Bushey Amateur Swimming Club Three-year Development Plan 2009 - 2011 Final 1 st January 2009
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Bushey Amateur Swimming Club
Three-year Development Plan
2009 - 2011
Final
1st January 2009
Page 2
Introduction
Bushey Amateur Swimming Club has come a long way in the last three years. We have
seen our number swell, our available pool time increase, our standards improve and our
levels of competitiveness increase. This has happened because of the efforts of a
dedicated group of people, and through the commitment of all members to make our
club the best it can be. We are now reaping the rewards of this investment in time and
commitment. We are better placed in our respective league positions than we have ever
been before...
• 2007 Speedo League – 9th in London League Division 2 (our first year in this
competition)
• 2008 Major League – 2nd in Division 2 (promoted)
• 2008 Chiltern League – 5th in Division 3 • 2008 Peanuts League – 3rd in Division 2
...and the club’s numbers and resources have increased in tandem with this, giving us a
large pool (pun intended!) of swimmers, officials and volunteer helpers to support us in
the future. So, that’s it then...job done!! Actually, that is the worst thing we could think.
It is tempting to suggest that, as we are near capacity, with all our pool time allocated
and doing rather well in competition we just need to ‘tick over’ for the coming years. As
we all know, life is not like that, and while we are standing still, others are moving
forward, effectively leaving us behind. In recent years, we have benefitted from the
reduced availability of other local clubs while pools have undergone maintenance, and
have attracted swimmers who might otherwise have joined other clubs. Those days are
over. New pools have been completed in the Watford area, and other clubs are now
operating at full strength. We have to continue to offer potential members a unique
Bushey experience, and clearly define what it is about us that makes us different from
other clubs, and why swimmers want to come and be a part of it. We constantly have
member churn, where those at the top end of the club leave us (for example, for
university or jobs), and are succeeded by those coming through the ranks. If we are not
continually able to accept new intake at the lower end of the club, we are storing up a
problem for ourselves – one which would be very difficult and painful to recover from.
So our planning process is used to address these issues, and to lay down a foundation
for how the club operates within the planning period. We have more resources available
to us today to assist with this process than we have had in previous times. We have a
dedicated committee, who are focused on the best interests of the club. As most of the
committee comprises parents of current club members it is a very visible committee,
regularly at poolside for training sessions and gala events. We have a feedback
mechanism (web-site forums) where member comments and suggestions can be lodged.
Importantly, we have the Swim21 framework to operate within. This is an ASA-
sponsored standard which all affiliated clubs are encouraged to attain. It is a ‘kite-mark’
indicating the achievement of a set of organisation and operating protocols. While
gaining this accreditation has involved considerable effort, we stand to benefit
immensely from this. Certain facilities (and funding opportunities) are available to us as
a Swim21 club that would not otherwise have been available. Equally importantly, it has
made us look at ourselves critically, and define procedures and protocols for what we do
and how we do it. Prior to this, knowledge was contained in people’s heads (and on their
clip-boards), meaning that club operations, processes and information was dis-jointed,
possibly duplicated, and inefficient. It also made succession planning difficult to the point
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of impossible. It is healthy for the club to rotate its personnel from time to time (fresh
visions, fresh ideas etc.). However, it was very difficult to recruit people to any position
when we couldn’t explain exactly what that post entailed or what the responsibilities
were. Swim21 has guided us down a path where we now have all this in place. We can,
at a glance, see the structure of the club, what its methods and processes are, who the
operating officers are, and how the future of the club can be defined. Swim21 does not
define Bushey ASC. It does not prescribe what our aspirations should be, or what we are
trying to achieve. It does however, provide a framework on which our identity can be
built, and will support the entrenchment of those aspirations within the ethos of the club.
The Plan
In order to lay out a plan for the future, we have to start by asking ourselves three
fundamental questions:-
• Who do we want to be?
• What do we want to do?
• How do we achieve our goals?
If we cannot answer these questions, then we will wander and cease to be focused on
what really matters; the provision and enjoyment of swimming for all our members.
Who do we want to be?
To begin with, we should look at who we currently are. Our existing mission statement
describes us as:-
A small friendly club based at Bushey Grove Leisure Centre. We strive to improve the all
round swimming ability for our swimmers between the ages of 5 and 18.
As a current mission, this is fine. It is what we do. However, this does not project
forward to define who we want to be in the future. This question is best answered by
defining a Bushey Amateur Swimming Club vision statement. To date, we have not had a
vision statement that encapsulates what we are trying to achieve. The proposed vision
statement is:
Bushey Amateur Swimming Club
Our vision is to inspire and develop a passion for
competitive swimming
This vision is supported by our core values. Again, we have not clearly defined these to
date. Therefore, the following value statements are proposed to support our vision:
• BASC is a friendly and enjoyable club to be part of
• BASC ensures that all activities are performed in a safe environment
• BASC works to develop and improve swimming ability
• BASC engenders team spirit and fair play for all
• BASC recognises the personal achievements of its members
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All our club activities must be linked to these core values. If we are unable to link
activities to core values, we should not be undertaking that activity.
Three-year plans do not alter what we aspire to and what we exist for as a club. What
they do is allow us to deliver the vision within the current climate, rules and conditions
for swimming. This is why it is important for our three-year plan to address the needs of
the club as conditions dictate at the present time, but also to look forward to expected
conditions in the coming years to ensure we are well prepared to (a) survive and thrive
in the swimming environment, and (b) prosper and take advantage of opportunities
presenting themselves so that the club continues to be the success that it currently is.
Swim21 is a very good example of how we have taken advantage of an opportunity to
examine ourselves to make sure we are well-placed and prepared for the challenges that
lie ahead. A great deal of work has been undertaken already, and we have already
started seeing the benefit of this effort by:-
• Gaining club funding for swimming activities (training teachers etc.)
• Becoming more attractive to other clubs for mutual co-operation (invitations to
galas etc.)
• Partial rebate of regional ASA fees
• Providing greater opportunities to volunteers
• Providing the quality mark required by some venues and facilities
It has been suggested that we drop the word ‘Amateur’ from our name. This is in
response to the ASA, who have announced that they are to be known purely as ‘ASA’,
and should no longer be referred to as ‘Amateur Swimming Association’. This suggestion
is based on the definition of Amateur being understood to be those who undertake an
activity as a past-time, and just for fun, rather than taking it seriously. The dictionary
refers to Amateur as an activity that is not the profession of those who undertake it.
Clearly this does define us, as we are rightly proud of the fact that we are members of
this club for the love of the sport, rather than as a paid job or profession.
Notwithstanding the practical elements of a name change (the cost of changing banners
at Bushey Grove, changing kit, logos etc.), and the fact that there are a number of other
clubs whose initials are ‘BSC’ (our ‘BASC’ makes us stand out as slightly different from
just another BSC), we do believe that Amateur in its real definition is part of who we are
and who we want to be. For this reason, this three-year plan does not include an action
to drop the word Amateur from our club name.
What do we want to do?
The straight-forward answer to this is to provide swimming resources and facilities in line
with our vision and core values. However, there is more. Given the hours spent on
training (for members) and on poolside (for their parents) there is a large commitment
to the club, and it inexorably takes a large proportion of members’ valuable free time. It
follows therefore, that as there is a situation where the same people see each other
regularly, we should aim to nurture that social cohesion for the mutual benefit of all
concerned. This topic is covered more in the sections that follow; suffice to say that the
answer to the question ‘What do we want to do?’ spans all areas of operation, including
swimming, administration and social activities of the club.
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How do we achieve what we want to achieve?
The plan, of course! However, it will only work if there is full buy-in from everybody. We
have to be committed as a whole club to the delivery of the plan in order for it to benefit
the club. This means attracting more members (and parents) to take an interest in club
activities and volunteering. Currently, a lot of work is done by relatively few people
within the club. We are a club of 141 families (253 members). This means we have
approximately 260 parents regularly bringing their children to the club. We currently
have about 30 people who are directly involved in running the club as teachers,
administrators and organisers. This equates to 12% of our membership actively involved
in running the club. If we want to move forward (and importantly provide a basis for the
‘next’ three-year plan) we need to increase this. The plan aims to increase the number of
active volunteers within the club to 20% of the membership – to 50 people.
The club has 253 members and is effectively full. Unless we are able to find considerably
more pool time it will not be possible to extend beyond this number. This plan does not
look to extend membership beyond its current level, as it would involve a number of
changes, some of which are not within our power to control, such as:-
• Additional teaching staff
• Additional pool time
• Additional administration overhead
• The break-up of our inclusive Sunday night ‘club night’ (i.e. not all swimmers
would be able to have a session on Sundays)
The plan assumes that membership levels will stay constant. Even a slight drop in
membership through natural wastage could be tolerated, provided that the funding
aspects are considered and accounted for (see section on Club Funding). Growth of the
club beyond its current capacity is not covered within this plan. It is not intended for the
club to expand further in the coming three years. We have constraints on pool time and
teaching resources which render this impractical. While we are always looking for
opportunities to increase pool time, there are boundaries that we are not able to commit
to overcoming.
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Swimming
Clearly, this is why the club exists. All other activities are a means to providing this end.
As we have stated in our vision, we aim to inspire the passion for competitive swimming.
We provide lessons and coaching with the aim of inclusion in amateur competitions and
tournaments. That is why we are here. We do not provide swimming lessons for the sake
of producing competent, safe swimmers alone. We do this so that it can lead to the
enjoyment of competing at personal and club level. Competing means pushing oneself to
achieve better results when measured against previous performance. It means reaching
milestones, and going beyond them. It means becoming the best swimmer / best squad
/ best team / best club that we can be. The club gala results and swimmer personal best
statistics that we record are a testament to what we have achieved so far. The Gala and
PB sections of the web-site are heavily used by the swimmers and always referred to
when the opportunity presents itself to set a new PB. All swimmers, without fail, want to
record better PBs all the time. All squads want to achieve better gala results, higher
league positions and promotions. It is this enthusiasm for competition that puts us in
such a great position going into our new three-year plan. Being involved with a club like
Bushey ASC gives the members a real sense of achievement and purpose. They look
forward to the next training session or gala as it gives them the opportunity to meet up
with their co-swimmers, and engenders a sense of friendly rivalry resulting in better
performance all round.
Lessons and coaching sessions
It has become clear that there is no appetite for hiring a paid coach in any capacity at
this juncture as it would be contrary to our mission and core values, and contradicts our
amateur status as previously discussed. Bushey Amateur Swimming Club does not aim
to pay any professional teachers or coaches to support our swimming activities within
this planning period. That said, we have a need to provide continuity of coaching and
teaching to our members, covering all our scheduled sessions. The teaching and
coaching staff that we have provide excellent service to our members, and they certainly
derive a great deal of pleasure from seeing the overall club ability increase year on year.
It is the reason they do what they do. We must however, ensure that we plan for enough
teachers to cover our foreseen needs to service the club, but also that no individuals feel
compelled to take on more sessions than they are able to comfortably commit to within
their own personal circumstances. Remember that we are all volunteers, and it is vital
that nobody feels that the club is over-bearing in any way. For administrators and back-
room volunteers it is possible to juggle club business with daily life and do things at
convenient times. For teachers however, they have to commit to certain times of
day/week over long periods, and do not have the flexibility to run their classes ‘at a
convenient time’. The club must recognise this and ensure that they are supported by
all, and that there are sufficient teachers to provide cover as necessary.
The main aims of the teachers during this planning period are:-
• To provide teaching and stroke correction for all swimmers as necessary
• To support mixed ability groups and ensure that we operate a fully inclusive
teaching regime
• To exploit ASA badge schemes to develop swimming techniques and skills
• To provide coaching for gala teams and squads
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• To hold termly teachers’ meetings where poolside matters are considered,
discussed and acted upon in the best interests of the club
As a secondary aim, and with an eye to the future, we wish to develop the coaching (as
opposed to teaching) side of the club. As we move towards a more competitive approach
to our activities we need to develop coaching skills beyond normal teaching to capitalise
on our performance opportunities. We will progress towards the Skill Level within the
Swim21 programme, by developing the coaching side of the club, while maintaining our
excellence within the teaching arena.
To achieve this, we need more teachers and coaches. We currently have 14 teachers, all
of whom are qualified to at least ASA Level 1. We currently have three licensed teachers.
This indicates our commitment to teaching standards and the framework introduced by
Swim21. In this planning period, we need to:
• Extend the number of teachers to 18 teachers in total.
• Develop up to 3 coaching volunteers.
• Provide licensed teachers or coaches for each session
• Provide IoS-registered teachers or coaches for each session
We will introduce swimming log books for all swimmers. These books allow the swimmer
and/or the coach to record salient detail about training abilities and needs, what needs
to be worked on, and experiences gained in and around the pool. They will act as a
training aid and will help to focus the minds of the swimmer/trainer in the direction of
weak points, and will also serve to highlight the development of the swimmer over a
period of time.
Pool time and Land training
There is an absolute in swimming terms. Performance increase is directly proportional to
the amount of coaching available. With unlimited resources, we would love to offer all
our members as much swim time as necessary to achieve their goals. However,
resources are not unlimited and we must look to allocate those available to us in the
most efficient way in order to benefit the club as a whole. It is the responsibility of the
teaching staff, led by the Poolside Manager to allocate our pool resources to their best
effect. We are restricted in one sense in that pool time is not ours to allocate. Our hours
at Bushey Grove Leisure Centre are restricted, and there is little possibility of these
being increased in any significant way. Our facilities at Haberdashers Boys School are
good for certain aspects of training, but not for others. There is a possibility that we will
be able to secure further pool time at other locations, and we should pursue these
opportunities vigorously. In addition, we should look to formalise a land-training session
for general fitness and stamina. Land-based facilities are easier to locate than pool time,
and we will introduce a regular land-based session within this planning period. We will
need to identify a trainer from within our own club, or retain an external trainer capable
of leading a land-based session.
Badges
The syllabus of badges made available to us has proved to be extremely popular with the
younger members over recent years. Badges are an excellent and highly appropriate
activity for us and serve to give our members focus and goals in their swimming
development (not to mention the technical advantages of having achieved standards
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within swimming). For our intermediate swimmers, the Speed Awards programme has
also proved popular and provides a mechanism for tracking the improvement in
performance. Our Badge Secretary works tirelessly on a timetable of badge
assessments, and always makes sure that members are taking badge assessments at
the right time, at the right level, and for the right purpose. In addition, the Speed
Awards are administered and awards presented on a regular basis. As with the teaching
staff, it is also important that this important role does not become a burden for the
person concerned. To that end, we will seek to recruit a second person capable of
running the scheme, so that both people can support it (and each other) and continue
with the fantastic progress made to date.
We will place particular emphasis on our ability to perform racing dives to give us the
best advantage we can have in competitions. Within the three-year plan, our aim is to
ensure that all swimmers competing in external competition have reached the standard
of the preliminary competitive start award, and are therefore able to start a race with a
shallow racing dive, either from the blocks or from the side of the pool. None of our
swimmers should need to start in the water.
Competition
Our success in competition has increased dramatically over recent years. The reasons
are a mix of talent, hard work, excellent coaching, friendly environment and a supportive
club structure. Our attitude to competition was epitomised during 2008 when we
achieved ‘Super Saturday’ and put out three teams on the same evening – something
that very few clubs are ever able to do. This was nothing short of brilliant, and truly
demonstrated exactly why we are all involved with BASC. We want to build on this
success within the next three years. Specifically, our aims are to:-
• Consolidate our position in the Herts Major League
• Continue to operate two HML teams
• Continue within the Chiltern Swimming League
• Continue to succeed within the National Swimming League (previously known as
the Speedo League)
• Continue to operate a successful Peanuts League squad
• Have the resources to perform another ‘Super Saturday’ if necessary
• Provide the ability for junior swimmers to experience gala conditions at lower-
grade meets
Within all of these, we must ensure that, as a minimum, we retain our position within
the relevant league table, and actively pursue top-half season finishes for all. To achieve
this, we need to establish continuity of swimming and the ability to put out teams that
cover the whole range of age groups necessary. This means making sure that we retain
and enthuse our teenagers, and make sure that they want to swim with us in preference
to other activities. We should also make sure that opportunity for competition is
extended to as many members as possible. In addition to being inclusive, this also
ensures that we do not place too much burden on specific individuals to swim too many
races, or to ‘swim up’ where it is not appropriate to do so. In order to achieve this, we
need to attain two additional qualified gala squad managers within this planning period
to support the gala teams in their efforts.
The gala squad managers will make their squad selections public at least two weeks
prior to the start of an event or series of events, using a standard form (to be devised).
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The logistics of gala squad selection will continue to be fine-tuned. Slips will continue to
be placed on the front desk, and all gala squads will be published on the web-site.
It is the responsibility of the swimmer to be aware of the squad selection and
to indicate their availability or otherwise in plenty of time to the squad
manager. There is no excuse for claiming ignorance of the selection. We have
all the tools necessary to communicate squad selection and swimmer
availability – use them!!
Open Meets
Open Meets have historically been open to any member (often subject to qualifying
criteria set by the event organiser) and have been managed effectively, but have been
rather low-key affairs, with only a few swimmers taking part. We intend to raise the
profile of Open Meets and make far greater use of them than we currently do. Open
Meets offer us a range of benefits that supplement our own competitions and other
external galas. These are:-
• Gala experience for swimmers. Open Meets are usually run extremely efficiently,
following all necessary ASA guidelines and rules, with fully qualified officials in
attendance, and quite often making use of Automated Officiating Equipment
(electronic timing)
• Taking part in events / distances that may not be available at other meets
• Provide the opportunity to gain and improve personal best times
• Provide the opportunity to swim competitively when other leagues and galas are
not taking place (i.e. fill in the gaps in the gala calendar)
We will focus on encouraging as many swimmers as possible to take part in such open
meets, and will look to submitting a ‘squad’ to open meets as some other clubs do. We
will use them as development meets for our squads.
We will identify a small number of open meets to be designated as ‘club-sponsored’
meets, for which the club will fund our entry and we will have full club representation.
Within this, we will include ‘No Faster Than’ meets to ensure that all swimmers are
included, and not just the senior swimmers.
We will work towards the possibility of promoting our own Open Meet. Prior to this, and
to gain experience in promoting such events, we will organise a meet with one (or
possibly two) other local clubs at a convenient venue.
Open Meets have been a very under-used resource by BASC to date. We will build upon
the contribution of Open Meets to Club life, enhance the perception and profile of them
within the club, and encourage as many swimmers as possible to take part as an enabler
to our vision. We will develop the capacity and opportunity to promote a BASC open
meet.
Recognition
It is important to recognise the efforts of everybody involved within the club, and
swimming achievements are no exception. We already record and publish every
swimmer’s personal best times, and many swimming awards are recognised annually at
the AGM and Awards evening.
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From 2009 onwards, we will introduce a further award. This will be known as the Full
House Award, and will be granted to any swimmer who has achieved platinum speed
times across all distances and strokes (or gold times where no platinum time exists i.e.
25m races).
We will also seek to design a ‘Swimmer of the Night’ award for any swimmer who
particularly excelled at a specific meeting on a specific occasion. The parameters of this
award are still to be discussed and decided.
Swim Schools
Swim Schools can be a very enjoyable and useful extension to normal swimming
routines. BASC has had no experience of attending or running a swim school to date.
Within the next three years, we will aim to attend swim schools to gain experience of
them, and to see how they are run, both in the water, and from an administrative point
of view. We may be able to promote our own swim school if considered appropriate,
although this plan does not commit to this at this stage. We must gain substantial
experience prior to embarking on such an activity. During this period, we will:-
• Organise a club day out to a 50m pool (Norwich or Ealing)
• Organise an ‘Olympic Splash’ for all club members, involving the services of an
external coach as a one-off
• Attempt to gain the use of the 2012 Olympic Pool either before or after the 2012
games to give long-course experience for our members
Our swimmers and swimming activities always come first. The main emphasis of this
plan recognises this and is based on pursuing this aim.
Discipline
Every person who swims or supports swimmers at any location, training session or event
in which we take part is an ambassador for the club, and should always be polite,
courteous and respectful to the venue owner and their property. In most cases, we
uphold these values. In the past, we have clamped down on any lapse in this area and
we will continue to do so. We will move towards a zero-tolerance approach to mis-
behaviour of any kind, and the club officials will be authorised to apply any sanctions
that are appropriate (in accordance with our constitution) in order to uphold our
standards and maintain the good name of the club.
Club Captains
The captains play a vital role within the club. They act as role models for the younger
swimmers, they perform essential duties at internal and external galas, they represent
the swimmers within the BASC committee, and they demonstrate leadership throughout
the club. A description of the exact role of the captains has been published, and those
seeking to be nominated for election to the role will need to assure themselves that they
are prepared to take on the duties, and carry them out effectively and diligently.
This plan assures those who are prepared to take on the role of captain are supported in
their efforts by the committee and the whole club, and that the position of captain is one
for our swimmers to aspire to as an important part of the club structure.
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Welfare
The welfare of club members covers a wide range of topics, all of which contribute to the
safety and enjoyment of our core activities. We have recently raised the profile of
member welfare within the club considerably, and have appointed a dedicated welfare
officer to oversee all aspects of welfare. This plan adds to the club’s commitment to
welfare in the following areas:-
• We will continue to provide training for all active volunteers in the areas of
‘Safeguarding and Protecting Children’ and ‘Disability Awareness’
• Further licensing of teachers and officials and identifying licensed teachers as
those ‘in charge’ of training sessions
• Monitor and review Health & Safety issues, including regular review of venue-
specific Normal Operating Procedures (NOP) and Emergency Action Plans (EAP).
We will ensure that all relevant volunteers are kept aware of NOPs and EAPs as
necessary.
• We will undertake risk assessments for any activity or event that demands it,
including competitions, social events and travel arrangements (coach travel etc.)
• We will reinforce our commitment to child welfare through the continued use of
the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure mechanism, or its successor, for all
adult members of the club who operate in any official capacity.
• We will extend the use of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plans for
club officers to ensure that we always adhere to best practice for our activities.
• We will instigate an induction process for new volunteers to ensure that their
areas of responsibility are clearly defined and supported through the structure of
the club.
Member welfare is encapsulated within our core values, and is fundamental to the
success of the club.
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Administration and Support
The club operates as a result of teaching and coaching, but also through the incredible
administrative efforts of its officials and volunteers. Recognition is due to all of these
dedicated people, without whom the club simply could not function. Over the planning
period, the collective or overall administrative support provided by existing and future
volunteers will need to increase to provide the cover required for us to achieve our aims.
Our thrust for the planning period is divided into five constituent parts:-
• Committee functions
• Achieve and maintain Swim21 Status
• Recruitment of further volunteers
• Creation of Focus Groups
• Officials
Committee functions
The committee will continue to operate, meeting at least termly and not more than every
six-eight weeks to discuss the operations, direction and actions necessary to keep the
club running as smoothly as possible. We will increase the membership of the executive
element of the committee to include the following positions:-
• Chair Already Executive
• Vice Chair
• Secretary Already Executive
• Treasurer Already Executive
• Welfare Officer
• Poolside Manager
In addition to the constitutional duties of the Executive Committee, they will convene to
discuss club activities at times where full committee participation is not deemed
necessary and executive decisions are required. Through adding the two new positions to
the Executive Committee, we are applying our core values by ensuring that all aspects of
club activity are included and all member areas are represented within the primary
decision-making group. The full committee will continue to meet for regular discussion
and policy/procedure issues.
Maintain Swim21 status
Although we anticipate having gained Swim21 accreditation, it will require effort to
ensure that we retain this status. A new position of Swim21 co-ordinator will be created
to oversee and drive our Swim21 status. We expect (and will push for) a new volunteer
to take on this role within the club. Swim21 status will be a banner for the club, and
something that we can rightly be proud of providing. The person who takes on this role
can be assured that they are helping to push the club forward and will receive the full
support of all members in their efforts.
Recruitment of further volunteers
It is every member and supporter’s responsibility to ensure the success of the club, and
this means identifying further volunteers to assist with club activity (in however large or
small capacity they are able to offer). In addition, everybody should also bring the club
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to the attention of others who may wish to join for swimming or ‘back-room’ purposes. It
is fair to say that we welcome all offers of assistance in whatever capacity. One strength
from being a community-based club is that we have such a diverse range of skills
available to us from within the membership (and parents of members). We must look to
draw on those skills, and build a framework where we can harness them for the good of
the club and therefore, the collective good of the members. We will raise the profile of
the volunteer programme already started, and promote the benefits of volunteering,
both from a personal and club point of view. We will achieve this through the onward
development of our volunteer induction and training programme which we started as
part of our Swim21 initiative.
Workforce Development Co-ordinator
With the forward looking approach now prevalent within the club, there is an urgent
need for the role of Development Co-ordinator to be filled. This role involves co-
ordinating the recruitment, development and organisation of volunteers within the club.
The occupant’s role largely comprises:
• Act as contact point for all volunteers and requests for volunteer support
• Co-ordinate the implementation of the volunteer’s requirements, training and
development
• Liaise closely with the Welfare Officer to ensure that each volunteer is aware of the
Child Protection Policy and Procedures
• Liaise with Chairman, Poolside Manager and Competition Secretary as to their
requirements for volunteer development and training.
• Liaise closely with the Membership Secretary to maintain club and individual
training records for all volunteers.
• Maintain individual training and development plans for all volunteers
• Liaise with the Chairman and Poolside Manager to record reviews for all volunteers.
• Awareness of the Sport England – Volunteers Investment Programme (VIP)
• Ensure volunteers are directed to the ASA website for useful information on
volunteering
• Get to know all club volunteers and potential volunteers by name
• Organise recruitment events for volunteers
Creation of focus groups
There are many activities within the club, and many different levels of swimming ability,
competition level, training levels etc. With the best will in the world, concerns, opinions
and ideas can sometimes get overlooked, or not be given due consideration.
We will promote the creation of focus groups within the club to address areas of special
interest to members (some or all). Any member may initiate the creation of a focus
group, and may involve other club members or external parties as necessary. In order
for this to operate successfully, the following procedure will be applied...
• Member recommends to general committee the creation of a focus group,
stating:-
o The goal of the group
o The deliverable from the group (e.g. report to committee, acquisition of
new equipment, etc.)
o The duration of the focus group (start and end dates or criteria for the
group)
Page 14
o Proposed members of the focus group
• The committee will support any reasonable request for the creation of a focus
group, except where it contravenes legal or constitutional directives, or is
contrary to the mission, vision or core values of the club
• The focus group will convene as necessary
• A report on all such groups, and the outcome of meetings will be reported each
year at the AGM (unless sensitive information is not to be divulged)
Officials
BASC is very fortunate to have a core group of officials (timekeepers, recorders, judges,
starters, referees). It is both necessary and desirable to have the services of these
people as we are always expected to provide our contribution to the group of officials
used at any gala or competition we attend. At our own internal events, it clearly benefits
the swimmers to have experienced officials on hand to ensure that we are always
applying standard ASA/FINA rules. In this way, there are no surprises when it comes to
competition, and we are not caught out by rules and regulations that we could have
been unaware of. Until now, the club has been able to provide enough officials cover for
our internal and external events, and it was particularly pleasing to see the latest group
of timekeepers obtain their qualifications in June 2008. We are well set with timekeepers
to see us through the current planning period. That said, we always welcome those who
would like to undertake this hugely enjoyable duty in the future. We now need to focus
on the qualification of further judges and referees to ensure that we have coverage in
depth over all areas of officials’ positions. This plan sets out to ensure that, within three
years, we have at least five fully qualified judges (including two qualified starters), and
one fully qualified referee, all of whom will be available to officiate at both internal club
events and external galas on a regular basis. The vision and mission statements talk of
competitive swimming and athlete development. We can only compete (and therefore
develop) if we have the necessary complement of qualified officials, able to adjudicate
according to current rules, in order to give our swimmers the most realistic and fair
environment in which to perform.
To our immense credit, we already receive complimentary comments at other galas that
we (a small community club) are able to provide a full set of swimming officials for
events in which we take part. There are many other clubs that struggle to provide such
resources, hence our reputation is enhanced each time we take part in competition.
All aspects of club life contribute to our success, even those which seem ‘ordinary’, and it
proves that the family of every member can play their part, in whatever capacity they
are able.
Page 15
Club Funding
The club should be funded on a fair and equitable basis. Funding is necessary to continue
and improve operations and facilities, and maintaining a reserve is essential to protect
ourselves against unexpected costs.
All our costs are increasing:-
• Pool hire costs
• Transport to venues
• ASA membership fees
• Insurance costs
• Equipment costs
• Teacher training costs
• IoS registration and licencing (necessary for Swim21)
• Officials’ courses and qualifications
• Awards, medals, pendants and trophies
These are offset by:-
• Membership fees and swim fees
• Discounts and funding attainable by being Swim21 accredited
• Fund-raising through raffles and social events
We have a mechanism for applying a modest increase in membership and swim fees
each year. This involves voting for an increase at each AGM, then applying the change
in the following year. To date, this process has served to keep our cost/income ratio
level. We have satisfactory reserves and are able to meet our liabilities in the short
term. Our plans involve further pool time, more teachers and officials, beyond the
natural expansion we have experienced so far. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that
the funding model will require review during this three-year period to ensure that our
future funding arrangements will meet the demands of the club. Realistically, we can
only propose and accept funding changes once per year (at the AGM). So any changes
have to be thought through carefully, and proposed in adequate time for
acceptance/adoption and certainly in advance of any perceived need to increase or
change the way our fees are structured.
This plan includes the formation of a funding focus group, to assess the whole area of
club funding, and will propose, in time for the 2010 Annual General Meeting, any
changes to the funding of the club deemed necessary to support us for the remainder of
this planning period, and importantly, into the next planning period. The working party
will focus on:-
• Funding requirements (what we need / will need to provide funding for)
• Expected growth or stabilisation of member numbers (hence size of main funding
source)
• Prediction of expected income (based on various scenarios)
• Equity within fee structure (those who swim more, pay more)
We must ensure that we continue to represent value for money to our members. At the
same time it is not in our interest to be seen as a ‘cheap swimming lessons’ option. Our
funding structure must be representative of who we are and the facilities that we
Page 16
provide. We are not in competition with leisure centres and swimming schools, thus our
funding does not have to be aligned with these organisations, and we should always look
to raise sufficient funds to ensure our future success, cover our expenses and retain an
acceptable reserve. We are not a profit-making organisation, and must continue to
operate our finances responsibly. The primary responsibility for securing the club’s
funding continues to rest with the treasurer, but it is all members’ responsibility to
ensure that agreed and expected funds are paid on time in the correct fashion. In the
previous planning period, we changed from paying subscriptions and swim fees at the
start of each term to paying at the end of the preceding term. This has worked very well
and has yielded two main benefits; we are sure of our income for the term in advance of
incurring costs, and we are aware of members not returning so are able to fill the spaces
from the waiting list. This timing of payment will continue. While we will continue to
assess inability to pay on an individual basis, those members found to be abusing the
payment system may find their places forfeited in favour of new members from the
waiting list.
Page 17
Communication
It has become obvious that effective communication is vital to the success of the club.
The important word to note is effective. Simply passing information one-way will achieve
little, and will lead to mis-understanding, confusion and most likely, missed opportunity.
We already have all the tools necessary for effective communication. These are:-
• Personal conversation
• Press officer
• Newsletter
• Direct email to all/partial membership on specific topics
• Web-site
• Surveys (online or paper-based)
• Club desk on Sundays
• Notice boards at BGLC
• PA announcements at BGLC
• Telephone
• Word of mouth (within other organisations, or at galas etc.)
It is always difficult to gauge how effective our communication is. Often, we only find
this out when there has been a break-down of communication resulting in a problem or
missed opportunity. As a result, communication requires constant monitoring to ensure
its effectiveness. The club is an amateur organisation, with all involved having many
calls on their valuable time. For this reason, the club must lay down rules as to how it
intends to communicate with its members and others. The intention is to be fair and
open about the workings of the club. It is therefore fair to expect that these rules will be
adhered to by members and used to their best effect. There are two basic reasons for
communication within the club:-
(1) Swimming-related communications, where technical detail about stroke, technique,
tactics and other ‘wet’ activities take place. Typically, these are streamed between
teacher/coach and swimmer/squad and form part of the coaching ethos of the club.
Often they are verbal one-to-one communications. We must extend this so that
teachers/coaches are available to talk with swimmers and their parents to discuss any
aspect of wet-side business. e.g. Why swimmers have / have not moved class or been
selected for galas. Open and honest communication is paramount. It is in the interest of
the swimmer and the club for all parties concerned to understand exactly why decisions
are taken.
Teaching staff will make themselves available before/after their Sunday teaching
sessions on a regular basis (one week-end per month) to discuss any aspects of pool-
side activity with swimmers and parents in a constructive manner.
(2) Administrative communications, where all other club business takes place. Much of
this is purely background procedural communication. However, there are areas where
officers of the club take decisions on behalf of the members and such decisions will be
published through the minutes of the meetings hosted on the club website.
To ensure that fairness and transparency are maintained, committee members and other
officials will make themselves available during the Sunday sessions once per month to
respond to questions arising about the administration of the club.
Page 18
Any club official will continue to be identified by their yellow club polo shirt while they
are ‘on duty’.
In addition to one-to-one contact, the club will maintain the club mobile phone for
messages (and it will continue to be administered by the Membership Secretary). Email
communication has been the de-facto standard to date as it offers a non-intrusive, yet
effective mechanism for information passing. Its success has been partial, as we cannot
always rely on holding up to date email addresses, and people do not always read their
emails. Nonetheless, as we are all busy people, and simply do not have the time for
other means (such as telephoning), the plan sets out a rule stating that email will be the
main form of information passing, in conjunction with general information hosted on our
award-winning web-site. We also have a trial SMS (text message) service for short
urgent messages, such as session cancellations. We will roll out this as a full service
during the planning period.
Part of raising the profile of the club is to communicate that we are a well-run, dedicated
club with a will to succeed. Our attitude and presentation adds to this perception, and we
should look to improve further our efforts in this area. We already have an active kit
section, so that we look smart and ‘uniformed’ at events, both in terms of swimwear and
tracksuits, polo shirts etc. We should continue to look for opportunities to enhance this
further. We will acquire car stickers (to be stuck inside the car glass, facing outward)
displaying our badge/logo and website and phone number. These will be distributed free
to all members (two per family) and will serve to identify member’s vehicles at venues
used.
The plan recognises that we now have a very attractive Bushey ASC “Brand”. As such we
must seek to nurture the brand and ensure that its values are upheld and enhanced at
all opportunities. Bushey ASC is a popular club, and benefits from excellent teaching,
facilities and support. We must maintain this image if we want to continue our success.
Through effective internal and external communication, we will achieve this.
Page 19
Social Activities
The principle on which the club undertakes its extra-curricular social activities is that of
‘down-time’ and enjoyment for its members and their families. That said, the social
element of activities must at all times be supportive of the club and must not impose any
undue strain on its resources, be they financial or human resources.
Social events will be included within the club calendar on approval from the main
committee (organised and arranged by the Social Secretary / Committee) and subject to
a financial projection that the event will at least break even. We recognise that there are
a number of crown jewels in the social calendar that should always be run, and these are
expected to be supported by the membership. They are our main fund-raising events of
the year, outside the membership and swim fees mechanism. These events are:-
• Annual Quiz Night (Autumn term)
• Club Barbeque (Summer Term)
• Club Dinner/Dance, or Gala Evening (Spring Term)
In addition there will continue to be the AGM and Awards Evening. Social events are
inclusive for all club members (except where not permitted or appropriate, such as at
licensed venues) and restrictions are not normally placed on those who may attend. The
purpose of social activities is to further engender a sense of community and team spirit
amongst the members. The social side of the club is not an end in itself. We are a
swimming club, not a youth club. However, we recognise the need and desire for social
interaction between members outside the boundaries of the swimming pool. Our regular
events are already well attended and popular, but we must continually strive to make
them better, more inclusive, and in line with the needs and wants of the members. We
should make more use of our web-site in this respect and encourage all members to use
the forums to provide:-
• Feedback on previous events
• Suggestions for future events
• Offers of help for events
• Ideas from other (non-BASC) events that they have attended that might be
suitable for us
• Any other comments regarding planned or previous events
Any gathering of BASC members can have a social element to it, be that an informal
chat at pool-side, a raffle at a club competition or a get-together in the foyer of the pool.
In some cases, members may feel that this is their best opportunity to talk about their
experiences with the club, and to share their thoughts and views with others. The
committee should be seen very much as part of the club rather than being an aloof
organisation that is out of touch with the membership.
Often it can be seen that fund-raising events simply exist to swell the general coffers of
the club finances. As such, it can be difficult to motivate inclusion and purpose. Social
events could be seen to have a lack of direction. This plan proposes that over the three
year period, social events have the specific goal of filling the funding shortfall for
providing bus transport to swimming venues. We charge for bus transport, but this does
not cover the cost, and currently the club makes up the difference. Within three years,
funds raised from the social activities will cover this difference. This will give direction for
social events, and will go some way to alleviate the need for further increases in
Page 20
transport costs during the plan period. Through the swimming policy, we will be
encouraging as many members as possible to attend galas (at whatever level), so this is
an aim that has the potential to affect most members of the club.
Bushey ASC owes its success to many factors, one of which is the effort of its members
in previous years. As children grow up, people move on, but we must continue to
recognise their efforts and include them within the Bushey ‘family’. The social calendar is
an excellent vehicle for this. We will retain links with past members, and will continue to
keep them abreast of club activities via regular distribution of the club newsletter. Of
course, all previous members will be invited to any of our social events, and we welcome
them whenever they are able to attend. The club has a strong tradition of support and
co-operative efforts. It is right that we maintain this tradition to keep ourselves
reminded of why we are involved.
Plan Summary
The Plan How When Who
We need a revised vision statement, accurately
describing why we are all here
Consensus of draft to be agreed
with committee, and put forward
as part of the plan at AGM
Agree with cmtee in Sept
08, and formalise at AGM in
Jan 09
Committee
Ratification of the plan details Proposed plan to be agreed by
committee, and submitted as
motion at AGM
AGM Jan 09 AGM
Accept the BASC Vision statement Propose to AGM AGM Jan 09 AGM
Swimming How When Who
Creation of regular land training sessions To be arranged and run by
teaching staff
March 2009 onwards Poolside
Manager
Increase teaching staff from 14 to 18, including 2.5
coaches, in preparation for progression to the Skill
Level accreditation of Swim21.
Enrolment of new teachers from
our volunteer base, and
development of existing teachers,
including:-
“Right” teacher for the right
position
Plan for progress
To provide a depth of teaching
By 2012 Workforce
Development
Coordinator
Swimmer Log Books to be introduced Each swimmer issued with
personal log book
January 2009 Poolside
Manager
Recruit an assistant to the badge secretary Volunteer from the wet-side staff March 2009 Committee
All swimmers able to dive in external competition Ensure adequate Competitive Start
Award training and target all
potential gala swimmers
Courses to be run twice per year
By 2012 Diving Course
Instructor
Consolidate our league positions and continue with
all current leagues and tournaments
Inclusive and fair gala squad
selection process.
Gala squad planning meetings
Sharing of information between
squad managers / teachers
From January 2009 Gala Squad
Managers
Two new gala squad managers to qualify and run Identify volunteers, and provide From January 2009 Committee
squads support through the ASA Gala
Squad management courses
New Gala Squad Master Selection Form to be devised
and deployed
New format to be agreed and used
for all external gala events, with
no exceptions
From January 2009
Organise a club day out to a 50m pool (Norwich or
Ealing)
Organise an ‘Olympic Splash’ for all club members,
involving the services of an external coach as a one-
off
Attempt to gain the use of the 2012 Olympic Pool
either before or after the 2012 games to give long-
course experience for our members
Appoint event co-ordinators for
each event
Plan during 2009
Action during 2010/11
TBA
Raise profile of Open Meets Making Waves article on Open
Meets
January 2009 Open Meet Co-
ordinator
Encourage squad attendance of Open Meets Place OMs into BASC calendar as a
standard fixture
January 2009 Open Meet Co-
ordinator
Nominate Club-sponsored Open Meet(s) Decide on suitable date/location
and treat as a club gala
January 2009 Open Meet Co-
ordinator
Introduce Full House Award Design and define the award To be issued to any
swimmer achieving the
standard at the next
awards evening
Badge
Secretary
Introduce Swimmer of the Night award Design and define the award Present award shortly after
an individual has achieved
it (waiting for next Awards
evening will lessen its
impact)
Badge Co-
ordinator
Welfare How When Who
Provide training on
Safeguarding and Protecting Children
Disability Awareness
ASA-sponsored courses
Regular intervals
Training
Co-ordinator
Licensed teacher designated as ‘in charge’ of Session leader assigned to each Ongoing, as part of Poolside
sessions session teaching plan manager
Monitor H&S issues including review of NOP and EAP Periodic review by H&S co-
ordinator
Ongoing H&S co-
ordinator
Risk Assessments Completed Risk Assessment pro-
forma on demand
Event dependent H&S co-
ordinator
Continued use of CRB system Via Welfare Officer On commencement of
duties and subsequent
renewal dates
Welfare Officer
Extend use of CPD plans Ongoing review of plans and
attendance of CPD ‘points’
events/seminars
Ongoing Development
Co-ordinator
Introduce induction process for new volunteers On take-up of new position by
volunteers
As necessary Lead volunteer
in affected
area (e.g. lead
official, lead
teacher etc.)
Club Funding How When Who
Form a working party to assess finances and
requirements, and to report to the club at AGM
Working party of volunteers to
provide preliminary findings to
committee
September 2009 Treasurer
Final report to be presented to
AGM for acceptance
AGM Jan 2010 Treasurer
Administration and Support How When Who
Extend Executive Committee to include Welfare
Officer and Poolside Manager
Resolution at AGM AGM January 2009 Exec.
Committee
Appoint a Swim21 co-ordinator Identify volunteer Immediately Chair
Raise the profile of our volunteering programme Appoint a Workforce Development
Co-ordinator
Dedicated and re-vamped
volunteering web page, in a
Starting from Jan 09 Chair
prominent position
Permanent notice on the BASC
notice board
Article in Making Waves newsletter
Enhanced volunteer induction and
training programme
Focus groups to be promoted and encouraged Announcement at AGM and reports
via Waking Waves
AGM January 2009 Committee
Club to gain regular services of:
5 judges
2 starters
1 referee
Attracting people to become
British Swimming officials
By 2011 Officials Co-
ordinator
Social How When Who
Support and bolster social secretary and social
committee
Generate member interest in
assisting to make their club a
more welcoming, friendly club by
offering to help for one or more
social events per year
Immediately, and ongoing
throughout the plan period.
Social
Secretary
Make use of the website forums for social interaction
and feedback/suggestions
Publicise the forums, give
guidance on how they can be
accessed/used (they may not be
used at present due to ignorance?)
Instigate a drive to raise
awareness of the forums at
AGM 2009, and follow-up
during the months that
follow.
Webmaster
Social activities will fund the shortfall in bus
transport costs to swimming venues
Social events to be costed,
approved and organised with a
focus on establishing necessary
returns.
Social Secretary will be tasked
with providing cost/benefit for
each social event, and monitoring
performance against plan.
Social events to be
itemised in the club
accounts for comparison
against transport costs
Social
Secretary
Communication How When Who
Teaching staff will make themselves available
before/after their Sunday teaching sessions on a
regular basis (one week-end per month) to discuss
any aspects of wet-side activity with swimmers and
parents in a constructive manner.
Once per month at poolside on
Sunday sessions (not necessarily
the same Sunday for all teachers)
To be implemented when
the plan is ratified.
Teachers
Committee members and other officials will make
themselves available during the Sunday sessions
once per month to respond to questions arising
about the administration of the club.
Once per month at poolside on
Sunday sessions (not necessarily
the same Sunday for all officials)
To be implemented when
the plan is ratified.
Committee
The standard forms of information passing are to be
ratified as email and web-site.
All opportunities to raise the
profile and awareness of email /
web-site communications will be
taken
To be ratified at AGM Jan
09
Car stickers to be provided Distributed to families shortly after
membership renewal
Design and order by Dec
2008. Distribute in January
2009
Press
Secretary
Full implementation of the SMS service for urgent
notifications
Completion of the SMS processes
and procedures
From January 2009
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