Big Age Group performances, home-grown squads: South East swimming is on the rise 🏊

May 2025 The 2025 South East Championships delivered fast swims, big finals, and a level of competition that shows just how strong the region has become.

Our focus here is on the Age Group swimmers 14 and under — the backbone of every small club. In towns without university catchments, success depends on home-grown talent. These squads guide swimmers through their early journey, often keeping them until sixth form before they move into the wider world. That’s where the real story lies: how local clubs, built on strong community roots, are consistently making an impact against the giants.

Of course, the headlines often go to the heavyweights — Guildford City, Wycombe District, and Tigers of Jersey. With large memberships, big facilities, and deep talent pools, their dominance is no surprise. But this season showed something just as important: the rise of smaller and mid-sized clubs proving that resources aren’t the only measure of success.

What stood out most was how these clubs hold their own. It isn’t just about membership numbers, pool hours, or facilities — it’s about how much clubs invest in their swimmers, nurture home-grown talent, and build cultures where every athlete matters. Success comes from detail: targeted feedback, individual attention, and coaches who know their swimmers well enough to bring out the best in them.

📊 2025 South East Age-Group Top 10 Clubs

Rank	Club	Points
1	Guildford City	396
2	Wycombe District	274
3	Tigers (Jersey)	248
4	Maidstone	176
5	Basingstoke Bluefins	165
6	Portsmouth Northsea	161
7	Sevenoaks	152
8	Woking	118
9	Medway Maritime	116
10	RTW Monson	113

(Source: Swim England South East Long Course Championships, 2025)

🌟 Club Snapshots

Guildford City (Surrey) – 1st, 396 pts Based at Surrey Sports Park with a 50m facility and a huge membership, Guildford continue packing the numbers and setting the standard.

Wycombe District (Buckinghamshire) – 2nd, 274 pts Training at the 50m Wycombe Leisure Centre and operating as a Swim England Performance Centre, Wycombe consistently turn squad depth into medals.

Tigers (Jersey) – 3rd, 248 pts Training only in 25m pools, Tigers show how culture and technical focus can overcome the absence of a 50m facility.

Maidstone (Kent) – 4th, 176 pts With roots stretching back to the 19th century, Maidstone blend tradition with steady pathways to deliver consistent results.

Basingstoke Bluefins (Hampshire) – 5th, 165 pts Tight squads, a full range of pathways, and coaches known for their technical focus and targeted feedback helped Bluefins secure a top-five finish.

…and the list goes on, with Portsmouth Northsea, Sevenoaks, Woking, Medway Maritime and RTW Monson rounding out a fiercely contested Top 10.

⚖️ Why Smaller Clubs Thrive

What makes mid-sized and home-grown clubs so effective?

• Individual attention — smaller squads mean swimmers are seen as individuals, with coaching shaped to their needs. Coaches can spot technical errors early, give targeted feedback more often, and celebrate progress that might be overlooked in bigger programmes.

  
  

• Adaptability — limited pool time pushes coaches to innovate and make every session count. From creative land work to skill-focused circuits, smaller clubs become experts at doing more with less.

  
  

• Consistency and detail — technical focus with targeted feedback, repeated day after day, delivers results. Habits built in training carry into racing — underwater phases, turns, and starts sharpened in practice become the difference-makers in finals.

  
  

• Tight-knit culture — close squads build strong bonds where every swimmer feels valued. Younger athletes learn from role models just a lane away, and parents form a support system that strengthens the whole pathway.

  
  

• Underdog spirit — competing with giants sharpens ambition and drive. There’s a hunger in smaller clubs to prove themselves against the best, and that energy often carries swimmers to exceed expectations.

  
  

Together, these strengths show that clubs without big resources can still deliver big results — proving that precision, culture, and consistency often make the difference between good and great.

🔦 Spotlight on Bluefins 🐬

This season, Basingstoke Bluefins secured 5th overall — edging ahead of their Hampshire neighbours Portsmouth Northsea.

What stood out wasn’t just the points total, but how they achieved it:

• With only one 50m session each week at Aldershot Garrison, every long-course swim is made to count, with the bulk of progress forged in short-course training.
  

• Coaching built differently — a team known for passion, targeted feedback and precision, treating swimmers as individuals rather than numbers.
  

• Technique-first culture — starts, turns, and stroke skills drilled every session.
  

• Joined-up coaching — consistent language and shared knowledge across squads keeping every swimmer’s journey connected.
  

• Whole-club pathway — from Skills Academy to Performance, a clear structure that motivates swimmers and sustains progress.

Together, these elements explain why Bluefins continue to punch above their weight in arguably the toughest region.

🔮 Looking Ahead

The 2025 season proved something important: the South East is not just about the superclubs. Success is being redefined by clubs of every size — from clubs thriving without 50m pools, to those with deep-rooted traditions finding fresh momentum, the South East is setting new standards for what success means.

This shift matters. Higher standards in the South East mean more swimmers qualifying for nationals, tougher competition within counties, and clubs raising their levels in response. A stronger region creates opportunity — for athletes chasing medals, and for those building lifelong fitness, discipline, and friendships.

Because in the end, it isn’t about who’s biggest. It’s about valuing every swimmer, developing them as individuals, and creating a culture that lasts.

For Bluefins, that’s what 2025 showed us most of all — that structure, care, and community spirit can carry a club forward. From Skills Academy to National qualifiers, and even Masters pulling on their hats for Arena League, every swimmer has a place in the story.

The future of South East swimming is bright — and Bluefins are proud to be part of it.

Spencer Turner - Head of Swimming, Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming Club

💙 Discover Bluefins

At Bluefins, we’re proud to celebrate every swimmer’s pathway — from the youngest in our Skills Academy to our performance squads chasing big goals. ✨ Come and see what makes our club special: exceptional quality coaching, community spirit, pathways of progression, and performance success stories. 🚀 Contact our amazing Ali to discuss pathways and arrange a trial - Find out more at bbfsc.org - Your journey starts here.