Club Link Programme

Stockport Metro is committed to working in partnership with local swimming clubs, and will continue to recognise the important role played by the Borough and District clubs in the development of talented young athletes.

The Club Link Programme provides young club swimmers aged 7 to 10 years old with the opportunity to train with one of the Stockport Metro squads. Swimmers are welcome to attend link sessions at Stockport as well as continuing to train at their own club. This experience will provide the swimmer with an insight into the next stage of their swimming development, and it enables the Stockport Metro coaches to identify talented young swimmers. If you are interested in the Club Link you should talk to your club coach in the first instance.

Young swimmers interested in swimming at Stockport Metro can register for a four-week, twice per week, free coaching course. This also forms part of our talent identification programme and is aimed at children who would like to move into competitive swimming.

The junior Coaching squad is designed to offer swimmers an opportunity to train and compete at junior level. Focusing on all areas of stroke technique and skills, this part of the programme will help develop swimmers aged between the ages of 7 and 10 years. The main emphasis is on fun and enjoyment of the sport.

Swimmers can progress from Junior Coaching to Junior Development where the focus remains on technique and skill development while introducing an aerobic training programme. This squad is for swimmers aged 9 to 11 years. There are five sessions per week available for 9 year olds increasing to up to 8 sessions for 11 year olds. Again, fun combined with high level coaching make this part of the programme a success.

National Squad

The National Squad is split into Age Group and Youth. The squad programme provides the resources for Age Group and Youth swimmers who aspire to further their potential at national and international levels.

For the Age Group section the emphasis is on developing each swimmer’s skill base, through IM swimming and working on improving speed and aerobic development. These swimmers have five mobility and stretching sessions before training, and three land based sessions working on core stability.

The Youth section has 18 hours of long and short water time available per week. The squad also has access to the resources of the ITC including underwater video analysis, physiotherapy, a nutritionist and a sport scientist. Swimmers from this group have won medals for Great Britain and England in recent years at the European Junior Championships and Commonwealth Youth Games, and many have gone on to become senior international athletes. The squad has a direct link to the ITC for athletes who meet the performance criteria set by ITC Head Coach Sean Kelly.

The Regional Age Squad has been introduced to help Age Group swimmers along the LTAD pathway. The minimum entry criterion is County standard, and its aim is to develop swimmers towards achieving Regional and National qualification. Swimmers will still focus on technique but training will become more aerobic and more intensive sets will be introduced. Swimmers will be required to attend a minimum of six sessions in order to maintain this standard.

Regional Age swimmers will be introduced to more land based exercise and will have the opportunity to work with one of the country’s most promising coaches. There is a continuous link between the Regional Age and National Squads and continuity in terms of coaching staff.

Regional Youth Squad

The Regional Youth Squad has evolved from the former Senior Development Squad. The aim of the group is to take youth swimmers at a regional level to national standard. Swimmers will have the opportunity to attend a minimum of 7 of the 9 available training sessions, including 2 long course sessions. In addition, land training sessions will cover a range of different activities.

The standard of this group has improved progressively over the past three years and the new squad will give swimmers the best opportunity to achieve their potential in the sport.