Every training session, every licensed meet and every competition weekend relies on volunteers who organise, officiate, coach and coordinate. Most are parents. Some are Masters swimmers. Others once swam here themselves. They step forward because they care about how the club is delivered and how it represents itself. Their involvement allows squads across Skills Academy, Competitive, County, Performance, Fitness, Junior Masters, Masters, Water Polo and inclusive swimming.

One of the most common questions parents ask at a swimming club is simple. Why hasn’t my swimmer moved squad yet? Sometimes a swimmer appears to be doing well in training and performing strongly at competitions, yet coaches still decide that it is not quite the right moment for the next step. This can feel confusing from the outside, but progression in swimming is rarely based on speed alone. Coaches are constantly assessing readiness — a combination of technical skill

Goal setting becomes increasingly important as swimmers move into the Age Group Performance stage. Training volume increases, competition standards rise, and swimmers begin to experience the pressure of expectations — both internal and external. At this stage, goals are no longer just about what swimmers want to achieve, but how they approach their training, racing, and daily habits. This guide explains how Outcome, Performance, and Process Goals work together

"Swimmers’ Journals capture the moments, memories, and turning points that shape a Bluefins swimmer — from races and PBs to confidence, setbacks, comebacks, friendships, and insights away from the pool." I joined Bluefins over the summer break, not really knowing what to expect from a new club where I didn’t know anyone. I was small, skinny, and hardly looked like a swimmer. My parents only put me in lessons because they couldn’t swim themselves.

Every Autumn, as the race calendar builds and we head towards Christmas, one question comes up again and again from parents: “How does County Qualification actually work?”