University News Last updated 20 November 2018
City of Birmingham Swimming Club has joined forces with Birmingham City University in a new partnership aimed at boosting the opportunities available for swimmers and students.
The collaboration will see university students secure work placements with the club, where they will gain valuable experience working with elite athletes in areas such as sports massage, nutrition and fitness.
Swimmers will also benefit, with the partnership set to create a new scholarship to support high-achieving swimmers to train and compete throughout their studies at the University.
The University is home to a wealth of sports clubs and societies and students regularly compete in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions, however the partnership is expected to attract keen swimmers, thanks to the new opportunities it presents.
Mark Jeffreys, Birmingham City University, said: “We are delighted to join forces with the City of Birmingham Swimming Club.
“The chance to gain experience working with elite athletes is a unique and fantastic opportunity for our students to put skills learnt in their degree studies into action and gain vital experience to prepare them for life after graduation.”
The City of Birmingham Swimming Club was formed by Birmingham City Council in the 1980s and is one of the very few swim programmes to have consistently developed international swimmers throughout its entire history.
Carl Grosvenor, Head Coach at City of Birmingham Swimming Club, added: “This is a hugely exciting partnership that we know has great mutual benefit to both organisations. The process of working with Birmingham City University has been so seamless and all the staff involved have been so willing and motivated to create this link. With Birmingham hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games, sport in the city is front and centre and the time to develop this new way of working is now.
“The expertise and facilities available in the University’s new Sports Department offer an outstanding opportunity for our swimmers, coaches and programme as a whole to take it to the next level. The offer of a swimming scholarship aimed at elite athletes looking to gain a degree while maintaining elite level performance, is a game changer for us and puts another fantastic option on the table for all elite swimmers approaching university age.”
The partnership plans to announce its first scholarship September 2019 and offer placements to current students from February 2019.