Volunteering Opportunities at Leatherhead Swimming Club


If you would like to…

  • Get to know other parents in the club

  • Have a poolside view at galas instead of being stuck in the stands

  • Learn new skills or take on a new challenge

  • Enhance the experience and opportunities for your swimmer

  • Contribute to the success, performance and achievements of the club

…then Leatherhead Swimming Club has a role for you!

 

As a club run entirely by its members, LSC can only continue to thrive and grow with the help and participation of its members. There are lots of roles and activities that require volunteers to support the smooth running of the club and there really is something for everyone, regardless of age, skills or experience, knowledge of swimming, or time commitment. Many of these roles can be shared with others as part of a team and it’s a great way to get to know other parents and support your swimmer in their journey at Leatherhead Swimming Club.

A selection of the roles is described below but these are just some of the ways you can help support the club. If you would like to find out more about any of these roles or how you can help in other ways, please email [email protected].


 

Welfare Officer

[email protected]

The Welfare Officer is essential in providing a first point of contact for children, parents and adults within the club who have a child safeguarding or welfare concern.

The Welfare Officer:

  • assists the club in implementing Wavepower, Swim England’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures document;

  • is the first point of contact for club staff, volunteers, young people and parents for any issues concerning child welfare, poor practice or potential or alleged abuse;

  • ensures all incidents are reported correctly and referred, in accordance with Wavepower;

  • acts independently and in the best interests of a child at the club, putting their needs above that of others and the club itself;

  • ensures that all relevant club members, volunteers and staff have an up to date DBS Enhanced Disclosure (this should be updated every 3 years) and the opportunity to access appropriate child safeguarding training;

  • ensures that Codes of Conduct are in place for club staff, volunteers, coaches, competitors and parents;

  • ensures confidentiality is maintained and information is only shared on a ‘need to know’ basis.


 

Membership Secretary

[email protected]

The role of the Membership Secretary is act as the key link between the club and the Swim England membership team. They look after the day to day registration of all club members with Swim England.

The Membership Secretary:

  • acts as the main point of contact for all club member registrations;

  • maintains up-to-date information and contact details of all club members, updating any changes to membership throughout the year;

  • manages the club’s annual subscription and membership renewal process, ensuring membership fees are paid on time.


 

Gala Committee

Open Meet

[email protected]

Club Championships

[email protected]

The Gala committee is an enthusiastic team of volunteers responsible for developing and managing the LSCs twice-yearly Club Championships and annual Open Meet. Holding a gala requires a lot of planning and organisation and there are many roles and activities that require volunteers to ensure the events run smoothly and swimmers have a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

As a member of the Gala Committee you could be involved in the following tasks:

  • working with the Committee and Head Coach to develop the club’s gala calendar;

  • booking pools and other required facilities;

  • preparing information to promote the meet, internally and externally;

  • liaising with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure availability of poolside helpers and officials to attend the meets;

  • arranging medals for swimmers, raffle prizes and/or food contributions.


 

Social Committee

The Social Committee are responsible for organising and promoting social and fundraising events for the whole club.

As a member of the Social Committee you could be involved in the following tasks:

  • planning and organising key events such as a Christmas party or summer event;

  • leading and organising fundraising campaigns throughout the year, such as cake sales.


 

SwimMark Coordinator

The SwimMark Coordinator is the key point of contact for SwimMark, Swim England’s recognised kite-mark for the development of effective, ethical and sustainable clubs.

The SwimMark Coordinator:

  • coordinates and oversees the club’s SwimMark submissions ensuring that information is correct and meets all accreditation criteria;

  • maintains regular communication with the Swim England and Regional Club Development Officers to ensure information is submitted correctly and on time;

  • updates the club and Committee on the progress of the SwimMark accreditation;

  • keeps abreast of any developments to the SwimMark accreditation programme;

  • is the club’s key point of contact for all SwimMark activities.


 

Volunteer Coordinator(s)

[email protected]

The role of the Volunteer Coordinator is to support all volunteers within a club and ensuring they have a meaningful and positive experience.

For example, the Volunteer Coordinator:

  • acts as a main point of contact for volunteers within the club;

  • supports the development of club volunteers by supporting and helping organise appropriate training to meet their needs;

  • ensures all club volunteers have clearly outlined role descriptions;

  • helps the Committee in its efforts to recruit and support club volunteers, encouraging parents to get involved with the club in some capacity.


 

Marketing and Media Officer

The role of the Marketing and Media Officer is to lead and promote club activities, ideally to increase membership, increase income and raise the profile of the club within the community.

For example, the Marketing and Media Officer:

  • develops, maintains and updates the club notice board, website and social media accounts;

  • supports activities that promotes and publicises all aspects of the club in a positive and equitable way, working with others as appropriate on the production of information newsletters, website updates and media releases

  • reports on club events and the achievements of club members;


 

Club Kit Manager

[email protected]

The role of the Club Kit Manager is to promote and manage the ordering process for club kit liaising with members and suppliers accordingly.

For example, the Kit Manager:

  • acts as the main point of contact between the club and the club kit supplier to ensure timely and efficient delivery of kit;

  • maintains up-to-date information on club kit items, pricing and the ordering process on the club website;

  • keeps club members regularly updated on purchasing opportunities.


 

Website Coordinator

The Website Coordinator manages and maintains data and information on the club website, improving the accessibility, functionality and appearance of the website in consultation with the Committee.


 

Squad Representatives

Squad Representatives are a central point of contact for swimmers and parents for the squad they represent and play an important role in supporting the coaches, squad members and their parents.

For example, the Squad Representative:

  • maintains regular contact with the squad coach and communicates with parents and swimmers on relevant matters relating to the squad;

  • supports club communications to squad members about changes to squad training, forthcoming galas and social events;

  • meets with new parents to provide information about the club, training times etc.

  • supports the Gala Committee/Social Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator in organising volunteers for galas, social events and other roles within the club;

  • help organise social activities for the squad.


 

Team Managers

The role of the Team Manager is to support the coaching team at a gala or swim camp by ensuring swimmers are ready and prepared for their events.

For example, the Team Manager:

  • assists and supports coaches on poolside;

  • ensures swimmers are registered and report in good time for each event;

  • is responsible for the safeguarding and wellbeing of swimmers;

  • promotes a positive team spirit and behaviours that adhere to the club’s Code of Conduct for Swimmers;

  • on occasion, help with organisation of logistics and attend pre-competition/camp briefings.

Team Managers are required to attend and complete a training course which will be funded by the club if applicable.


 

Technical Officials:

Timekeeper

Timing is the swimmer’s measure of performance. The role of a Timekeeper is to record the time the swimmer takes to complete a race using a stopwatch and record it on the heat sheets. If the competition is also using electronic timing, there is a secondary backup button to push.

As a timekeeper you’ll be helping the club to deliver events and able to enjoy all the action right on poolside. Becoming a timekeeper is straightforward and does not require lots of training. The club can assist with the training required.


 

Judge Level 1 (J1) and Judge Level 2 (J2)

J1 is the first level of qualification for swimming officiating and the ideal role for anyone who wants to understand the FINA rules relating to swimming and how they are applied in practice during an event. The role includes timekeeping as well as looking at swimmers turns and finishes for each stroke and reporting any infringement to the Referee. J2 is the second level of qualification and encompasses the role and duties of all aspects of judging including ensuring stroke rules are complied with and recording the finish order of swimmers.

As a judge you will be directly supporting the ability of the club to enter galas and team competitions as all clubs are expected to send officials to every competition they enter. To become a judge some training is necessary, but no prior knowledge of swimming rules is required – all that’s needed is an enthusiasm for swimming! You will be mentored during your training and fully supported by the club. If you are interested in finding out more about this role including the training required, the club can arrange for you to speak to one of our current judges.