Financial Hardship Support

Swim England is committed to addressing financial barriers to its talent programmes. Below we’ve highlighted practical support and considerations available to Swimming / Artistic Swimming / Water Polo / Diving athletes who may be experiencing financial hardship. Accessible hardship support has become increasingly important to support talented athletes.

Research has shown that around two thirds of adults and parents/carers have made changes to their, or their children’s sport and physical activity behaviours because of cost-of-living increases. Existing inequalities are likely to have been widened. People from lower socio-economic backgrounds, disabled people and/or people with long-term health conditions are more likely to agree that the cost-of-living increases are having a ‘negative impact’ on their ability to be physically active (Sport England, 2023)

We fully understand the commitment and travel costs involved in being part of a national Talent programme. If you are not able to meet any associated financial costs of participating in the programme, or require any reasonable adjustments due to financial hardship, please contact your Talent Admin or Talent Lead (in confidence) to discuss. Support will be considered on a case-by-case basis, following an internal review. Our Talent team have a wealth of experience working with talented athletes and have support staff who can act as an impartial contact in the athletes’ lives, encouraging open conversations. Athletes may feel more comfortable speaking to their DiSE Assessor (if on the DiSE programme) or the Team Manager, as opposed to a Coach.

We are also aware that some people living in financial hardship may be at increased risk of mental health problems, and lower mental well-being. We would like to take this opportunity to also highlight that several Talent Team staff are all trained Mental Health First Aiders. MHFA is an internationally recognised training course, designed to teach people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis. In the same way as learning physical first aid, MHFA teaches people how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health and feel confident to guide someone to appropriate support, encouraging people to talk more freely about mental health, reducing stigma and creating a more positive culture.

External Support Websites

All situations will be reviewed on a case-by -case basis, unfortunately we cannot guarantee support for all cases, however there are support channels for athletes who may potentially be eligible for additional assistance through charities, local councils or the Government.

There are also SportsAid and Backing the Best awards that athletes may be eligible for, of which the Talent Leads and Talent Programme Manager can support with nominating athletes for if they are eligible. So there are a few options to consider regarding being able to provide additional financial support to athletes.

Additional Support below:

• turn2us.org.uk is a Charity search engine which has a ‘Grant’ section where students can enter their postcode, gender and age and it filters on charities registered with them. The list it produces gives information about the charity, how it can help, who it can help and information or links to how to apply. Please be aware this website does not show all charities, only those who have registered with Turn2us/
• gov.uk/help-home-school-transport is another useful link to find out if you are eligible for help with the cost of home to school transport through your local council website.
• Local Councils: often have a ‘talented athlete’ scheme – sometimes this is both monetary and access to local sports centres, generally they would be looking for a nationally ranked athlete.
• Swim England regional office and county offices.
• Active Partnerships (old CSP’s): activepartnerships.org national website you can find your regional Active Partnership from there.
• Charitable Trusts: research applicable trusts at gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
• Local ‘national’ stores/companies, Asda and Sainsbury’s stores have in the past had local funding
• Local Round Table/Rotary clubs Government Grants (although more geared to community social projects)
• Guide to Grants: takes some research – these can also outline the local council schemes – grantsonline.org.uk/search/grants
• Crowdfunding – utilised by clubs and groups but can be individual example: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/loftus-dolphins-back-to-pool

If you have any general questions or queries in relation to the hardship policy, please contact your Talent Lead or Talent Admin.