 19 key risks and these risks have been categorised according to the company’s risk tolerance and risk appetite. Each risk has been assigned a risk owner who is the responsible person to mitigate the risk as far as is practicable. The Risk Register is reviewed and updated monthly by the CEO and the Finance Director and is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Board.
We undertake a review of our Internal Controls on an annual basis with the last review having taken place in December 2020.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 38 The key risks as we move into 2021 are highlighted as follows:
1. Risk of loss in Club Memberships due to Clubs not affiliating resulting in reduction of members and a corresponding reduction of income. Risk of loss of members post the COVID-19 Pandemic.
We mitigate against this risk as follows:
• Continued development of new training opportunities and supports for our Clubs/Members.
• Constant review of our National Competition structure to ensure we are catering for the whole pathway and implement changes where necessary.
• Education development and the creation of a wide range of online opportunities.
• The continuous monitoring and review of the support offered to our Clubs and Members to increase this year on year.
• The continuous monitoring and review of our direct engagement with Members and Clubs to deliver engagement opportunities to maintain athletes in our sport. We have significantly increased our online engagement, communication and offerings to our Members and Clubs during the current crisis.
2. Risk of Health & Safety/Legal issues due to Clubs not following the Return to Water protocols issued.
We mitigate against this risk as follows:
• COVID Officer training rolled out to Clubs.
• Return to Water protocols rolled out following review and sign off by both Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport. Relevant legal advice sought, as necessary.
• Continue to review & update, where necessary, these Policies and Training in line with HSE/Government guidelines.
3. In this 2020+1 Olympic year, the risk of lack in achievement from Performance results which may result in reduced levels of funding in the future.
We mitigate against this risk as follows:
• Comprehensive monitoring of the Performance Programme on a continuous basis.
• Ensure the Performance Programme is properly resourced.
• Ensure progressive and sufficient monitoring of both Athletes and Coaches.
• Ensure our top Athletes are prioritised and resourced and ensuring our ‘Person First, Athlete Second’ motto is adhered to
Future Outlook
Swimming is recognised as a priority sport in National Sports Policy (NSP) which also calls for the development of a National Swimming Strategy.
The first 3-year NSP Activation Plan is set to be published and the development of a National Swimming Strategy is included as an output for the Department of Sport for 2021.
Together with the Get Ireland Swimming Action Plan that we published in 2019 we will work hard with our partners to seek to secure both our position and relevant resources to drive to get the wider population in Ireland swimming, to develop our relationship with the leisure industry and to develop our Participation Department in 2021 and appoint our first Head of Participation in this regard in Q1 2021.
2021 is a significant year in sporting terms as we simultaneously prepare for the 2020+1 Tokyo Olympic Games and the beginning of the Paris 2024 cycle. 2021 will see the rollout of the 2021 to 2024 Performance Strategy.
As we reach the end of our current Strategic Plan, 2021 will see the development of our 2021 to 2024 Company Strategic Plan, with the above key points at the forefront of our strategic planning to 2024.
In 2021, we will seek to increase our engagement across all our swimming, water polo and diving Clubs, and with the industry, to support as best we can, increased pool time for our Clubs.
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 39 Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 40 3. Regional Highlights
Regional Committees have been established in Connacht, Leinster, and Munster for the purposes of running Regional Squad Programmes and Regional Competitions. In the case of Ulster, this is the responsibility of Swim Ulster, established as a separate legal entity to Swim Ireland, funded by Sport Northern Ireland. All Region’s elect a nominee to the Board of Swim Ireland. Such nominee is entitled to attend, but not to vote at Regional meetings.
There is alignment between our National and Regional structures, strategies and competitive pathways and regular communication takes place regarding all aspects of the sport. Quarterly meetings take place between the leaders of the Regions and Swim Ireland senior staff to discuss areas of strategic importance and prior to the implementation of decisions.
The Regional Executives themselves meet at least once a quarter with full meetings of all clubs in the Region taking place at least twice per year, driven by the needs of the Region. Regionally based staff provide operational support at a local level with Swim Ireland providing additional support as required through head office.
The Regional structure is as follows:
Regional Executive Members Connacht Munster Leinster
TheChairperson Regional structure is as follows:Frank Breslin Brendan McGrath Orla Mullen
Secretary Helen Gunning Leona Blackwell Joe O’Keefe
Treasurer Jo McCormack Tom O'Brien Ashley Godden
Regional Club Children's Officer Michelle Delaney Ruth Goodall Julie Morgan
Swim Ireland Board Nominee Patricia Cleary Mairea Flanagan Gillian Markey
Competitions Representative Kevin Dowling Michael Foley Caroline Bentley
Technical Representative Marian English Mick McCarthy
Additional Members Natasha Walsh (PRO) Gerard Fleming (Gala Secretary)
Swim Ulster Board of Directors: June Trail (Swim Ulster President), Tanya Martin (Chairperson), Stephen Cuddy (Company Secretary), Alan Crowe, Allsion Honan, Ciaran McGurk, Gary Stoops (Swim Ireland Regional Nominee), Gavin Eakin, Pamela Yeh, Sharon Cox, Trevor Reid
Regional Staffing Support
Regional Club Support Officer Vincent Finn Aisling McKeever Ruth McQuillan Damien Regional Administrator Mary Dunne Fitzpatrick Kinny Bolton Linda Stoops
Regional Pathway Development Sarah Fellner Mark Lappin Mark Craig Coach
Table 10: The Regional Executive Committee structure and members, 2020
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 41 Region Connacht Munster Leinster Ulster
No. Committee Four meetings since the start of the season in September The Executive Committee have held five meetings The Executive Committee held three meetings during The Swim Ulster board held four meetings during the Meetings 2020 throughout the year. the year. year
Challenges in · Rebranding and launch of a new website for Swim · COVID-19 crisis. · No regional competitions · Plans and protocols made for return to water were Connacht canceled at short notice and replaced by different 2020 · Regional committees remained engaged throughout · No regional face to face squad activity since plans, over and over again. · Continued development of the region by purchasing the COVID-19 crisis. March equipment to enhance competition and training, Challenges of working with two jurisdictions and · Supports continued for Regional squads. · Organisation of coaching provision during · including world-class starting blocks and backstroke Leinster academy initiatives two different sets of government restrictions. · Region continues to be financially solid even though ledges. Challenging to connect with members and keep income streams were non-existent · Development of co-working platform · · Committee and sub-committees moved online, them engaged. · Management and regional committee communication. · Improved collaboration between the RPAG and making attendance at meetings more accessible. Cancellations of camps and competitions season The switch to the online management of the Region. Leinster Competitions Committee · 16 out of the 17 clubs were represented at CTC · for 2020 meetings. The frustrations with ongoing changes due to lock · Review of qualification standards at · The 2020-21 Regional Programme had to be downs continue to be overcome. Development/Championship meets · Support was maintained for clubs while negotiating significantly altered undergo a complete revamp · Working with Leinster Competitions for a safe ever-changing government restrictions with thanks · Continued to plan for return to competition at regional · to cease on 16th October. to regional support officer. and national levels. and successful return to racing Regional swimmers competed at Irish Winter SC · Regional PRO continued to update and share news · on Swim Connacht social platforms, despite having Championships. very little to draw on.
Key lessons · The importance of mental wellbeing in the Region, · Good clear lines of communication are important. · Importance of Coach support initiatives · The 2020-21 Regional Programme was delivered especially that of youth members virtually, this provided an opportunity to support a learnt in 2020 · Role clarification also continues to be important. · Importance of supporting clubs with engaging Availability of online resources has been allowed for members and planning for a return to water greater number of athletes · · Committee members need to be proactive. more and more members to become qualified. Continue to facilitate as much online engagement Very few people want to engage at Regional level. · Importance of supporting clubs with squad · · and support as possible · The importance of exploring new and innovative Why? restructuring, annual planning, LTAD, succession strategies to keep athletes and coaches motivated. planning and staff restructuring · Importance of supporting clubs through funding · Online meetings can be very efficient. Swim Ireland’s resourcefulness and support was application to Sport NI and local authorities’ · Continue to plan and review regardless of the situation. exceptional. The Virtual Gala’s gave a real boost to · the athletes.
· Swim Ireland’s online learning encouraged more people to get involved and get qualified.
Key Goals for · Maintain and increase membership. · Develop future Regional administrative structures. · Continued implementation of the Club Cluster · Our key goal for 2021 is to retain our membership Plan for Swimming and grow our sport despite the challenging post 2021 · Aim to improve motivation strategies and support · Support the clubs at grass roots level. standards in the region Explore opportunities for clubs to work in pandemic environment. · Retain membership. · Create training squads for athletes who fall short of partnership to bounce back after Covid-19 · We will assist our Diving, Swimming & Water Polo · · Support the return to the practical side of our sport. national qualify times, & support these athletes and Continue to provide coach education and CPD Clubs in securing the same level or more pool time Fill the Regional Treasurer's role. · coaches to reach their goals · opportunities in the Region as pre Covid 19 to allow them to function in a way Ensure all Regional positions are filled. that will grow their membership Continue to encourage members to take part in · Continue to support clubs through programme · Re -establish an income flow. · online education resources provided by Swim · visits (actual or virtual) · We will provide a relevant Competition Programme for our athletes to support their Ireland-with particular focus on the official's · A safe return to training and competition. pathway. growth and development. · Continue to support clubs through programme visits (actual or virtual) We will be expanding our Open Water throughout · Encourage a stronger open water community within · Ulster building on the successful events over the the region. Deliver the virtual Regional Programme 2021 · last four years. · Develop the master’s clubs within the region. Support the implementation of the Ethical Framework · We will be completing a Swim Ulster rebrand Affiliate and integrate competitions with Special in higher performing clubs in the Region · · including a website refresh. Olympics. Continued implementation and evolution of the Club · Continue to lobby NI executive and local Cluster Plan for Swimming · authorities on behalf of all aquatics clubs in Ulster. · Continue to provide coach education and CPD opportunities in the Region
Table 11: Regional Reports Overview 2020
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 42 SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 43 We all have a relationship with the water. Our own perspective, our own ambition, our own goals and sometimes even our own fears. From our Olympic athletes, through to our Sunday morning swimmers, to the young children taking their first tentative paddles in the pool. We are united in our love of the water. The early mornings. The after-school lessons. The first break of the waves. The tussle for the ball. The little voice that tells us to push on... to get back in the pool, go one more length, get out to the buoy. ___
Me and the water.
Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 44 Me and the water
SWIM IRELAND | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 45