To Return or Not to Return – that is the question?

Posted on June 23, 2020

Today we await the announcement from the Prime Minister about the latest relaxations since the lockdown in March. We hope above hope that July 4^th sees a return to not only pubs, restaurants & cinemas but also leisure centres and indoor pools too.

The BSCA published its guideline recommendations some time ago and support those issued by Swim England. The BSCA are of the view that if facilities such as those listed above can be opened then so too can the environments we are accustomed to.

Safety considerations are obviously at the forefront of all such plans and we trust that the Leisure Industry, which includes Sports Centres & pools as well as pubs & cinemas, will do all that is necessary to maintain such. Likewise swimming clubs, training programmes and their associated services are set 'now' to reopen with all the necessary precautions in place, if they have or have been able to, work with their facility providers & management.

The health & mental wellbeing benefits of swimming are well known but the fact that swimming is a huge business is vastly underplayed. Successful programmes spend vast amounts on facilities, employ and/or engage staff in various capacities despite often being managed by voluntary staff who are vital cogs in local communities. They run programmes and organise competitive events which play large in the fortunes of hotels, B&B's, restaurants & supermarkets as well as benefiting the venues they directly use.

The bottom line is that swimming is good for you and that our membership is ready & waiting to play their part in ensuring that swimmers in Clubs, programmes & educational establishments is done so safely. We sincerely hope that that message has been made loud & clear to those with the power to make the necessary decisions. We now repeat that call and ask that the right decision is made today and that our members can get back to doing the thing they love most – coaching swimmers!

It's time – make the right decision!

British Swimming Coaches Association