On Saturday 1 November, the ASA met with delegates from across the country for the inaugural ASA Masters Swimming Conference at the ASA head offices in Loughborough.

Jointly hosted by the ASA Technical Committee Chair, Verity Dobbie, and ASA Masters Officer, Sharon Lock, the day saw swimmers, coaches and officials from all over England come together to discuss all things Masters and gather valuable feedback from a cross-section of the swimming community.

Along with a detailed overview of the ASA Technical Committee Pathway, delegates heard from guest speaker Steve Bratt (Head Coach of Otter Swimming and Water Polo Club) who explained ‘what makes for a successful Masters club’, including the identification of key factors which made Otter the largest Masters Swimming and Water Polo Club in London. Events like this are invaluable for networking, especially as there is much less time when we are all competing.

Maggie Kelly, Masters swimmer and Chief Coach at Nottingham Leander Swim Club, also took to the floor to present her philosophy on swimming and why ‘once you start, you just can’t stop’.

To facilitate open conversation between delegates, a ‘speed date focus group’ was held later in the day allowing attendees to engage in quick-fire discussion on thoughts and ideas for the future of Masters swimming.

The group then took this valuable feedback forward into an action planning session to identify goals and objectives for the future.

On attending the day, Masters swimmer Jenny Ball commented: “It was a very well planned and well structured day. Events like this are invaluable for networking, especially as there is much less time when we are all competing.

“Thank you to everyone involved for a super day.”

The Masters Conference is set to become a steadfast addition to the Masters swimming framework, allowing for on-going engagement between the Masters community and the sport’s governing body.

If you have any Masters-related queries please emailsharon.lock@swimming.org.