The successful management of RSC, like many sports clubs, is dependent on the dedication of our wonderful volunteers.  

We are always on the look-out for extra help to help manage and support the day to day running of the club. There are many different volunteering opportunities and roles to suit your skills and experience. Whether you can spare an hour a week or an hour a day, your time will really make a difference. Several of the roles are great options for some of our swimmers to take on for CVs, DofE etc.

Below is some information on the areas where we need volunteers at Royston – there is also information on the Swim England website 

If you are interested in taking on any of the volunteer roles or want to find out more about them please contact the RSC secretary – secretary@roystonswimmingclub.co.uk 

1.Committee Roles

A well-functioning committee is critical for the club’s success. There are many roles, so something for everyone!! Brief Summaries are given below, we have more detailed role documents that we can share with you – please contact the RSC secretary if interested.

Executive (must have) roles:

• Chairperson - the principal officer for the club, provides direction and leadership.

• Secretary – manage the day to day running of the club, are the main point of contact for administration, information and communication.

• Treasurer - responsible for producing and managing the club’s accounts and finances.

• Welfare Officer – implement and manage the club according to Wavepower, Swim England’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures document.

Non-Executive roles:

• Membership Secretary – manages club membership.

• Fundraising Officer – leads the development of opportunities for accessing grants and other forms of funding.

• Marketing and Press Officer - promotes club activities, ideally to increase membership, increase income and/or raise the profile of the club within the community.

• Parent Liaison Officer - link between the club and the parents to support clear and effective club communication channels. 

• SwimMark Co-Ordinator - point of contact for SwimMark, Swim England’s recognised kite-mark for the development of effective, ethical and sustainable clubs.

• Volunteer Co-ordinator – supports the club volunteers.

• Meet Secretary - develops and manages the clubs competitions calendar. 

Coach Support Roles

The club training sessions are dependant on coaches. The sessions need to have a coach trained to Level 2 but also benefit from other support coaches and helpers. At RSC we have a mixture of paid and voluntary coaches.

• Poolside Helper - supports the delivery of club sessions under the supervision of a qualified teacher or coach. The poolside helper needs to be at least 14 years of age.

• Assistant Coach – support the sessions as set by the Head Coach. They may be given responsibility for running the sessions for one or more lanes. Coaches need to have Level 1 or Level 2 Swim Coach or Swim Teacher qualifications.

2. Gala Roles

Team Manager (TM) - ensures team cohesion at aquatic events and competitions. The TM is responsible for the safeguarding and wellbeing of the RSC swimmers. 

There are Level 1 (supporting day events) and Level 2 (supporting overnight events and swim camps) TM roles. The TM must be over 18 and registered with Swim England. They also need to have a DBS check, complete Swim England safeguarding training and the Swim England Team Manager 1 Training as a minimum.

For the TM2 role, there is an additional training required. 

If this is a role you are interested in please email secretary@roystonswimmingclub.co.uk who can organise registration with Swim England and liaise with the Welfare officers to arrange DBS checks and direct you to the relevant training.

Officials – To support the successful running of licenced galas a number of officials are required. The gala licence is needed for the swimmers to gain “official” Swim England times. Details about the different official roles are given below;

• Timekeeper (TK) – stands at the end of the lane to record the time for the race. The TKs need to do online or face to face training and then get signed off following a demonstration of competency. A TK needs to be at least 14 years of age.

• Judge Level 1 (J1) – is responsible for judging whether the swimmer’s stroke is in line with the Swim England requirements. J1’s don’t need to be swimmers - there is lots of training and support to gain this skill. 

The J1s need to do online training followed by mentoring at galas and getting signed off as competent in various areas e.g. judging breaststroke, reporting a disqualification etc. The J1s have 11 months after the online training to complete the mentoring/sign off. 

Once licensed the J1 needs to renew their licence every 4 years by providing evidence of judging and ongoing training. A J1 needs to be at least 15 years of age.

Judge Level 2 (J2) – is responsible for judging in a wider range of scenarios e.g. stroke judge for galas of a higher licence level. A J2 must first gain a J1 licence and 20 hours of post qualification poolside experience. The training is made up of instruction on the theoretical aspects of the role and mentored pool side training with a workbook that needs to be completed. A J2 needs to be at least 16 years of age.

Judge Level 2 Starter (J2S) – is responsible for starting the gala races. A J2S must first gain a J2 licence and 20 hours post qualification experience. Training consists of practical experiences as a Starter followed by a formal practical assessment. A J2S needs to be at least 16 years of age.

Referee – is responsible for the correct running of the gala within the requirements of the licence. The referee course contains theoretical instruction and specified practical experiences. It is followed by a formal examination in November after which successful candidates take a final poolside practical assessment. A referee needs to be at least 19 years of age to start training and at least 20 years of age when the formal examination is taken.

Your club needs you! 

If you are interested in taking on any of these roles, please email secretary@roystonswimmingclub.co.uk