the asa announce restructure plans
On Friday 6th February the asa board approved plans, which will come into effect on the 1 March 2009, to change the way the asa delivers its services to its clubs and partners throughout England.
David Sparkes, the asa’s Chief Executive, said: “This is a really exciting time and a great opportunity for our sport following on from the success of Beijing, the recent announcement of increased funding from Sport England and the Government’s Free Swimming initiative for over 60s and under 16s in partnership with some Local Authorities.
“The new restructure will bring about real change and allow us to better support our clubs and members, as well as partners and customers, this change reflects the feedback we have received from you as our members.
“The clear message we have received from everyone is that they would prefer a ‘one stop shop’ when dealing with the asa and its services instead of having to deal with a number of people.
“Our intention is to build a network of county swimming co-ordinator positions within the asa. These county co-ordinators will effectively become the local asa personnel and we anticipate will be hosted by each of England’s county sports partnerships. This will not only bring our services closer to where they are needed but we believe it will also improve the service we offer to our members.”
The Regions will continue to work closely with the asa and will help to guide the work of the Swimming Co-ordinators and will help build strong regional strategic partnerships.
The three main outcomes from this initiative are:
• Delivering the asa’s Strategic Plan
• Driving change in swimming
• A better service for clubs and partners
Sparkes added: “A key part of the role of the Swimming Co-ordinator is to work with our clubs helping those who wish to achieve swim21 accreditation and importantly, also building more opportunities for training of coaches and teachers at all levels.
“I am sure as we move through the change we will be better placed to respond to the needs of clubs and partners and I am excited by what we will be able to offer in future.”
The asa will circulate further details about the new structure at a later stage.
