Swim Wales

What Swim Wales does

Swim Wales (legal entity Swim Wales Limited) is the National Governing Body for Aquatics in Wales, founded in 1897 as the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association and headquartered at Wales National Pool, Swansea Bay Sports Park. Operating as a private limited company under not-for-profit mission alignment, Swim Wales holds statutory authority over all seven aquatic disciplines in Wales — swimming, para swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and masters — and oversees competition licensing, athlete pathways, and club governance for 80+ affiliated clubs and 11,000+ members. The organisation operates two endorsed High Performance Centres (Swansea and Cardiff) and is preparing Team Wales representation at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games with 21 nominated athletes.

Swim Wales' core technology platform is JustGo, a proprietary online management system that integrates membership data, payments, event registration, course booking, and safeguarding credential tracking for the Welsh aquatic community. Supporting platforms include Ein Clwb (a digital resource hub for club governance, finance, marketing, and safeguarding templates) and Skills Academy County Hub Networks spanning six geographic regions. The product portfolio spans the full aquatic lifecycle: learn-to-swim programmes (Bubbles 0-3 years, Splash 3+, Wave 4/5+, Adult Learn to Swim, Nofio Ysgol school curriculum), coaching and teaching qualifications (SEQ Level 1 at £395, Level 2 at £680, Combined at £950), the Skills Academy talent development programme, National Squad Pathway tiers (Elite through Performance Foundations), and compliance services including Anti-Doping programme aligned with UKAD and WADA standards.

Swim Wales' business model combines recurring subscription revenue from club affiliation (£150/year covering £20m+ insurance portfolio) and individual/Welsh Representation membership (£39/year), transactional revenue from training courses (£395-£950) and Skills Academy fees (£20/swimmer), and substantial government and lottery funding from Welsh Government, Sport Wales, and National Lottery as core NGB support. Commercial partnerships with Speedo, Aquatics GB, UKAD, Commonwealth Games Wales, JustGo, and others provide sponsorship and operational support. Distribution is primarily through the affiliated club network and the JustGo digital platform, with the GET IN campaign and school programme partnerships expanding top-of-funnel awareness across Wales.

Name

Swim Wales

Legal name

Swim Wales Limited

Website

https://swimwales.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swim Wales is the National Governing Body for Aquatics in Wales, overseeing all seven aquatic disciplines across 80+ affiliated clubs and 11,000+ members. It delivers learn-to-swim programmes, coaching qualifications, talent development pathways, and elite performance support through two High Performance Centres, funded via membership fees, training courses, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquatic Sports Governance

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF), Open Water Swimming Events (OWS Races, Swim Challenges) (MPAKAIAF)

Keywords

• Aquatic sports governance
• Learn to swim programs
• Swimming qualification courses
• Club affiliation services
• Elite swimming pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Swansea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual membership fees provide access to benefits including £20m public liability insurance, personal accident cover, legal and tax advice helpline, loss of earnings benefit, discounts on Speedo and Water Dragon products, and eligibility for competitions and the performance pathway.
2. Club Affiliation: Annual club affiliation fee of £150 provides clubs with insurance coverage (£20m public liability, £20m product liability, £20m professional indemnity, £5m management liability, £10m employers liability, £20m abuse extension), governance support, DBS applications, access to JustGo platform, and eligibility for grants including Be Active Wales Funding.
3. Training Courses: Swim Wales as an Approved Centre for Swim England Qualifications offers teaching and coaching courses. SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant (Teaching) at £395, SEQ Level 2 Teaching Swimming at £680, Swim England Swimming Coach at £680, and Combined Teachers Course at £950. These prices include registration, assessment, tutor fees, and course resources.
4. Welsh Representation Membership: Annual membership at £39 for athletes eligible to represent Wales who live and/or train outside Wales. Provides eligibility for Swim Wales closed events, official Welsh representation recognition, national squad selection, and Welsh swimming records.
5. Skills Academy Fees: £20 fee per swimmer for the Skills Academy program targeting swimmers aged 11-14 (11-15 for para-swimmers), with coaches attending free of charge.
6. Government Funding and Sponsorship: As Wales' National Governing Body for Aquatics, Swim Wales receives funding from Welsh Government and Sport Wales. Additional sponsorship from partners including Speedo, Aquatics GB, and others supports operations and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Swim Wales is the National Governing Body for Aquatics in Wales, providing individual and club membership, learn-to-swim programmes from birth through adults, SEQ teaching and coaching qualification courses, club affiliation with insurance and governance support, and a high-performance pathway from grassroots through to Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games representation. Its commercial offering is anchored by the JustGo digital platform for membership, event, course and safeguarding management, supported by two High Performance Centres in Swansea and Cardiff.

Product overview

Swim Wales is the National Governing Body for Aquatics in Wales, offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes spanning from learn-to-swim initiatives through to elite high performance. The core platform is JustGo, an online membership management system supporting the Welsh aquatic community. The product suite includes: Learn to Swim programmes (Bubbles, Splash, Wave, Adult Learn to Swim Awards, Nofio Ysgol for schools); club affiliation and governance support through Ein Clwb; coaching and teaching qualification courses; the Skills Academy for talent development; National Squad Programme with pathway progression; two High Performance Centres (Swansea and Cardiff); Welsh Representation Membership; Poolside Accreditation for events; Health & Wellbeing Hub; and Anti-Doping compliance services. These products work together to deliver Swim Wales' mission of 'Aquatics for everyone for life' across swimming, para swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and masters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JustGo Platform Online membership management platform that brings together essential management of memberships, clubs, events, courses, and safeguarding credentials for individual members and affiliated aquatic clubs.
• Bubbles Learn to Swim Programme Early years aquatic programme providing a fully supported introduction to water for babies and young children aged 0-3 years with an accompanying adult, featuring 4 levels of progression.
• Splash Learn to Swim Programme Early years programme encouraging independent discovery of the aquatic environment for children aged 3+, featuring 6 levels of progression to develop water confidence.
• Wave Learn to Swim Programme Learn to Swim programme for children from approximately age 4/5+, teaching swimming and aquatic skills across Waves 1-8 including water competence and introduction to aquatic sports.
• Water Competence Cymru Awards Three-level water safety award programme teaching survival techniques including floating, treading water, swimming in clothes, and self-rescue skills.
• Adult Learn to Swim Awards Three-tier adult swimming programme (Learn, Improve, Active) enabling adults to gain swimming skills and progress to independent swimming or Masters clubs.
• Nofio Ysgol (School Swimming) National school swimming and water safety programme aligned with the Curriculum for Wales, supporting the 'Every Child a Swimmer' goal across all 22 Welsh local authorities.
• SEQ Level 1 Swimming Assistant Course Practical qualification (approximately 30 hours) developing knowledge, skills and abilities to work as a Swimming Assistant alongside a qualified swim teacher. Includes registration, assessment, tutor fees and course resources at £395.
• SEQ Level 2 Teaching Swimming Course Industry-standard qualification (approximately 60 hours) for working as a fully qualified swimming teacher, building on Level 1 knowledge. Includes all registration, assessment, tutor fees and resources at £680.
• Swim England Swimming Coach Course Advanced coaching qualification focusing on planning, delivery and evaluation of coaching sessions, equipping coaches with skills, knowledge and techniques for effective swimming coaching. Priced at £680.
• Ein Clwb Club Resource Platform Online platform providing guidance, resources, templates and webinars for aquatic clubs covering governance, safeguarding, finance, marketing, teaching, coaching, and volunteer management.
• Welsh Representation Membership Annual membership at £39 (auto-renewal) for athletes eligible to represent Wales at international competitions who live and/or train outside Wales. Provides access to Swim Wales closed events, national squad selection eligibility, and Welsh swimming records.
• Skills Academy Programme Talent development programme for swimmers aged 11-14 (11-15 para-swimmers) at £20 per swimmer, providing team-building activities, technical pool sessions, workshops on Winning Behaviours, pathway education and elite athlete mentoring.
• National Squad Programme Progressive national squad pathway including Elite, Elite Transition, Senior Performance, Youth Performance and Performance Foundation programmes targeting podium success at Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic level.
• Swim Wales National High Performance Centre (Swansea) Elite training facility at Wales National Pool in Swansea providing world-class coaching, sports science support, strength and conditioning, and access to Swansea University, including an eight-lane 50m pool and gym facilities.
• City of Cardiff High Performance Centre Swim Wales-endorsed elite training facility at Cardiff International Pool providing world-class coaching, sports science support, and access to Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
• Club Affiliation Annual affiliation at £150 for aquatic clubs providing comprehensive insurance portfolio (up to £20m across multiple lines), governance support, DBS applications, JustGo platform access, and eligibility for Be Active Wales Funding grants.
• Poolside Accreditation Mandatory accreditation system for athletes, coaches and team managers to access poolside areas at Swim Wales events, including DBS verification and safeguarding credential requirements.
• Para Swimming Pathway Talent identification and development programme for swimmers with disabilities, including classification services (physical S1-S10, visual S11-S13, intellectual S14) and pathways to National Para Performance Centre.
• SEQ Combined Teachers Course (Level 1 + Level 2) Combined delivery course (approximately 90 hours) allowing completion of both SEQ Level 1 and Level 2 teaching qualifications simultaneously at a reduced combined cost of £950.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 people from 40 clubs engaged with Skills Academy in first year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aquatics GBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Aquatics GB (British Swimming) for anti-doping rules adoption, classification standards, and international competition pathway coordination. Swim Wales adopts Aquatics GB Anti-Doping Rules consistent with World Anti-Doping Code.
• SpeedominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship providing exclusive 10% online discount on selected Speedo products for Swim Wales members. Speedo logo appears on sponsors section of website.
• AtebolminorOthersWelsh language services partner supporting bilingual communication capabilities.
• BDPminorOthersArchitecture/design partner listed among Swim Wales partners.
• British Heart Foundation WalesminorOthersHealth and wellbeing partner supporting health resources and cardiac awareness in aquatic programmes.
• Morgan La Roche SolicitorsminorOthersLegal services partner providing professional legal support to Swim Wales operations.
• Myrtha PoolsminorOthersSwimming pool infrastructure partner providing expertise and potentially equipment for pool facilities in Wales.
• PerkierminorOthersPartner listed among Swim Wales sponsors and partners.
• Swim Hat CominorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner providing swim hat products for Swim Wales events and members.
• JustGocoreTechnology or IntegrationJustGo is Swim Wales' official online management platform partner, providing comprehensive membership management, event coordination, course booking, and safeguarding credential tracking for the Welsh aquatic community. Swim Wales announced JustGo as official sponsor of poolside accreditation at Swim Wales events.
• UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UK Anti-Doping for clean sport education, testing coordination, and anti-doping rule enforcement. Swim Wales adopts Aquatics GB Anti-Doping Rules consistent with World Anti-Doping Code.
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational federation partnership for anti-doping through adoption of World Anti-Doping Code and Prohibited List management.
• Commonwealth Games WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Commonwealth Games Wales for Team Wales swimming and para swimming team selection, nomination policy, and Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games representation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Swim England: The National Governing Body for aquatics in England and the direct structural equivalent of Swim Wales. Operates an identical model: membership-based club affiliation, learn-to-swim programmes (Learn to Swim Awards), coaching qualifications, and Team England performance pathway. The most directly comparable peer in product, customer, and revenue model.
• Scottish Swimming: Scotland's National Governing Body for aquatics. Mirrors Swim Wales' structure across membership fees, club affiliation, learn-to-swim framework, and national performance pathway. Comparable scale to Swim Wales with similar population constraint (~5.5M Scotland vs ~3.1M Wales).
• Swim Ireland: National Governing Body for aquatics across Ireland. Operates parallel membership, club affiliation, and talent pathway structures. Comparable mid-sized NGB serving a similar population base with overlapping disciplines (swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming).

Broad incumbents

• USA Swimming: The US National Governing Body for competitive swimming. While operating at vastly larger scale, USA Swimming mirrors Swim Wales' membership-based NGB model with club affiliation, learn-to-swim (USSS), coach certification, and elite performance pathway structures.
• Swimming Australia: Australia's National Governing Body for aquatics. Runs equivalent membership, club affiliation, learn-to-swim (Swim School), and high-performance programme structures, providing a relevant international peer for governance and revenue model benchmarking.
• Aquatics GB: The British-wide umbrella body for aquatic sports that Swim Wales partners with on anti-doping, classification, and international competition pathways. Operates broader portfolio (national team, major events) across the UK, with Swim Wales as a constituent federation.

Emerging players

• British Triathlon: UK National Governing Body for triathlon — an emerging sport with aquatic swimming as one of three disciplines. Relevant peer for cross-disciplinary NGB operating models, talent pathways, and partnership approaches with national sport agencies like Sport Wales.
• The Swimming Teachers' Association (STA): UK-based commercial awarding organisation offering swim teacher and pool plant qualifications as an alternative to Swim England Qualifications (which Swim Wales delivers). Competes indirectly for coach training revenue and learn-to-swim accreditation share.
• Water Polo England: Discipline-specific NGB covering one of the seven aquatic disciplines Swim Wales oversees. Provides a benchmark for how narrower-discipline NGBs operate and the relationship model between discipline-specific and multi-discipline governing bodies.

Others

• World Aquatics (FINA): The international federation governing all aquatic sports globally. Swim Wales adopts World Aquatics rules and pathways; the relationship is enabling/regulatory rather than competitive, providing a relevant industry-architecture reference point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SwimWales
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC62r1VfT6qN5tUUI0AaVOkA
• Facebookfacebook.com/swimwales
• Instagraminstagram.com/swim_wales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swim-wales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Swim Wales