Basingstoke Bluefins Squads Structure Overview
- Sep 1, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Parent Guide Series - Summer 2026
Bluefins provides a broad squad structure designed to support swimmers at different ages, stages and levels of experience.
Some swimmers join through Skills Academy. Others enter the club later through Development, Club Fitness, Masters, Adult Development, Water Polo or Disability & Inclusion.
The structure includes opportunities for technical development, competitive swimming, performance, fitness and lifelong participation.
Every coaching environment has a clear purpose.
Skills Academy
Skills Academy provides the bridge between swimming lessons and structured club training.
It includes:
Foundation
Progression One 7+yrs
Progression Two 10+yrs
Intermediate Development
Swimmers continue developing all four strokes while learning club routines, lane skills, independence and how to respond to coaching.
Intermediate Development also introduces early racing through Home Development Galas.
Development Swimming
The Development Pathway includes:
Club Development
Competitive Development
Focused Development
Club Development supports swimmers joining structured club swimming later, helping them build confidence, broaden their skills and discover the opportunities available within Bluefins.
Competitive Development and Focused Development share a strong emphasis on stroke development, Home Development Galas and the introduction of racing and competition skills.
Focused Development generally supports younger swimmers who may have greater experience for their age, stronger technical foundations or the ability to learn and apply new skills quickly.
Competitive Development supports swimmers across a broader age range as they continue building the same technical and competitive foundations.
These squads do not form a simple ranking.
Competitive Swimming
Age Group Competitive
Age Group Competitive supports swimmers who enjoy regular training and racing while balancing swimming with school, other sports and the wider commitments of teenage life.
Swimmers continue developing technical skills, race understanding and competitive experience through Open Meets, Club Championships and team competition.
The squad provides a clear competitive environment without the increasing demands of Performance Swimming.
Performance Swimming
Performance Swimming includes:
County Development
Age Group Performance
Youth Performance
Regional Performance
National Performance
Training expectations increase gradually across these coaching environments.
Swimmers develop greater consistency, preparation, independence and ownership while continuing to refine their technical and competitive skills.
The pathway supports swimmers from their first County ambitions through to Regional, Home Nation and British Championship competition.
Swimming for Life
Swimming can remain part of a person’s life as their interests, ambitions and circumstances change.
Swimming for Life includes:
Club Fitness
Junior Masters
Masters
Adult Development
Club Fitness provides coached swimming for older swimmers who want to maintain fitness, continue improving and remain part of Bluefins without competition being expected.
Junior Masters supports older teenagers who want to continue training and competing while balancing wider commitments.
Masters provides opportunities for adult swimmers ranging from fitness and friendship through to National and international competition.
Adult Development offers technical coaching for adults returning to swimming, preparing for triathlon or open water or seeking more detailed stroke development.
Additional Aquatic Pathways
Bluefins also provides opportunities through:
Water Polo
Open Water
Disability & Inclusion
Water Polo includes Academy, Junior and Senior coaching environments.
Open Water allows appropriately experienced swimmers to broaden their swimming beyond the pool.
Sharks Disability & Inclusion provides a supportive environment for swimmers with disabilities and additional needs, with wider club integration and Para-swimming opportunities available where appropriate.
Dynamic Squad Movement
Swimmers are observed throughout regular training and competition.
Squad movement may take place at different times according to each swimmer’s development and needs.
Movement is not always towards a more demanding squad. School, examinations, work, injury, changing interests and personal circumstances may all influence which environment is most appropriate.
The aim is not simply to move swimmers through squads.
It is to help each swimmer continue developing within the environment where coaches believe they will benefit most.
Explore the Full Structure
For detailed information about every squad, including ages, training expectations, target standards and pathway focus, visit:
Developing Swimmers. Developing People.
Written by Spencer Turner
Head of Swimming, Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming Club
