British Swimming is pleased to confirm the appointment of Aled Davies as the new Performance Coach at the Manchester Performance Centre.
The former Swim Wales Lead Para-Swimming Coach will join the Performance Centre at the beginning of September, linking up with Manchester-based members of the World Class Aquatics Programme (WCAP).
The Manchester Performance Centre provides a world class, daily training environments for permanent athlete groups. It is an inclusive environment, with a specific focus on the discipline of para-swimming. As such Davies’ main responsibilities will be overseeing some of British Swimming’s most successful athletes, including three-time Paralympic Champion Hannah Russell and World Champion Ellie Challis.
Speaking on his appointment, Davies was looking forward to joining the team.
“I am thrilled to be starting the role this week and can’t wait to get on deck with the athletes and get to know everybody." he said
"Over the last 18 months I have been working with Swim Wales as National Para Coach alongside my day to day role as Performance Centre Manager at Nofio Clwyd which was set up back in 2013.
"Working with the Swim Wales National Para Performance Centre over the last year has offered me new exciting challenges and opportunities that I have absolutely loved and thrived in. From taking the team to the World Para Series, being invited to work with British Para-Swimming in their preparations for World Para Championships, to ultimately representing Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games it has been a wonderful season.
"Looking forwards I’m really excited about the programme in Manchester and the great set up that it is today but also how it can develop and grow in the future. My passion is, as it always has been, to help people to be the best that they can be and over the coming years in Manchester I look forward to helping more and more athletes become the best that they can be.”
British Para-Swimming Head Coach, Rob Aubry, was delighted with the appointment, which will progress the overarching aim of the centre to achieve success at the Paralympic and Olympic Games.
“Aled’s understanding and enthusiasm for the area put him in an amazing position for applying and ultimately being successful in this role.
"As a programme, we took Aled away to Lanzarote on a warm-weather training camp, where his work with the athletes shone through as a high performing coach. We’re really excited with what Aled can achieve in our new developing performance centre.
"We recognise that the Performance Centre in Manchester always grows the last two years going into a major games and Aled is coming in at the right time in the season to set up an excellent foundation on the work that has already been completed going into the 2023 World Championships.”