Swim England Club Affiliation Process — What North East Clubs Need to Know
Swim England has a formal Club Affiliation process to ensure all affiliated clubs meet minimum standards of governance, safety and effective practice. This process applies to both new clubs seeking affiliation and existing affiliated clubs at renewal.
Why Club Affiliation Matters
The Club Affiliation process helps ensure that clubs across England are well run, meet governance requirements and have appropriate safeguarding and qualified personnel in place. It supports:
- Stronger governance and leadership within clubs
- Enhanced experiences for members and volunteers
- Consistent safety and safeguarding practice
- Long-term sustainability of community swimming clubs
- Alignment with Sport England’s expectations for community sport organisations
What Clubs Need to Provide
To complete the affiliation requirement, clubs must annually submit the following evidence:
- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: A Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and evidence that club personnel have completed at least two CPD activities.
- Club Constitution: An up-to-date constitution based on the 2022 Swim England Model Constitution (checked and approved by your region).
- Welfare Officer Compliance: A signed statement confirming the club is operating in accordance with Wavepower safeguarding guidelines.
- Club Chair Compliance: A signed statement confirming adherence to the Swim England Code of Ethics and defined role responsibilities within the club.
- Risk Assessments: Relevant risk assessments for your club’s range of activities.
- Club Personnel Report: A report from the Online Membership System (OMS) listing all club personnel (governance, officials, support, coaches/teachers) with evidence of required DBS checks, safeguarding and vocational qualifications.
SwimMark accreditation has been paused for future submissions as Swim England develops a new club development framework. Clubs can no longer submit new SwimMark applications, and instead should complete the Club Affiliation process to meet Swim England’s minimum standard for safe and effective practice and remain affiliated. Clubs that already held SwimMark accreditation at the time of the pause (from 1 November 2024) continue to retain their status and benefits for now, but must still complete Club Affiliation annually.
Support and Next Steps
Swim England and regional officers offer support throughout the affiliation process. Free information sessions and detailed download packs are available to guide clubs step by step. If your club has questions or needs assistance, contact your Swim England regional officer or email the Swim England Clubs team.
For full details on the Club Affiliation process, visit the Swim England page here: https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/club-affiliation-process/