Training
Once your swimmer has been allocated a squad, you can find full details of when and where they train on our club timetable page. Please check the schedule here to ensure you have the most up‑to‑date information for your squad: Timetable.
Your swimmer will also need to come to each session with the correct kit. You can find the full kit list for every squad here: Kit list.
Want to help your swimmer thrive both in and out of the pool? Take a look at the following page on the Swim England website: 10 dos and don’ts for swimming parents – Swim England. This covers simple, practical tips on how to be a supportive swim parent — from encouraging positive habits to keeping the sport fun and motivating. A quick, worthwhile read for anyone cheering from the side lines!
Squad Progression
At Yeovil District Swimming Club, our squad structure is designed to support every swimmer on their journey—from developing fundamental water skills to achieving success at County, Regional and National levels. The Squad Progression and Criteria framework sets out a clear, supportive pathway that helps swimmers understand what is expected at each stage of their development and what they can look forward to as they grow within the programme.
Each squad has a dedicated coaching lead, targeted training hours, and specific technical, physical and commitment-based expectations. This ensures that every swimmer receives the right level of challenge, guidance and encouragement to fulfil their potential. As swimmers progress, they build not only their technique and endurance but also the confidence, discipline and resilience required to succeed in competitive swimming.
Whether a young swimmer is just beginning their competitive journey or an experienced athlete aiming for higher‑level meets, our structured pathway provides a positive, motivating environment where they can develop skills, set goals and strive for excellence—both in and out of the pool.
Competitions
While it isn’t compulsory to take part in competitions, many swimmers choose to enter meets (competitions) as a fun and motivating way to track their progress.
Swimming competitions come in several levels to support swimmers as they progress. Club meets are ideal for newer swimmers, offering a relaxed environment to gain racing experience. Level 4 and Level 3 meets provide the next step, allowing swimmers to achieve official times in a supportive setting. Level 2 meets are more competitive, held in 25m pools and used to gain qualifying times for county and regional events. At the top end, Level 1 meets take place in 50m pools and are designed for higher‑level swimmers aiming for regional, national or even international qualification. Together, these levels help swimmers develop confidence, skills and experience as they move through the sport.
Your swimmer will be invited to enter competitions via Sports Engine Motion (more details on this below). Meets that YDSC enter can also be found via the ‘Competitions’ tab at the top of the page.
Staying connected
Staying connected with everything happening at YDSC is easy with our online tools. Our closed Facebook group, YDSC #pinkarmy Family, is a friendly space for updates, reminders and community news. You can also use SE Motion—available as both an app and a website—to access your swimmer’s session times, track attendance, view upcoming events, follow the club’s social feed, and (very soon) pay monthly training fees and meet fees directly through the platform. If your swimmer chooses to enter licensed competitions, you may also find the Meet Mobile app helpful. It provides real‑time meet results, heat sheets and standings from anywhere, at any time (please note: Meet Mobile requires an annual subscription).
YDSC Committee – Supporting Our Swimmers and Community
At YDSC, we’re committed to supporting every swimmer—not only in the pool, but as part of our wider club community. Open, honest communication is central to this, and it helps us create the best possible environment for all swimmers to learn, develop and thrive.
To support this, we have a Squad Liaison Committee Member for each of our squads: Skills, Development, Potential and Performance.
Each Squad Liaison:
- Acts as a friendly point of contact for parents, carers and older swimmers
- Listens to feedback, ideas or concerns
- Seeks answers or follows up with the committee or coaching team where needed
- Shares responses clearly and promptly
Parents and swimmers can contact their Squad Liaison about:
- Training timetables
- Competitions
- Coaching
- Welfare matters
- Club processes
- Volunteer opportunities
- Any general feedback they would like the committee to consider
Confidential and Constructive
All matters raised are treated with the strictest confidence. Names are removed unless you specifically ask for them to be included. Feedback from Squad Liaisons is included as a standing item at monthly committee meetings to ensure it is properly discussed and considered.
How to Contact Your Squad Liaison
Names, photos and contact details for each Squad Liaison are available on the ‘Who’s who’ Committee page of the YDSC website for easy reference – YDSC Committee. While we’re always happy to chat poolside, we kindly ask that—where possible—queries are sent via email so they can be properly tracked and responded to.