How City of Sheffield Swim Squad bounced back from nearly going bust during Covid-19

John Hewitt, chairman of the club, said it lost £80,000 worth of revenue overnight when competitions were stopped. They also had five overseas camps planned that were cancelled and realised that if they failed to increase membership, the business would not survive.

“We had to put the swim coaches on furlough, reduce costs on every paid staff member and make some redundancies as well,” he said. “We had to really look at ourselves to turn it around … We were always criticised for how we ran our business model then we got criticised when we had to make these tough decisions but the reality is, where we are today is the proof of those tough decisions needed to be made and we are actually moving forward in the right direction.”

He worked with Mike Taylor, head coach at the club, Jordan Butler, sports performance co-ordinator at Sheffield Hallam University, and Paul Hudson, head of sport and leisure at Sheffield City Trust, on plans that would not only save the club but make it more sustainable for the long-term and benefit the university, Ponds Forge and Sheffield.

The results were a growth of 27 percent in membership, a total of 28 more hours of pool time for swimmers and a programme that ensured athletes were developing their education as well as their sport.

Mr Taylor said: “It was the first time a bad distraction became a good one because it gave time for people to turn around and stop, think and ask a question. Whereas before, we were just covering cracks all the time and that was just to keep our head afloat and do the right thing for everybody.

“This created a problem which within that year gave us time to sit down and think about how we wanted this business model to look long-term and how do we want athletes to fit inside that so there are no problems in the future. Even though Covid was probably the worst thing that has ever happened, it changed us as a company to be able to open a few doors rather than just be sitting there covering over cracks.”

Mr Hewitt said the club was now fresher, has a lot more energy, makes decisions more clearly and pro-actively, is more professional and better for athletes.

Mr Taylor said: “The partnership is the key ingredient that changed. It was the one thing that actually forced us into a direction that has ended up where we are today, which is a really good place.”

Sheffield Hallam University has funded a second performance squad; invested in the club’s sports science programme; supported the club with strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology and its flexibility policy allows athletes time to train alongside their studies.

While Sheffield City Trust has supported the club with a favourable rate and enabled it to get more pool time.

Sheffield Council will soon be working on a new leisure strategy for the city and Mr Hudson said partnerships such as this will be an important part of that.

He said: “When the city is looking at its leisure strategy, these will be part of it and what is shaping what it looks like. It’s important that my chief executive and myself are communicating and aware and are being exposed to everything else.”

As well as the benefits for swimmers, Mr Butler said the club is able to provide work experience for students and one recent graduate, for example, has gone on to be a coach at the club.

He also said the success of the swimming programme had benefits for the whole of Sheffield.

Mr Butler said: “It has a wider impact not just for this facility, university or club but for the city. People who move here are going to put more into the economy and city and if they stay and don’t go to another city then that’s great.”

Mr Hudson said Sheffield City Trust recently gave a 20 year service award to a former City of Sheffield swimmer who became a swim teacher at Heeley and the one thing she hangs up is her old swim club sweat top.

Mr Taylor said: “The proudest moment ever that comes to a coach is when they have finished their swimming or athlete part then they get a job in the city and they stay around because they loved it that much.”

Every member of the partnership is in agreement that at the heart of all of the goals, ambitions and hard work are the swimmers.

Jay Lelliot, a Great Britain athlete at the club, said: “It was really tough, there were a lot of people who weren’t able to train with the facilities being closed around here it was really hard to deal with. But we made it work the best we could and now that everything is opened up again we are rebounding better than we have so it’s much better now.

“We have really set ourselves up well now. We have a really good group of us and the club is ever expanding and it’s part of the reason why I came to Sheffield in the first place four years ago because I just wanted to have a really good atmosphere here and I feel like we are getting there again now.

“I get a lot of support, which is really helpful, I’m not sure I would be able to carry on swimming if it wasn’t for that so I think that’s really good and the training is very good.”

Candice Hall, a Great Britain athlete who also moved to Sheffield to train at the club, said: “I’ve just moved to Sheffield, I wanted a change of programme and change of atmosphere and Sheffield has always been a place that I’ve thought highly of, a lot of good swimmers come from here and I really like the atmosphere around here and the training programme so I thought it would be a really good place.

“I love Ponds Forge, everyone loves racing here because it’s such a fast pool so to be able to train here every day is amazing.”

The club plans to go from strength to strength and is now working on plans for a disability programme.