STATEMENT: Pioneer79 Swimming Club COVID-19 update

Last year, Pioneer79 Swimming Club celebrated its 40th birthday, and our small community club has achieved a lot, providing many reasons to celebrate over the last four decades.

In fact, we’re proud to have taught many thousands of children to swim and to have given them life skills to succeed in adulthood, developing winners.Recently, Pioneer79 has made some changes in line with our five-year plan, and the future looks optimistic and bright.

We have recently advertised for another full-time member of staff – a Learn To Swim Manager – and added Director of Swimming and Performance Coach posts to our ever-expanding roster.

We have a purpose, a process and above all, we have passionate people, from swimmers, coaches and volunteers to committee members, officials, trustees and parents, who all play key roles in making the club a success.

Recent events surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak have put all this in jeopardy. As such, we have to make longer term plans to ensure that we are still the same club after the pandemic.

From May 2020, our voluntary long-term closure fee policy will be in place, as we have been given no indication that our pools will be reopening in mid-April.

We appeal to you all as members of this club to consider maintaining your membership fee payments at their current level where possible, or to move to our voluntary long-term closure rate, which is reduced by 50 per cent.

This will allow the club to retain the services of the competitive coaches, who have been working on club administration and delivering at-home content to their competitive groups (depending on the club’s financial position, these measures will be extended to further groups going forward), while also supporting our teachers where possible.  

We realise that asking you to pay for services you’re not currently receiving is extremely unorthodox, even if it is voluntary. Under normal circumstances this would simply not happen, but we are faced with a completely unique and unprecedented crisis that requires different considerations.

For those who have already cancelled payments but want to remain members of Pioneer79 under the new voluntary fee structure please set up your standing orders accordingly. We ask our members to please email membership to indicate which fee you will be paying.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do you expect training/lessons to resume?

Current indications from the UK Government suggest that strict social distancing measures may be in place for at least three months. While we hope to resume training/lessons as soon as possible, we must put the safety of our swimmers, parents and coaches first. We will be in touch with further updates. In our financial planning and setting of the new fee structure, we were counting on restarting training in September, or sooner if feasible. The club’s viability past that time will depend on our member attrition rates and how we benefit from government support programmes. Our situation is not unique. You can find guidance and answers to FAQs on the Swim England website.

2. If coaches and the club benefit from government support programmes, will this be reflected in monthly fees?

If we receive government assistance, we will look to pass further cost savings on to Pioneer79’s members. Details would depend on how long the lockdown lasts and when the club fully reopens. In any case, the club is not looking to profit from this situation.

3. Why are you not suspending fees like most gyms and leisure centres?

Pioneer79 is a not-for-profit charity swimming club run by a committee made up of parent volunteers, who are also paying members. We hire pool lanes and employ coaches who train a variety of squads and swimmers. If we were to completely suspend fees, it’s likely the club’s operations would become unsustainable in the near future. While each swimming club has its own financial situation and liabilities, many are taking a very similar approach.

4. Can I suspend my membership and reinstate when the club reopens?

We do not offer an option to put memberships on hold during this time, as it would not be fair to other paying members whose children are also not swimming due to the current COVID-19 lockdown.

5. How can I cancel my membership?

We would be sad to see members leave during this time, but we do understand that in some cases it is unavoidable.  We sincerely hope that cancelations during this period will be kept to a minimum, as we may need to cut our operational capacity when we reopen. We ask you to please email membership before you cancel standing orders, as this will reduce workloads and prevent any confusion.

6. Can I do anything to help the club during this time?

If you feel you are able to help in any way, please contact [email protected]