Coach Development & Accreditation

Australian swimming coach’s gain their accreditation through a multi-level competency based training system that recognises acquired knowledge and practical experience. 

Swimming Victoria continues to give our accredited coaches the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence through a variety of education sessions, development weekends and competition experience throughout the year.

  • Ongoing Coach Education

    • Throughout the year, Swimming Victoria will conduct a variety of different coach development opportunities. The upcoming opportunities will be provided below.

     

    • State Flipper and Marlin Session (Open to all State level coaches wishing to observe and participate) - December 7 2024 (MSAC)

     

    • Emerging Abilities and Junior Talent SC squad session with presentation from Nunawading High Performance Coach Nick Veliades (open to all club coaches) - February 22 2025 (Melbourne Girls Grammar School), RSVP your interest HERE.
  • Foundation Coaching Course

    • The SWIM Australia™ Foundation Coach (SAFC) (formerly known as SWIM Australia™ Teacher of Competitive Swimming) will be competent to deliver basic swimming squad sessions that develop the swimming technique of novice Swimmers – this is generally defined as Swimmers who are recent “Learn to Swim” Graduates and are in the likes of a “mini squad” and still acquiring the skills needed to transition into competition.

    This Course is endorsed by the peak sporting body in Australia for swimming – Swimming Australia – as the entry level course for the swimming coaching accreditation pathway.

    Completion of the Foundation Coaching course is the minimum requirement for Swimming Victoria to accept coaches onto pool deck at Swimming Victoria meets.

    Information on the Foundation Course such as course dates and how to enrol can be found HERE.

  • Development Course

    • Coaches who have a focus on promoting participation in competitive swimming, developing a broader range of skills and techniques for Club swimmers, encouraging swimmers to compete at district level and above all, encourage participation, swimming for fun, play and skills and a safe swimming environment should consider undertaking this course.

    Course Requirements

    • Current Swim Australia™ Teacher of Competitive Swimming or Equivalent certificate
    • Completion of the Online course (6-8 hours)
    • Attendance at an 8 hour workshop (usually over 1 day)
    • Completion of the training record
    • Practical Competency Assessment

    For more information, please visit the Swimming Australia website, here. 

    Enrol in the next Development Course Workshop

    To register for a workshop, go to Workshop calendar | Swimming Australia and click on the Development Course workshops drop down box and click Register for the appropriate course. Further Development Course information is available at Development Course | Swimming Australia. For those who wish to get their qualification, follow the instructions on this page to enrol.

    Please note that to enrol in the Development Course, you must have held your Swim Australia™ Teacher of Competitive Swimming or Equivalent certificate for at least 6 months. If you need assistance with course enrolment, please contact learning.coaches@swimming.org.au

  • Advanced Course

    • Swimming Australia's new award-winning Advanced course builds on knowledge gained since completing the Development Course and provides successful students with eligibility to obtain Swimming Australia Advanced Coach accreditation.

    About this coach

    • Successful Advanced Coaches bring out each swimmers ability by identifying individual needs and planning and implementing suitable training programs based on individual swimmer needs. They implement support systems that develop the individual swimmers physical and psychological fitness and maximises their performance.

    Coaching ethos

    • Advanced Coaches have an in-depth understanding of the skills, tactics and strategies required and focus on skill development and decision making in a competitive environment. They help their swimmers develop a wider sense of sporting ethics and nurture a love of competition while also encouraging a life-long love of the sport.

    Learning focus

    • The Swimming Australia Advanced Coaching Course focuses on continuous improvement in coaching skill, education and promotion of participation in competitive swimming at regional, state and national age competitions.

    Pre-requisite for enrolment

    • Before coaches can enrol in the Advanced Course, they must have held Swimming Australia Development Accreditation for a minimum of 12 months.

    Course structure

    • The Advanced Coaching Course consists of 7 online modules, online assessments, submission of assignments tasks, several workshops, and practical coaching hours under a Mentor. The full course will take 9-12 months to complete all requirements.

    Accreditation requirements

    To achieve accreditation as a Swimming Australia Advanced Coach, you’ll need to provide the following documents into our sport management system Swim Central:

    To enrol in the Advanced Coaching Course

    • Login to Swim Central
    • Go to Store
    • Click on Development & Training
    • Click on Courses
    • Click on Advanced Coaching Course enrolment
    • To purchase this product, you will need to upload evidence of meeting the prerequisite criteria as the document type Coaching Course Prerequisite Verification

    If you need assistance with course enrolment or would like to know more about the course, please go to Advanced Coach Course or email learning.coaches@swimming.org.au

     

    Register for Advanced Coach Workshop

    Before registering for an Advanced Workshop, please make sure you are enrolled in the Swimming Australia Advanced coaching course. Links to enrol can be found here. 

     

  • Performance Course

    • Swimming Australia's new award-winning Performance Course builds on knowledge gained since completing the Advanced Course and provides successful students with eligibility to obtain the highest available level of Swimming Australia Performance Coach accreditation.

    About this coach

    • Successful Performance Coaches develop people and structures to sustain success for swimming. They do this by balancing data and information with intuition and experience to make accurate evidence-based decisions under pressure. They trust their swimmers to take responsibility for their own performances, and they welcome feedback.

    Coaching ethos

    • These Coaches are resilient risk takers, strategic thinkers, influential leaders, trusted mentors, relentless learners, skilled facilitators and strong collaborators.  They are influenced by swimmer need and help drive the personal and social development of the individual alongside maximising performance.

    Learning focus

    • The Swimming Australia Performance Course is designed to develop the competencies required to not only coach elite level swimmers but to become a leader, a role model and someone who can help develop the next generation of coaches in the swimming community.

    Pre-requisite for enrolment

    • Before coaches can enrol in the Performance Course, they must have held Swimming Australia Advanced Accreditation for a minimum of 24 months.

    Course structure

    • The Performance Coaching Course consists of 7 online modules, online assessments, submission of assignments tasks, several face to face workshops, practical coaching hours under a Mentor and a presentation to peers at a state or national conference. The full course will take approximately 18-24 months to complete all requirements.

    Accreditation requirements

    To achieve accreditation as a Swimming Australia Performance Coach, you’ll need to provide the following documents into our sport management system Swim Central: 

    To enrol in the Performance Coaching Course

    • Login to Swim Central
    • Go to Store
    • Click on Development & Training
    • Click on Courses
    • Click on Performance Coaching Course enrolment
    • To purchase this product, you will need to upload evidence of meeting the prerequisite criteria as the document type Coaching Course Prerequisite Verification

    If you need assistance with course enrolment or would like to know more about the course, please go to Performance Coach Course or email learning.coaches@swimming.org.au   

     

    Register for Performance Coach Workshops

    Before registering for a Performance Workshop, please make sure you are enrolled in the Swimming Australia Performance coaching course. Links to enrol can be found here. 

     

    Register for Elective Workshops

    Before registering for an Elective Workshop, please make sure you are enrolled in the Swimming Australia Advanced or Performance coaching course. Links to enrol can be found under the Coach Education menu. 

     

  • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

    • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process whereby someone who thinks they already have sufficient theoretical and practical skills in all or part of a course, accreditation or competency can apply for recognition of this and gain "credits" towards completing a course, accreditation or proving competency.

    For further information, or to apply please visit the SCTA website.

  • Working With Children Check

    • All Coaches must have a Working With Children Check (WWCC) to gain their accreditation. The WWCC creates a mandatory minimum checking standard across Victoria. The WWCC helps to keep children safe by preventing those who pose a risk to the safety of children from working with them, in either paid or volunteer work.

    Your WWCC will expire every 4 years. Please make sure your details are up to date so you know when to renew.

    Visit www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/

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