VOLUNTEERS

Competitive swimming is not possible without the support of volunteers who are, generally, either parents/family members of swimmers, ex-swimmers or family of ex-swimmers. From local club level through county, regional, national and international levels, volunteers are heavily relied upon.

As a member of Brompton Swimming Club, we ask that you commit some of your time to help with the running of the club.

Read on to explore some of the ways in which you can get involved.

General assistance

Sell tickets, programs and kit at the door on gala days. Work the medals table, poolside. Pick up pizza for a club meeting. Volunteers for these and myriad other tasks are always welcomed. The more signed up to help, the better!

Swimming official

All licensed galas need qualified officials to meet the licensing requirements and there are various levels of officials’ courses available to prepare anyone to fulfill these roles. Qualified officials are always in high demand.

Why become a swimming official?

There are many perks that come with being a swimming official:

• Most importantly, you are part of a volunteer community that ensures our swimmers are able to race, and that their times will count.
• You are helping your club meet its requirement to provide officials for meets.
• You get to support your swimmers from poolside in a non-intrusive way.
• Free lunch and refreshments.
• No spectator entry fees.
• Some meets provide gifts or gift vouchers.
• Some meets pay expenses.

What happens if a meet does not have enough officials?

When there are not enough officials or officials with the required qualifications, meets can:

• Be cancelled (usually at the last minute with no time to find an alternative meet).
• Run with fewer lanes (so the session runs longer or some swimmers get scratched).
• Have their licence level downgraded (if a meet gets downgraded from (isn't it from 3 to 4?) 4 to 3 the times achieved cannot be used to qualify for Regionals).

What are the different types of swimming officials and how can you qualify?

Timekeeper

By becoming a timekeeper, you will get a glimpse into the vital world of officiating. The online course covers what being a timekeeper is all about through an interactive e-learning which will take you between 30 to 60 minutes to complete, followed by a practical timekeeping session. This can be completed at an event. You are allowed to officiate at Level 4 and unlicensed meets. Once you have completed the timekeeping course, please send an email to [email protected] indicating when you could be able to attend a meet to be practically assessed.

Judge 1

Judge 1 (J1) is the next level of qualification. You can start with the J1 course or take the J1 course for qualified timekeepers. J1 courses are available online and take 4-6 hours to complete. You can save your progress and finish the course over several days. Once you have completed the J1 course, please upload your course certificate here. This will prompt Swim England to send you your J1 logbook.

J1 candidates are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours of mentored sessions. A licensed referee needs to be present to sign off any of the competencies. You will also need to complete the online Swim England Contemporary Issues course prior to qualifying as a J1.

[Click here for additional guidance (coming soon)]

Judge 2 / Judge 2s

Judge 2 (J2) and Judge 2s (J2S) courses can be started once 20 hours of poolside experience is completed as a fully-qualified J1. The J2, J2S courses are held, in person, at various times throughout the year. Please contact [email protected] when you are ready to start your J2 or J2S course.

So where do you start if you want to become an official?

Please contact [email protected] and you will be guided through signing up as a volunteer member of Brompton SC and registering with Swim England. Discuss with the officials co-ordinator which course is best for you and sign up for the relevant course. Course fees range from approximately £5 to £20.

Club leadership

Brompton Swimming Club is run by a group of volunteers drawn almost exclusively from parents of club swimmers. Thier roles and responsibilities range from Chair to IT manager and everything in between. Opportunities to serve in leadership positions usually appear on an annual basis, however, a need can arise at any time.

Here are the currently vacant club leadership positions:

Team manager

This is a volunteer position to help the coaches when the swimmers travel to meets together as a team. This can be domestic or international and requires that you have completed both Team Manager 1 and Team Manager 2 course.

Courses are run by Swim England London who can be contacted at [email protected] for upcoming course dates.

Team travel co-ordinator

When the swimmers travel to meets as a team, the transport and hotels need to be pre-booked along with meal arrangements, travel insurance and international permits to travel.

Some of the most important ways you can help

Ensure your Account balance is paid promptly and in full by the 10th of every month, while being certain you are using the correct payment reference with your payment. Using the correct payment reference is a huge help to our accounts volunteers. Should you have any questions with regard to fees or payments, please refer to the fees and payments guidance on the club Membership page or following that, email [email protected].

Take note of upcoming competitions and accept or decline invitations to attend and check back to see the accepted entries.

Regularly check email communications from Brompton Swimming Club. They may not all be relevant to you, but most emails are targeted to the correct squad groups. If you feel you are having difficulty receiving club communications to your Account email, please see the Communications section on the Membership page.

Questions?

[email protected]