Swim England Diving Sport Hub
Aquatic Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) for Diving
June 11, 2021The Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) is a unique and industry-leading programme delivered by Swim England in conjunction with Loughborough College.
This government-funded programme is fully integrated into all Swim England talent pathways and offers the perfect environment for athletes to harmoniously combine their sport and education. An extensive list of DiSE alumni have gone on to enjoy continued international success on the world stage.
To find out more information about more information about the DiSE programme, click here. To find out about how to apply for DiSE if you’re a diver, keep reading.
Where DiSE falls on the Swim England Swimming Talent Pathway
What does your learner journey for year one look like?
Criteria to apply
NGBs can only select learners/athletes who meet the Department for Education student eligibility criteria below.
1. To be eligible for DiSE programme funding, a student must meet the following criteria:
a. Be aged 16 to 18 (or aged 19 to 24 if they have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan), when they start the programme.
b. Subject to paragraph 2 below, be enrolled on a state funded study programme and be studying towards an academic (e.g., A levels) or technical qualification (e.g., NVQs or City and Guilds).
c. Be on a talent pathway managed by their sport’s National Governing Body (NGB).
d. Must not be employed by their sport body or club on a professional contract.
2. The requirement in paragraph 1b. “be enrolled on a state funded study programme”, does not apply to students who attend a fee-paying school for their main study programme in the following circumstances:
a. The student is in receipt of the school’s means-tested bursary of at least 50% fee remission; or
b. The student is in receipt of a talent / ability-based scholarship of at least 50% but were this not to be the case then they would have otherwise qualified for the school’s means-tested bursary of at least 50% fee remission; or
c. At least 50% of the student’s fees are being paid by a third sector organisation but were this not to be the case then they would have otherwise qualified for the school’s means-tested bursary of at least 50% fee remission.
Athletes must also meet the following funding criteria:
- Athletes must remain in full-time further education for the duration of the DiSE programme (Sports Apprenticeships not eligible)
- Registered home address in England or Wales.
Athletes must meet the Swim England criteria below:
- Born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007
- Member of an English club and eligible to represent England
- Cat 2 Swim England member
- Based within an appropriate training environment and be undertaking in the region of 16 hours per week of pool/land-based training.
Athletes must have achieved the following points, in order to be considered for selection. Places are limited.
Girls
Junior Elites Score
Group A 1m 310
Group A 3m 330
Group A Platform 310
National Age Group Score
Group A 1m 260
Group A 3m 280
Group A Platform 250
Boys
Junior Elites Score
Group A 1m 390
Group A 3m 415
Group A Platform 390
National Age Group Score
Group A 1m 280
Group A 3m 290
Group A Platform 285
Coaching staff may also assess technical and tactical competencies in training and competition in order to support a selection. In addition to this we may ask divers to submit training videos for review.
Discretionary Selections
All selections are made at the absolute discretion of the Swim England Diving Programme Lead.
How to apply
The closing date is Friday 14th July 2023 and we encourage anyone interested to apply by this date, however for Swimming, we may still consider applications until the end of the DiSE selection window.
If you have any questions, please email rachel.weston@swimming.org
Past alumni
Past alumni of athletes to obtain the DiSE qualification include:
- Tom Daley – Olympic Champion
- Matty Lee – Olympic Champion and commonwealth medallist
- Kat Torrance – Commonwealth Medallist
- Noah Williams – European Medallist
- Scarlett Mew-Jensen – Grand Prix Medallist
- Phoebe Banks – Grand Prix and European Gold Medallist
- Emily Martin – National Champion and World Finalist
- Amy Rollinson – National Champion
- Ben Cutmore – European Champion
- Kyle Kothari – European Champion
- Yasmin Harper – European Medallist
Testimonials
Emily Martin
“My DISE experience was extremely beneficial for both my diving career and personal outlook on life. It gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge on psychology, nutrition and technical aspects of the sport as well as learning about other aquatics sports.
It also allowed me to meet lots of other athletes along the way from different disciplines, we got to enjoy a fun, hardworking camp at the end with all the athletes. I got to visit different universities around the country as the workshops were always somewhere new, for example, Loughborough University, this allowed me to explore my options for the future.
All the assessors were very helpful and supportive but also pushed me to achieve as much as I could. If I ever needed help, they were always there or on the other end of a zoom to assist me. I would definitely recommend the DISE programme.”
Brandon Foster
“My experience on DiSE was amazing and taught me a lot on the way. It matured me as a diver and broadened my knowledge within the sport and other aquatic disciplines.
“I enjoyed meeting new people and built good relationships with both assessors and athletes. My assessor was very helpful, as were the other assessors around the country. They always checked in with me, and were interested in my results and training.
“As a coach on a Swim England programme, to this day I still use some knowledge which I learnt on DiSE. It made me realise how enjoyable working within sport is, and how I should appreciate it more.”
Holly Prasanto
“I found the programme interesting and insightful. It gave me a greater understanding of sport in a technical and physical capacity along with assistance in developing a personal nutritional and psychological programme which I was able to apply to the sport of diving.
“The programme gave me an opportunity to meet and engage with new athletes who were following a similar path to my own. I really enjoyed meeting new athletes who had all been through the same training schedule and were able to relate to their own personal stories. It gives you a sense that you are not alone.”
If diving isn’t your sport, you can apply to be on the DiSE programme for one of our other sports, to find out more information, click on your sport below.