Frequently Asked Questions

We mainly train out of Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre, which is conveniently located within the city centre, and is within reasonable walking distance from all university accommodations. Bus routes also operate from early hours in the direction of the pool that can shorten the journey length. We also have S&C sessions based at Maiden Castle, and one swim session a week at Durham School’s pool.

We do not have a fixed, time-bound standard for classifying swimmers into squads, given the fluctuating standards of the club based on each year’s swimmer intake. Squad allocation is primarily the decision of the squad captains, who will take into account trial performance, past times and competitive standards, and swimmer preference. We have previously trialled a minimum requirement of a 500+ World Aquatics points swim as a prerequisite to being a performance squad member, so this could be seen as an approximate guideline to where you might find yourselves. Our development squad members all still have past experience as club and competitive swimmers.

We do not enforce or expect every swimmer to attend every session available to them. However, we would encourage all swimmers to establish a regular pattern of training and demonstrate commitment to the club. This is especially applicable to our performance squad. Training commitment is taken into account for selection for BUCS competitions and relay teams. Any swimmer who has any issues that could affect their ability to demonstrate committed attendance should communicate this with our coach and captains.

We are fortunate that Durham City Aquatics provides us with professional performance coaching for all Freeman’s Quay sessions, and to accompany us during major competitions. Our S&C and Durham School sessions are led internally. Sessions are structured around the needs of our swimmers, and phased to encourage peak performance during both BUCS weekends.

Thanks to our partnership with Durham City Aquatics, our swimmers have the opportunity to represent this club in regular local galas, extending to county, regional, and national level events. This is, of course, an additional option to compliment our key inter-university competitions (SC and LC BUCS, and BUSL). A competition calendar will be produced for swimmers in due course.

Annual membership fees vary by year and squad, and contribute towards the running of the club (booking lane space, coaching fees, etc). Additional fees apply for those who compete in university competitions that incur travel and accommodation costs. We always strive to make sure fees are as reasonably-priced as possible, and look to be transparent with costs and their purposes throughout. College participation bursaries and grants for students involved in sports are extremely common, and we will help point you towards existing schemes you can apply to that would be likely to financially support your swimming experience. For any questions regarding university level sports scholarships and bursaries, please consult Team Durham directly.

A handful of colleges have their own swim societies, that organise group swim sessions. Alternatively, Freeman’s Quay offers public lane swimming opportunities at a reasonable rate. Re-trials are always also an option- these occur bi-annually at the beginning of the academic and calendar year.