Today saw athletes on the Northumberland and Durham Performance Programme returning to the water at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre.

At the start of 2020 the pool had planned to close for repairs to the roof and therefore the programme would have to take a break from its activities, however due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has only just opened again.

55 swimmers from across clubs from within Northumberland and Durham were invited to be part of the programme for the 2020 – 2021 season which enables them to access long course training at the pool up to 3 times a week, an increase in the pool time that was available to the athletes prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking about the first session, Chris Leighton Borough of Stockton Swim Team’s Head Coach and one of the lead coaches for the programme said ‘It’s great to be back. It’s important for all our athletes to be back training long course again with Olympic trials less than 18 weeks away. We’d like to thank Sunderland aquatic centre for working so closely with us throughout this pandemic to allow us to be back at the earliest possible opportunity’.

Lead Coach and Derwentside Swimming Club’s Head Coach Paul Woodley added ‘It is great to have the Performance Programme back up and running after a long time off due to the building being closed for a refurbishment. I think this is the good news all coaches and swimmers in the county needed after a challenging 2020!

This programme has been a huge part of the counties success over the past few years! It is vital that our top swimmers can train long course with the best coaches in the county and with other top swimmers! Big thanks to the Northumberland and Durham Swimming Association for continuing to fund the programme and give our swimmers the best chance for national and international success!’

When speaking about the programme, Steve Dougal, General Manager for Everyone Active at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre said ‘We are pleased to announce that the pools at Sunderland Aquatic Centre have fully reopened. We are thrilled to welcome back the swimmers, coaches and officials from the Northumberland and Durham Performance Programme and look forward to assisting the swimmers’ development for years to come’.

As the majority of the aquatics clubs within Northumberland and Durham are within a tier 3 area, only under 18’s have been allowed to start back into the programme this weekend, however it’s hoped that the over 18’s will be able to start training with the programme again soon.

As with the programme in previous years, coaches from all clubs within the county are encouraged to attend to gain experience and work with other coaches within the area. Due to the current restrictions at the pool, there are a limited number of people allowed on poolside therefore please can you contact NDSWIMPP@gmail.com if you would like to attend a session. The selection criteria for this season can be found here: NDSA Development Programme Performance Sessions selection criteria 2019-20 and if you have any questions about the selection criteria or selections, please contact NDSWIMPP@gmail.com.