The City of Birmingham Swimming Club was formed in the early 1980s and has sent at least one swimmer, directly or indirectly, to every Olympic Games since the Los Angeles 1984 games.

The club was constituted to enable swimmers from the Birmingham City Council’s Advanced Coaching Scheme to compete under the banner of the City of Birmingham.

The Advanced Coaching Scheme (ACS) is run and maintained by Birmingham City Council and is for highly talented individuals who have the potential to excel at national and international level. The demands of the scheme are high, but that is what is required to succeed in elite sport today.

Members of the ACS are required to become members of the City of Birmingham Swimming Club and compete under that banner. Birmingham City Council’s Swimming Development Officer coaches the ACS while the rest of the coaching staff is also employed through the city council. The Swimming Development Officer then holds the honorary title of Head Coach of the City of Birmingham Swimming Club.

Swimmers are required to be dual registered, as the City of Birmingham Swimming Club doesn’t compete at county championships, Speedo League, ‘Diddy’ league etc. Swimmers compete for their ‘home’ club at these competitions.

The club will give trials to any swimmer wishing to join the swimming club. This trial will consist of one (or a series of) session with the swimming club under the direction of the coaching staff.

Due to the nature of the scheme and its focus at a very high competitive level places are limited. The coaching staff will look at a wide range of factors influencing the decision to offer a swimmer a place, not just their current times or competition placing. Long term potential and ultimately placing swimmers on Olympic Teams are our goal and in the forefront of our thinking when offering swimmers a place.