Team England relay exhibition to headline National Winter Championships

The GoCardless Swim England National Winter Championships 2025 will return to Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, from 11–14 December, with this year’s programme featuring the addition of a new relay exhibition supporting Team England’s 2026 Commonwealth Games preparation.

More than 1200 athletes are set to compete, bringing together senior swimmers and rising age-group talent from across the country for the final national short-course meet of the year.

Competition will follow the traditional Winter Championships structure, with heats beginning each morning at 8.30am and finals taking place from 5pm. All individual events will include A, B and Junior finals, except for the 800m and 1500m Freestyle, which will run as heat-declared-winner events.

Relay exhibition as Glasgow 2026 preparation

For the first time, the championships will feature relay events, introduced as part of an exhibition programme designed to support preparations ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. These mixed 4×50m Freestyle and 4×50m Medley relays will provide valuable opportunities to assess takeover skills, relay dynamics and potential team combinations.

The relay exhibitions will take place on Saturday 13 December and Sunday 14 December and will be the final event of the day on both occasions. Each heat will include a Commonwealth team featuring swimmers who are being considered as prospective members of Team England’s Glasgow 2026 squad. Some of the expected participants include Oliver Morgan, Jasmine Carter, Jacob Mills, Joe Litchfield and Skye Carter.

The relays provide a unique opportunity for club swimmers, who will have the chance to share the pool with athletes who have previously represented, or are targeting future selection for, the Team England Commonwealth Games squad.

These races are exhibition only and will not form part of the official championships results.

Para Swimming

Para swimming will once again be integrated across all four days, with multi-class events giving para-athletes the opportunity to round off 2025 in a competitive short-course environment.

A number of established and developing para swimmers are set to compete, including Poppy Maskill, Iona Winnifrith, William Ellard and Bruce Dee, each bringing strong recent form and valuable experience to the meet.

Spectator information

Tickets can be bought online in advance or will be available for purchase on venue throughout the championships (subject to availability). Every session will be live streamed via the Swim England YouTube channel, with links published on the Live Swimming page and across Swim England’s social media channels.

Event photography across all four days will be provided by Will Johnston, who will be capturing race action, podium moments and behind-the-scenes highlights throughout the championships.