Funding for assistant/coach training
Here at Kent Swimming, we are only too aware of the issues as clubs struggle with increased financial pressures. As a county, we are again working on providing grants to all our affiliated clubs to be used to increase the number of our discipline coaches to help meet Swim England governance best practice.
You don't need to be a swimmer or have prior involvement in the sport to start your coaching journey - the Swim England coaching pathway, delivered by the Institute of Swimming, progresses from Assistant Coach to Coach and then to Senior Coach. Additionally, there is free eLearning available for Poolside Helpers.
Additionally, both Kent Swimming and the South East/London regions are offering both financial support and guidance as follows:
- Club finances: Ian Howes
- Employment issues: John Handley
- General club support: Kate Hutchinson (South East) and James Warrener (London)
Below are details of how Swim England, the regions and, of course, Kent Swimming can support you in getting your coaches qualified - please note that you can potentially apply for more than one - or all three bursaries for one course if appropriate. Do check carefully how, when and the number of applications for that bursaries can be made as a failure to follow the regulations for each bursary might mean that an application is not valid.
Swim England/Institute of Swimming coach course funding (Assistant Coach and Coach - all disciplines)
Clubs are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the Swim England Member Offer which means that members of a Swim England affiliated club can access coaching courses at a reduced rate. Member Offer prices are available to clubs through the Institute of Swimming, and gives access to a significant discount (around 40% on the Assistant Coach / 30% on the Coach course) against the full price of the course. More information on how you can access the Member Offer can be found here here
Clubs are also reminded that they can access an additional £100 in Institute of Swimming vouchers each year for being a SwimMark club. This is still available in 2025 for those accredited during 2024. To claim these email iosadmin@swimming.org with the following information
- Name of Club
· Voucher code number you wish to deduct the £100 from (this can be found in your Company Account). The Institute of Swimming will then amend the invoice for this voucher.
South East Region coach courses and Safeguarding in Aquatics funding (Kent Rural clubs only)
In order to reduce some of the financial burden on clubs affiliated to the South East Region, the Region will help towards the cost of Swim England Safeguarding in Aquatics workshops. All clubs affiliated to Swim England South East Region are able to apply for bursaries towards this training. The Region will support up to £10 per person with the following courses qualifying for funding:
- Swim England Safeguarding in Aquatics
- Swim England Safeguarding in Aquatics Refresher
The Swim England South East Bursary Scheme for coach training is designed to reduce some of the financial burden experienced by individuals when undertaking their coaches training, The Region has made funding available towards the cost of Swim England/Institute of Swimming courses for Coaches in each discipline.
If you have a query about the scheme that is not answered using the link above, please send an email using this link.
London Region funding (Kent London clubs only)
Following their successful implementation of the Aquatic Support Fund in 2024,Swim England London will continue to provide funding in 2025 for their Athletes, Coaches and Volunteers to access.
The amount of funding awarded is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Regional Funding Panel. The proposed training and development must be recognised by Swim England London and the applicant needs to meet all the course criteria. Full details about the process is here
Kent Swimming's coach training offer - currently finishing at the end of September 2025 - is available to all Kent Clubs (Kent Rural and Kent London) will be eligible for a 50% bursary for one Assistant Coach and one Coach candidate (any discipline). The initial booking must have been made via the IOS website, and have taken advantage of the discounted club offer as outlined above, and will not be affected by any other funding that might have been available. On completion of the course, bursary claims should be submitted to Ian Howes.
Active Kent and Medway. Do you need financial support to improve your facilities, increase your membership, deliver a new sports project, train up coaches or officials or to help with your training? If so, Active Kent and Medway can help with finding.
For a list of funding opportunities to identify which grant or funding stream is best suited to your project use this link, and to find out about their Small Grant and Workforce Development Fund which awards small grants up to £500 to assist clubs and organisations with a range of projects and workforce development qualifications, use this link.
