Club volunteering and paid coach policy

The foundation of our amazing club is the sheer volume of volunteering we get from our members. Be it a committee role, a sub-committee role, club captains, coaches, sessions leaders, session helpers, social media help, report writing, event directors, event management, event support, first aiders, race planning, club socials, kit managers, trip organisers and many more. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to every single one of you!!

As a non-profit club and a club based on supporting each other, all of the volunteering is done with no financial reward, so again another big thank you for your time and generosity!

The only exception to the above rule is if the club committee deems it necessary to bring in a full time coach, who does not take part in the sessions that they are coaching and to make sure that the members get the support and development they require. This is currently predominantly in swimming sessions due to the nature of the coach needing to be out of the water, dictating what the session entails and continually feeding back to swimmers on how they are doing.

Other paid coaching may well be supported should the need arise but wherever possible we try and support the coaching and session leaders with our own club volunteers. We also support the development of our members and where possible financially support any qualifications they take. Please see the coaching qualification financial support policy.

Swim session leaders and coaches:

For swimming paid coaching in particular we would love to see our own members gain qualifications and support the sessions but we realise that to date we have not had the coaching experience to deliver this. We also understand that with swimming the session coach will not get to do the actual session.

If a member is presenting a session plan for the swimmers to follow and they are also taking part in the session, then this is just like any other Chasers session and we would expect that to be done on a completely voluntary basis.

If we appoint a fully qualified and experienced coach (England Assistant swimming Coach, ASA Level 1 and 2 in Coaching swimming or equivalent Swim England / ASA qualification AND having coached regular swimming sessions for at least 6 months) that commits to only coaching the session i.e. not taking part in it and to provide ongoing sessions, then we will consider paying that coach a fee of £40.

If we appoint a fully qualified coach but with a lower level qualification or less experience, and they commit to only coaching the session, then we will consider paying that coach a fee of £20. However if the club are paying for the qualifications then the coach will only be paid once the higher level of qualification and experience has been completed.

These fees are subject to review and change depending on individual agreements with the committee.