The British Swimming Coaches Association (BSCA), a national body representing the country’s swimming professionals, has questioned the process by which British Swimming appointed Graeme Smith as a National Team coach for the British Para team.
According to a release from the BSCA, this is the second time they’ve taken some exception to Smith’s appointment.
While trying to distance themselves from any personal attacks upon Smith, a former Olympic medalist, with comments like “The BSCA’s concerns do not lie with the individual, whose achievements in the pool clearly deserve a great deal of respect, but with the recruitment process undertaken by British Swimming,” the organization did express concerns over both British Swimming’s advertisement of the position and Smith’s on-deck qualifications.
They also called into question Smith’s role as a cover coach in the summer of 2013 at the British Swimming ITC in Loughborough. The BSCA says that they received “certain reassurances in response,” but feel that those were again violated in Smith’s newest appointment.
“As Smith holds only a Level 2 coaching qualification, with limited experience at any level of the sport as a coach, it is not clear how an appointment to a National Coaching position could be made given that the advertised requirement was for a minimum Level 3 qualification… If such an appointment is to hold the credibility it deserves, any post holder should hold the necessary qualifications, have a body of work behind them and a list of coaching achievements from which respect will flow. Unfortunately in this case the candidate has none of these.”
Smith’s resume includes that stint at the Loughborough ITC, and before that serving as the manager of Olympic gold medalists Rebecca Adlington and Keri-Anne Payne, among others.
“This wouldn’t happen in the US, Australia, France, or other premier swimming nations, so we do not understand how this approach to recruitment can be acceptable in Britain,” the spokesperson continued. “If the National Federation for swimming in this country is perceived as showing little or no respect for their own qualifications and the standing of successful coaches, then why should their affiliated Clubs?”
The BSCA says that British Swimming has “acknowledged” their concerns, but not given a formal response.
Unlike in the United States with the American Swimming Coaches Association, in Britain it is the ASA, an official governing body by patronage of the Queen, who certifies coaches in Britain, not the BSCA.
However, the BSCA does have among one of its stated goals working “in partnership with British Swimming, the ASA & Scottish Swimming…to promote the role of the Coach & Teacher in the welfare of the swimmer & the sport.”
The subtext of this complaint seems to be around protecting the interests of more veteran and experienced coaches, as the BSCA pointed out: “The BSCA holds the view that this approach to coaching appointments discourages potential coaches from seeking appropriate qualifications and undermines those coaches who have spent thousands of pounds of their own money to gain what they considered to be valuable qualifications.”
The BSCA did not immediately respond to a request for verification as to whether Smith was one of their members. British Swimming did not immediately respond to a request for comment either.
The full release by the BSCA is below.
The British Swimming Coaches Association (BSCA), the independent representative body for swim coaches in Britain, this week raised concerns with British Swimming following the appointment of Graeme Smith to the position of GB National Para Swim Coach. This position will see Smith work under the GB National Head Coach at the new National Para Centre established in Manchester.
The BSCA’s concerns do not lie with the individual, whose achievements in the pool clearly deserve a great deal of respect, but with the recruitment process undertaken by British Swimming. As Smith holds only a Level 2 coaching qualification, with limited experience at any level of the sport as a coach, it is not clear how an appointment to a National Coaching position could be made given that the advertised requirement was for a minimum Level 3 qualification.
Since his retirement, Smith has worked for British Swimming in an athlete support role and subsequently as an athlete representative. Whilst he assisted at the British Swimming ITC in Loughborough as a cover coach in the summer of 2013, he did so whilst unqualified and without this position being openly advertised. The BSCA raised concerns with British Swimming at that time about their recruitment processes and received certain reassurances in response.
A BSCA spokesman said “If such an appointment is to hold the credibility it deserves, any post holder should hold the necessary qualifications, have a body of work behind them and a list of coaching achievements from which respect will flow. Unfortunately in this case the candidate has none of these.”
“This wouldn’t happen in the US, Australia, France, or other premier swimming nations, so we do not understand how this approach to recruitment can be acceptable in Britain”
“If the National Federation for swimming in this country is perceived as showing little or no respect for their own qualifications and the standing of successful coaches, then why should their affiliated Clubs?”
The BSCA holds the view that this approach to coaching appointments discourages potential coaches from seeking appropriate qualifications and undermines those coaches who have spent thousands of pounds of their own money to gain what they considered to be valuable qualifications.
British Swimming has been asked by the BSCA to authorise an independent investigation into how such an appointment can be made given the issues they have raised, and to not allow Smith to start in the National Para Coach position until this review has been concluded and a satisfactory outcome agreed.
At the time of issue the BSCA’s concerns had been acknowledged by British Swimming, but no formal response had been received.