The 2025/26 season saw Somerset ASA doubling the County Development Programme, to include older swimmers, who joined the programme through a new Expression of Interest method, and also piloting an accredited training programme for Somerset young volunteers.
“Providing match funding, the county has pursued its vision of an inclusive and holistic programme of support, not just for our fastest swimmers, but also for our enthusiastic and dedicated young people using new ways of recruiting participants – where motivation, not speed, is the chief criteria for joining – and offering opportunities to develop skills to inspire the next generation of young athletes within the SE coaching pathway.” SASA Committee and CDP Administrator Izzy Blight
Evaluation is a critical part of any programme development as it allows us to reflect and improve and so, following our final session in July, we sent questionnaires to participants requesting qualitative feedback and also looked at quantitative outcomes such as test set data and time improvements (in those age groups where the 200IM is the gateway to future Swim England Pathways).
Quantitate Outcomes:
“Squad 2’s test set consisted of 12 x 50m backstroke on 60 seconds with swimmers aiming to reach 10m underwater from each wall – a valuable dataset because it measures skill retention under fatigue, rather than simply maximum underwater distance, making it more representative of a race environment. Those swimmers who completed the full programme with Squad 2 saw an increase in average score of 8.6 to 17 successful phases – representing a 97.7% improvement, thus reinforcing the rationale behind delivering 9 sessions across the swimming year, rather than relying on 1 or 2 camp-style interactions.” Head Coach Maria
Qualitative Feedback:
At Somerset CDP, we believe that open communication is key to developing a strong and dynamic programme. To that end we:
- share session plans with home coaches,
- seek feedback from swimmers after every session via post it note comments
- circulate a web news story after each session to all participants, clubs, coaches, SASA committee members and Swim England Talent
- publish highlights via our instagram account
To continue in this vein we sent questionnaires to participants requesting feedback after the programme end.
Swimmer Feedback
Swimmers were asked: What 3 words would you use if you were to describe CDP to a parent, a friend/team-mate, or your home coach? A word cloud was generated from the responses:
Swimmers were also asked for ideas and suggestions which we have considered in our design for the 26/27 programme:
- Encourage more interaction between swimmers of different clubs so that greater connections can be created
- Stretching/mobility routines after sessions
- Band work and injury prevention exercises
- More underwater filming
- Different talks – maybe tailored to older swimmers too
In their words:
Assistant Coach Feedback
This year we were delighted to include a new Level 1 Assistant Coach training programme which included the accredited IOS qualification (facilitated by our very own Coach Ian from YDSC) plus poolside mentoring within the CDP for 10 young volunteers from 7 different Somerset clubs. Paid positions were then available for these trainees to apply for thus offering further opportunities for them to learn and grow in a professional capacity.
In their words:
Coach Feedback
Coach feedback questionnaires highlighted
- the importance of the programme in developing networks with other clubs and coaches – of especial importance to the survival and development of our smaller clubs
- the supportive environment allowing confidence and skills to develop through the opportunity to try new things with a ‘safety net’
- the reflective practice encouraged through observation of others’ body language and communication skills
- the addition of new tools to take back to home clubs such as the importance of effective pre-pool and test sets
Coaches were also asked for ideas and suggestions which we have considered in our design for the 26/27 programme:
- Opportunities to be more involved in session planning
- Sharing and discussing session plans earlier to allow coaches to feel more prepared and effective on the day
- Clearer explanations of all abbreviations!
- More coach-orientated Continuing Professional Development opportunities
- A termly gym session with specialist S&C to support swimmers with land based exercise – not just pre-pool
- A change to the programme dates to reduce timetable congestion in the spring term and allow a better focus on preparations for the County Championships
Head Coach Reflections
“The highlight of the CDP for me this year was seeing just how many people want to be involved. It’s wonderful to see that the coaches’ passion for wanting to support Somerset’s swimmers is shared by so many. The support team (TMs) whose presence allows the programme to run, are left with no doubt that the time they give is appreciated when seeing the faces and hearing the feedback of the athletes who have opted to attend” Head Coach Rachel
“It has been fantastic to see swimmers achieve results that have surprised even themselves. Comments such as “I can hold my breaststroke underwater phase longer that I thought” and “I can bring my knees up quicker for a touch turn” demonstrate the growing confidence and awareness of their abilities. It has also been wonderful to see our Young Coaches grow in confidence sharing their knowledge and passion for swimming with our younger cohort. Their enthusiasm and development has been a real highlight for me” Head Coach Pat
“I hope every swimmer found an aspect of training they can continue to practice and develop within their home programmes. My personal highlight of the programme was the dive analysis work we did with the swimmers. Rather than simply being told what to improve, swimmer were encouraged to identify areas of their own dives that could be enhanced. Having the opportunity to then explore different drills, experiment with a variety of coaching cues and immediately apply feedback allowed swimmers to take ownership of their development. It was particularly rewarding to see athletes become more engaged in the learning process” Head Coach Maria
At CDP our key aim is to be able to provide an opportunity for swimmers and coaches to develop skills, grow in confidence, seek inspiration and enjoy our often demanding sport. We believe we have achieved this in the 2025/26 season and are looking forward to continuing our own evolution in the coming season. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way!
September 2026