Institute of Swimming

Name

Institute of Swimming

Legal name

Swim England

Website

https://swimming.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquatic Education and Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF), Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Swimming teacher certifications
• Aquatics training courses
• Coach qualification programs
• Professional development aquatics
• Swim school accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Club Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for clubs affiliated with Swim England, including Club Train, Club Compete, and Club Support categories
2. Support Us Program: Annual supporter memberships at three tiers: Supporter (£15/year), Campaigner (£30/year), Champion (£60/year)
3. Swim School Membership: Membership fees for swim schools including international swim school membership options
4. Teacher and Coach Membership: Membership and qualification programs for swimming teachers and coaches through the Institute of Swimming
5. Just Swim Free Membership: Free membership tier providing technique videos, training plans, tips and challenge event discounts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institute of Swimming delivers swimming teacher certifications, aquatics courses, and continuing professional development for aquatic professionals. As the qualification arm of Swim England, the IoS provides accredited pathways for individuals to qualify as swimming teachers and coaches, supported by an IoS membership program and access to professional resources via the Swim School Portal and online memberships system.

Product overview

Swim England (formerly the Amateur Swimming Association) operates a multi-tiered membership platform serving as the national governing body for swimming, diving, artistic swimming, and water polo in England. The core offering includes Club Train, Club Compete, and Club Support memberships for club members; Just Swim (free) membership with technique videos and training plans; Swim Schools membership with portal access; and three Support Us tiers (Supporter, Campaigner, Champion) for campaign supporters. Supporting services include Poolfinder for locating facilities, Careers in Aquatics job board, artistic swimming programmes with Land Grade Awards and Combo Cup competitions, and policies including Wavepower (safeguarding) and Fuel Up and Feel Great (nutrition guidance).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Just Swim: Free membership program offering swimming technique advice, fitness training plans, and exclusive discounts
• Poolfinder
• Wavepower
• Stronger Without the Scales
• Fuel Up and Feel Great

Products and services

• Teacher and Coach Membership Membership and qualification programs for swimming teachers and coaches delivered through the Institute of Swimming, covering all Swim England disciplines. Includes insurance, safeguarding, and member benefits.
• Swim England Qualifications (Teaching Certifications) Accredited swimming teacher certification courses delivered through the Swim England Qualifications portal, providing the official pathway to become a qualified swimming teacher in England.
• Coaching Training Programs Aquatics coaching training courses and qualifications enabling individuals to become accredited swimming coaches via the Institute of Swimming.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Ongoing professional development courses and resources for qualified swimming teachers and coaches to maintain and advance their credentials.
• Swim Schools Membership Membership category for swim schools (including international swim school membership), providing access to accreditation frameworks, teaching resources, and the Swim School Portal for registering qualified teachers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully campaigned for £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, minor and core.

• SpeedosecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerSwim England's official swimwear partner providing exclusive discounts to members (10% off Speedo online store). Featured in corporate partners section alongside Sport England.
• SportsHotelsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner offering accommodation services for swimming competitions and training events. Listed alongside Sport England and Speedo in corporate partners section.
• Surfers Against SewagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in the EndSewagePollution campaign working to improve river, sea and lake water quality. Published joint manifesto for sewage free waters and campaigning for 200 new designated bathing waters.
• Outdoors For All CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner seeking new access legislation to improve outdoor swimming opportunities across England.
• Department for EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in School Sport and Activity Action Plan working to improve school swimming data collection so support can be targeted effectively to schools needing it most.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• AUSTSWIM: Australia's national organisation for teaching swimming and water safety. Closely comparable in mission and product (aquatic teaching qualifications) and represents a potential international expansion template or competitor for IoS.

Others

• Sport England: Public body distributing National Lottery and government funding to sport in England. Functions as Swim England's principal financial partner and policy counterpart — comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.
• Speedo: Global swimwear brand and official Swim England corporate partner. Comparable as an adjacent commercial participant in the UK swimming ecosystem, with potential commercial overlap in branded swim school and learn-to-swim programmes.

Direct peers

• RLSS UK (Royal Life Saving Society UK): UK charity providing lifesaving, lifeguard and water safety qualifications. Overlaps with IoS in delivering aquatic safety certifications and training, particularly for pool and open-water environments.
• British Swimming: UK-wide governing body focused on elite/high-performance aquatic sports. Comparable in governance role and serves as the parent/elite-tier counterpart to Swim England, with overlapping athlete pathways.
• STA (Swimming Teachers' Association): UK-based awarding organisation delivering swim teaching and lifeguard qualifications. Directly comparable to IoS as a competing provider of aquatic safety and teaching certifications in the UK market.

Regional players

• Scottish Swimming: National governing body for aquatic sports in Scotland. Functions as a structural parallel to Swim England, offering membership, teacher qualifications and competitive pathways — but in a separate UK national jurisdiction.
• Swim Wales: National governing body for aquatic sports in Wales. Comparable structure to Swim England/IoS with club memberships, teacher qualifications and competitive programmes across a distinct UK national territory.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross (Aquatic Programs): Large incumbent provider of lifeguard, swim instructor and water safety certification programmes in the US. Comparable in delivering aquatic safety qualifications at scale, though as part of a broader humanitarian portfolio.
• World Aquatics (FINA): International federation governing aquatic sports globally. Operates as the apex governing body over national bodies like Swim England — relevant as the upstream regulator whose rules IoS qualifications align with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InstituteofSwim
• YouTubeyoutube.com/swimengland
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteofSwimming
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-swimming
• Instagraminstagram.com/swimengland

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Swimming