You'll see that every meet we hold or enter has a Swim England licence and a level.

Here's some information on levels

Level 1 meets 

Enable athletes to achieve qualifying times suitable for entry into National, Regional and County Championships.

Pool Length:  Long Course (50m) only.

Entry Criteria: A minimum qualifying time is required. Swimmers' submitted entry times can be verified in Rankings and must be from level 1 or 2 for National events and 1, 2 or 3 for Regional and County Championships. County Championships and Open Meets may choose also to accept entry times from level 4 meets.

Age Groups: Either 31st December in the year of the competition or the swimmer's age on the last day of the competition.

Minimum Age: 10 years if age as of 31st December, or 9 years if age on the last day of the competition.

  • Meets can be held at any time, subject to restrictions on the ASA Competition Calendar, and the programme must include at least one 400m event for each gender.
  • Meets in the qualifying period for the British Summer Championships must additionally include 800m and 1500m freestyle events on the programme.
  • Electronic timing and anti-turbulence lane ropes are required. 

 

Level 2 meets

Enable athletes to achieve qualifying times suitable for entry into National, Regional and County Championships.

Pool Length: Short Course (25m) only.

Entry Criteria: A minimum qualifying time is required. Swimmers' submitted entry time can be verified in Rankings and must be from level 1 or 2 for National events and 1, 2 or 3 for Regional and County Championships. County Championships and Open Meets may choose also to accept entry times from level 4 meets.

Age Groups: Either 31st December in the year of the competition or the swimmer's age on the last day of the competition.

Minimum Age: 10 years if age as of 31st December, or 9 years if age on the last day of the competition. 

  • Meets can be held at any time, subject to restrictions on the ASA Competition Calendar, and the programme must include at least one 400m event for each gender.
  • Electronic timing and anti-turbulence lane ropes are required.

 

Level 3 meets

Enable athletes to achieve times suitable for entry into Regional and County Championships and other meets at Level 1 or Level 2.

Pool Length: Long Course (50m) or Short Course (25m).

Entry criteria: Upper cut-off times are required for entry, and lower qualifying times may be set. All entrants must be registered as Swim England Club Compete members (see Further Information below)

Age Groups: Either 31st December in the year of the competition or the swimmer's age on the last day of the competition.

Minimum Age: 10 years if age as of 31st December, or 9 years if age on the last day of the Competition, except for single club competitions, when ASA Law applies. 

  • A varied range of strokes and distances is recommended.
  • Electronic Timing is required.

 

Level 4 meets

Enables the development of inexperienced athletes and those seeking to compete outside their club environment. 

Meets which are not Levels 1, 2 or 3, (e.g. Borough Championships), and events meeting the ASA criteria for a Low Level Competition which are: A single club competition restricted to its members (as in Club Championships and Time Trials), or Inter-club competitions, providing the event does not include more than eight clubs.

Participating clubs must be invited by the promoter to take part in the event.

The promoter has supplied the conditions for the event.

The whole event takes place in one pool on one occasion and does not form a series of events, the results of which are aggregated or considered together to decide the eventual winner.

Pool Length: Any pool length 25m or greater.

Times: Times recorded are suitable for entry into County Championships where acceptable to the County concerned and meets at Level 3. Times are not acceptable for entry into Regional and National Events.  Times will go into Rankings as Short Course for pools less than 50m.

Age Groups: As of 31st December in the year of competition or age on the last day of the competition.

Minimum Age: as specified in ASA Law appropriate to the competition.

  • A varied range of strokes and distances is recommended.
  • Electronic timing is recommended but not essential.

 

Further information: