Register Your Interest
If you wish to register your interest in the Portmarnock Swim Team, please write to us via our Membership Secretary, and include the following:
- Your child’s name;
- Your child’s age; and
- Your child’s swimming experience to date.
The Portmarnock Swim Team aims to facilitate all athletes who wish to become members of the club. If you or your child/children have any special requirements, or you’d like more information on accessibility to the facility(ies) we use, please contact our Membership Secretary.
Criteria for Joining
All Age Groups
In order to join Portmarnock Swim Team, swimmers must be:
- At least 7 years of age.
- Capable of swimming 1 full length (25m) of front crawl / free style with appropriate breathing.
- Capable of swimming 1 full length (25 m) of back crawl.
Trials for joining the club are offered at various stages during the season, as and when places become available. New members wishing to join should contact our Membership Secretary to register their interest.
Older swimmers will be expected to cover a good distance in the pool each training session and have experience in all four competitive strokes. If you feel your child is not there yet, or if you feel that way after the trials, then we would suggest looking at the Learn to Swim Programme or Lane Swims in the Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre (PSLC). The PSLC can be reached at pool@pslc.ie.
Ages 12 and Over
In addition to the above, swimmers over the age of 12 must ideally have previous competitive swimming experience and a commitment to competing.
Trials
Overview
The first trials of the season are held at the end of August/early September. If you have registered your interest, you will be contacted by our Membership Secretary with full details.
The purpose of the trials is to allow our coaches to assess which squad would be the best fit for your child, subject to space being available.
After the session, we review the squad numbers, and if there is an appropriate place available, your child will be offered a place on the team.
Please note that attendance at trials is not a guarantee of a place, but rather the first step in a process.
What Happens at the Trials?
You should have your child ready to swim and at the side of pool about five minutes before the assigned time, where a coach will be there to meet you and your child. The coaches will ask your child to swim, to see what they are capable of in the water.
Note, the Portmarnock Swim Team is a competitive team. So, your child should be comfortable in the pool – both at the shallow and deep ends. You will be asked to wait in the viewing gallery while your child swims.
The trial should not take longer than 15 – 30 minutes.
After the Trials
We will be in touch with you as soon as possible after the trial to let you know of next steps.
While we make every effort to ensure that each child who wants to swim with the Portmarnock Swim Team has a place, we are often at capacity in certain squads, and can’t guarantee a place.
Learn more about the Portmarnock Swim Team Squads here, and our current training schedule.
After Being Offered a Place
We charge a one off joining fee of €50 in addition to the annual fee. This will be payable upon acceptance of a place, should your child be offered one and wishes to accept.
Becoming a Member
Once a swimmer has been offered a place in one of our squads, they must then become a member of the Portmarnock Swim Team. Membership of the Portmarnock Swim Team is accepted at the discretion of the Portmarnock Swim Team Club Management Committee. The membership year is from 1 September – end June.
The Portmarnock Swim Team is an affiliated member of Swim Ireland, so registration fees are also paid annually to Swim Ireland.
The following must be completed when applying for membership on an annual basis:
- Membership should be taken/renewed via the Club Management Software used for the Portmarnock Swim Team, after following a link provided by the Membership Secretary.
- Relevant Code of Conduct club documents are all available on this website here.
Transfers
If a member wishes to leave the Portmarnock Swim Team to join another club, that club must communicate with the Portmarnock Swim Team Club Secretary in writing.
The Portmarnock Swim Team may withhold a transfer if:
- The member owes fees to Swim Ireland or the Portmarnock Swim Team.
- The member holds property owned by the Portmarnock Swim Team.
- The member has a complaint made against them which is in process or pending, or in relation to a sanction which has been issued but not yet served.
If you transfer to another club, you will cease to be a member of the Portmarnock Swim Team.