Stuart Donald
Head Coach
From swimming competitively with Beckenham, Addington and Croydon
Amphibians swimming clubs, Stuart has always had a passion for
swimming.
Having taught many children to swim in his spare time, he undertook
his ASA Teachers and Coaches Level 1 qualification in 2006, quickly
followed by his Level 2 in 2007 when he joined Sutton Atlantis SC
working with various squads as a part-time coach. Having been made
redundant from his job in the printing industry in 2009, he decided
to teach and coach swimming full time, working for both Greater
London Leisure, David Lloyd health clubs and various schools.
Simultaneously, he devoted time to study for his ASA Teachers and
Coaches Level 3 qualification, achieving this in 2010. He went on
to become Joint Head Coach of Sutton Atlantis SC, guiding the club
to many county and regional successes with minimal resources.
In March 2014, Stuart joined Guildford City as a coach, gaining
valuable experience at a high level. In July 2014, he took the role
of full-time Head Coach at Elmbridge Phoenix as part of the
‘Pathway’ between the 2 clubs whilst continuing to work
part-time for Guildford City SC with High Performance and
Competitive Development squads. This successful arrangement was
officially ended in July 2017, when Stuart was asked by the
Committee at Elmbridge Phoenix Swimming Club to take on the role as
Head Coach full-time.
As Head Coach, Stuart has guided EPSC through a very successful
Arena League campaign winning every round, and oversaw an
unprecedented increase in swimmers qualifying for, and achieving,
county, regional and national honours.
With an ever-growing membership of swimmers wanting success at the
highest level, Stuart has put together a fine group of committed
coaches who share his vision in achieving this.