The crowd is roaring. The faces around you are unrecognisable under layers of coloured paint. In the grandstands, the excitement has reached its peak. The spectators surrounding you are on their feet yelling, waving their team colours and bringing their favourite player into the wall to score the winning point for their team.
At first guess you may be at a footy match, or maybe you’re wondering how you’ve landed amongst die-hard supporters from a local football club. Take a look again and you’ll find yourself pool-side at a Swim League match: NSW’s hottest up-and-coming sports league that has made Australia’s favourite Olympic sport, swimming, a team-based competition.
Swim League started in 2016 in Newcastle and on the Central Coast with a modest 75 members. Each year since, Swim League’s membership has doubled, and interest has grown exponentially. Swimming NSW President, and triple Olympian, Chris Fydler OAM quickly saw the potential for the sport of swimming. Three short years later, in an exciting development for the NSW swimming community, Swim League was acquired by Swimming NSW. With over 1200 participants registered in the 2020 season, Swim League is establishing its place as the team sport to be a part of right now.
Swim League is a team-based competition where two swimming teams are pitted against each other in a match that takes place in less than 60 minutes. There are no qualifying times needed to take part and no official timing on the day. Instead, swimmers race head to head to score points for their team. Whoever has the most points at the end of the match is declared the winner.
Having been a competitive swimmer himself from the age of eight, reaching national and international levels of competition, and then a coach for over 16 years, creator and current Director of Swim League, Adam Beisler, is well placed to understand the needs of all the key players in the swimming world.
“From being around swimming my whole life, I definitely saw longevity was a problem in the sport,” said Beisler. “I really wanted to see a lot of the kids that were leaving at 17 and 18 (years old) keep developing and enjoying their swimming. I’ve seen stand-out athletes who win state and national gold medals leave the sport because their friends have left the sport – they’re no longer training together. The way to keep swimmers in the sport is to keep their friends in it.”
Originally the Swim League concept was geared towards catching elite swimmers who were not part of the top one or two who made international teams, to make sure they could still enjoy racing. One key outcome from Swimming NSW and Swim League joining forces has been to bring Swim League to kids of all ages and abilities.
In a country where swimming in pools and beaches is part of everyday life, Swim League really combines the best of both worlds for parents: it’s an opportunity to develop and practice swimming skills in a team sport environment.
As a parent himself and long-time coach, Beisler is passionate about the importance of the team experience for kids: “one thing I love about team sport is if you win, you’re winning as a team but then if you lose, you’re not losing as an individual. Mentally for kids, it’s a lot easier to lose when you’ve got teammates there standing with you. They can go through the life lessons of experiencing pain and disappointment together.”
The 2021 Swim League season will run across ten metropolitan and regional locations in NSW, from Lismore to Canberra and from Warringah to Bathurst, all in Swim League’s thrilling 60 minute format. It will include both junior (12 years and under) and senior (13+ years) leagues, as well as divisions that cater for all swimming abilities.
From May to July teams will compete in 3 rounds in their Region. Swim League action goes into overdrive later this year with playoffs in August and State Finals in September.
With no qualifying times needed to take part and no official timing on the day, Swim League has taken the pressure out of swimming competitions.
You don't need to be a member of a club to participate and there’s only a one-off cost of $115 to register – this includes entry to all Swim League events and a team cap and shirt so you can represent your team with pride.
Swim League is an Active Kids approved provider - that means your one-off registration cost is almost completely covered when you use a $100 Active Kids voucher towards your payment this season.
You can find the full 2021 competition schedule here.
Registrations are now open at www.swimleague.com.au. Follow @swimleagueaus on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the action this season.
