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Jo Stalley

Update from Swim England on the licensing of Meets

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As we are sure you are aware, on Wednesday 27th May Swim England issued a statement cancelling all   national events scheduled to take place in latter part of 2020.

In respect of swimming, this included the Swim England National Winter Championships, traditionally the culmination of the domestic short course swimming season. Last week, FINA also announced that the 15th World Swimming Championships (25m) would take place one year later than planned, in December 2021.

It is somewhat superfluous to state that all of the above actions are responses to the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In light of the above information, the Swim England Swimming Leadership Group considers that it will be neither possible nor practical to stage regional swimming championships in early November of this year. After very careful consideration, the group has determined that regional short course championships will not take place in 2020.

The group has also decided that no competition licences will be issued at levels one or two for the remainder of 2020. Meets that have already been granted licences for forthcoming events in 2020 at levels one and two will have the option to be downgraded to level three or four in the first instance.

Swim England will be writing to the limited number of promoters whose meets fall in to this category to inform them of this change.

Notwithstanding the above information, it should be kept in mind that licensing at all levels remains suspended until further notice, with all currently issued licences being provisional in status. The Swim England Swimming Leadership Group will issue a timeline for the resumption of competition, licensed or otherwise, including Masters, once appropriate information is known. The group has adopted this stance, rather than suspending all competition until an arbitrary date, as its members are keen to see the competitive element of our sport return as soon as it is safe and reasonably practicable to do so.

Thank you for your ongoing support during this difficult time.  If you have any queries, please email [email protected]

Swim England East Region Event Cancellations

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Following the announcement by Swim England that all national events are cancelled until the end of the year, Swim England East Region has taken the decision to cancel the following competitions:

Masters Championships, planned for 27th September 2020
Disability Championships, planned for 11th October 2020
Short Course Swimming Championships, planned for 6th, 7th and 8th November 2020

We very much regret having to make this decision as we know that it will be a huge disappointment to our athletes, however it is unrealistic to think that mass gatherings will be possible within these timescales, neither are we clear when our athletes will be able to return to training.

Online Safeguarding Advice for Clubs

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Since lockdown started and the use of online platforms such as Zoom has increased, Swim England has issued advice and guidance to clubs and members on good practice.

 

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has also issued another warning around serious safeguarding risks as a result of a growing trend on these platforms.

The charity has said a worrying pattern is emerging as public meetings via online platforms are being targeted by criminals sharing illegal and disturbing material, with police investigating a number of reports.

 

The NSPCC is urging parents to supervise their children when using Zoom and other video call platforms and to also take steps to secure meeting details and passwords.

 

Andy Burrows, Head of Child Safety Online Policy at the NSPCC, said: “While the responsibility for this lies with those uploading this terrible footage, it’s important to take precautions to lessen the risks posed to children and adults, including not sharing full meeting details and passwords on social media and only providing them to people you trust.”

 

We have also published guidance around virtual teaching and coaching as well as additional guidance on using Zoom. We strongly advise clubs and members adhere to this when hosting club related activities online.

 

Any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person can call the Swim England Child Safeguarding Team on 01509 640252 or via [email protected].

 

Alternatively, you can call the NSPCC helpline for free and confidential advice on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]. A dedicated O2/NSPCC online safety helpline is available on 0808 800 5002.

 

Children can contact Childline for free on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk and speak to a counsellor about a worry or concern they may have.

Community Emergency Fund Available for Clubs

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Sport England has announced a £195 million package to help sport and physical activity through Coronavirus. This package consists of:

  • A new £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which is open now for local club and community organisations to bid for grants between £300 and £10,000.
  • A new £5 million fund for existing Sport England partners facing specific and immediate financial difficulty.
  • £55 million put aside to support the sector during an ongoing period of restrictions; to fund new and innovative ways to keep people active and then, when it is over, to help organisations get back to business and adjust to a different environment.
  • A £115 million rollover of current funding into 2021/22 to give certainty to over 100 well established partners who play a vital role in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England, and whose current funding agreements with Sport England run out in March 2021.

More information, eligibility criteria and application process can be found on the Sport England website. Swim England will be releasing further guidance on this funding over the next few days.

This £20 million fund is designed to complement other sources of funding from the government, such as funds targeted at small businesses. Please ensure that your clubs consider the funding support that the government has available before they apply to this fund.

Sport England has just a launched a new Club Matters Coronavirus page and will update this over the next few days! It provides guidance, toolkits and case studies for our clubs.

Cancellation of Regional Competitions

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UPDATED JULY 2020

All competitions are now cancelled until 31st December 2020.

Following the decision of British Swimming and Swim England to cancel national competitions planned for the summer, Swim England East Region has cancelled all regional competitions until 31st August.  This decision impacts the following regional competitions:

  • Regional Swimming Summer Meet
  • Artistic Swimming Regional Championships
  • Regional Open Water Championships

This decision also impacts these regional development events:

  • Regional Open Water Camp
  • Regional Artistic Swimming Development Day
  • Regional Workforce Development Day
  • Regional Diving Camp
  • Water Polo Inter-Regional Squad and Academy Training

Joan Wheeler, Regional Chairman, said that ‘Swim England East Region very much regrets having to make this decision as we know that our coaches and swimmers had worked hard to qualify for regional events.  We do, however, have to be realistic about the likely timescales for restrictions on large scale gatherings, and the health and well-being of our members has to be our first priority’.

Swim England Resources are LIVE!

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A note from our National Talent Officer, Mike Parker regarding the brilliant new resources that are now online and the plans for the coming weeks:

 

Hi Team

Please see the links to the introduction to the support package Swim England are planning on providing going forward and the 1st workshop.

All will be posted on social media, in Particular the Swim England You tube channel.

Please see the Swim England YouTube channel link and the link to the introduction by Grant and the 1st workshop.

Please can you share with your contacts and also on your regional social media.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdK9FG_t6ENQRhds_NNtXQ/videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXyujFicjnQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlvIApDXW6M

 

Regards

Mike