About us

Levelling The Deck is an initiative that supports everyone to find a welcoming place in our swimming community. It’s proudly brought to you by SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia.

Our Diversity Initiative

Success is achieving diversity in sports that reflects the diversity we see today in our wider community. When all of us – of every age, gender, race and ability – feel like we belong in swim classes and pools across Australia, we are free to enjoy and excel at sport. Levelling the Deck supports awareness through information, fosters understanding through training and creates practical ways of contributing to a more inclusive society. We all have a role in levelling the deck.

Our Team

Joanne Love

President, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Lynn Elliot

Vice President, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Brendon Ward

CEO, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Anna Walker

Program Designer, Levelling the Deck

Victoria Clark

Project Manager, SWIM Jobs Victoria

Joanne Love

Past President, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Lynn Elliot

President, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Brendon Ward

CEO, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Anna Walker

Program Designer, Levelling the Deck

Victoria Clark

Project Manager, SWIM Jobs Victoria

Understand

Real life stories of inclusion in our swim community

Learn

A series of diversity and inclusion online training courses

Do

Six practical steps everyone can do to level the deck

"As we witness Australian women excelling in sports, there has never been a better time than now for initiatives like Levelling the Deck to create lasting change."
Joanne Love, SWIM Coaches & Teachers Australia

Understand

We all have a journey. When we experience authentic stories from members of our swimming community, we can gain a better understanding of diversity.

Helping all children reach their swimming potential

Swim 4 All

Swim 4 All was founded to provide an environment where children with autism could learn to swim. As a parent of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome, as a swim teacher and coach, and through her involvement in a support group for children with autism, founder Natalie Fintrop-Clarke was aware that there was a deficit of swim schools accommodating children with autism.

Swim 4 All’s philosophy is that everyone is welcome, no matter what abilities or disabilities they may have, and aims to help all students reach their swimming potential.

A large proportion of its students are neurodivergent. Natalie has found that many of her students learn best in one on one classes but supports students joining mainstream classes when they are able. When staffing allows, Swim 4 All offers private classes and mainstream classes at the same facility. The idea is that the whole family can come and have swimming lessons, and children starting out in private lessons have an option to later join mainstream classes.

A major focus for teachers at Swim 4 All is to get to know each student. “How do they learn and how do you adapt your teaching to help that student? If a student has a special interest, engage with them about their special interest. Use that in your teaching of them.”

“It’s just getting used to each student, find out all you can about them and then read up on that. If they have autism, read up on the characteristics of autism and what you might expect so that you’re informed. Don’t assume that every kid on the autism spectrum is the same either but have a bit of understanding.”

Natalie encourages parents to be forthcoming with information about their children’s needs. “Lots of parents don’t want their kids to have a label, or think they’ll change, or don’t want to give that information. Every parent is different, and their choice is their own. But I say to them, any information you give me is only accessed by reception and the teacher, and the more information the teacher has, the better the job they’re going to do.”

She encourages parents to bring their child to the teacher on their first lesson and chat to the teacher about their child. “Our first lesson should always be gaining information and having a great time with the child, so they want to come back. Instilling rules like you can’t run, you can’t jump, you must stay in your space so as not to impact on others. But while we’re in our space, what would you like to do? Do you like getting things off the bottom? Do you like the noodle?”

“It’s very much talking to them- communicating with them, communicating with their parents. For example, “if they’re non-verbal, [asking] “what can your child understand? How do I make them feel safe?”

The program is designed to give students the same space and teacher for every lesson, so the environment can be consistent as possible.

Natalie says that it’s important for teachers to understand kids’ abilities as well as any disabilities they have and allow them to excel in what they’re good at, in addition to correcting what they’re not yet good at. For example, if a child is skilled at breaststroke, which is normally taught after freestyle and backstroke, the teacher could start the lesson with a few laps of breaststroke.

Swim 4 All’s focus on welcoming everyone, encouraging communication, and knowing the individual applies to staff as well as students. Staff are encouraged to contact Natalie or the manager as needed, and to communicate their needs so that they can be supported. Support can include reformatting lesson plans for a teacher with dyslexia, repeating information as needed for a teacher with a learning disability, or giving teachers as much time as needed to complete their training hours. Some of the staff who have taken the longest to complete their training hours have become the best teachers.

Natalie is proud of Swim 4 All’s achievements. In teaching countless children to swim, there have been moments that stood out, such as seeing a student with no movement in his legs and limited movement in one arm gain the ability to swim across the pool and delight in the sense of freedom. Some swimmers who began in private lessons at Swim 4 All have become staff members. Another former student has become a world champion triathlete and credits his achievements to the confidence he gained at his former swim school.

Developing a safe and supportive club welcoming LGBTQIA+ swimmers

Glamourhead Sharks

In 2001, a group of swimmers in Melbourne got together to start the Glamourhead Sharks and prepare themselves to participate in the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney, following in the footsteps of Wett Ones, their sister club in Sydney which formed in 1991.

They began with a few sessions a week on the south side of the Yarra River and one coach. As at the beginning of September 2024, the club offers five weekly sessions, north and south of the river, has a pool of coaches, and just over 100 members.

Club President and long-time member Paul Whelan shares more information about the club.

What is your mission/ purpose/ goal?

Health, fitness, community and inclusion.

Whether you want to swim to get fit or improve your swimming for competition, we cater to a wide variety of skill levels.

We aim to create a welcoming place for swimmers of all ages and genders to participate. We also recognise the value of social events outside of the pool and the camaraderie built when the team get together to compete locally and away.

Can you tell me about the philosophy/culture of the club?

As queer people we have spent lifetimes fighting for equality and inclusion. We also recognise and celebrate our queerness as a point of difference. It is our difference as queer people that is the basis for our club’s culture. You can find us at swim comps in colourful togs, cheering for each other, waving to the camera from behind the blocks, and generally being visible queer folk in the masters swimming community.

When we host our own swim meet (every two years) we have a little opening ceremony with dancers and drag queens and after the races are swum, we host a big buffet dinner with our famous trifle competition. We are often told by the (quite straight) masters swimming community that it is their favourite competition in the calendar. Visibility in pride is very important to us.

What are some barriers to LGBTQIA+ participation in swimming?

There have been a few studies that have investigated queer people’s participation in sport and what barriers, homophobia and discrimination they have faced. One that springs to mind is titled ‘Out on the Fields’. We know implicitly and now empirically that young queer people tend to avoid participating in sport, especially team sport, forvarious reasons.

Having dedicated queer sporting clubs enables those people (albeit later in life) to rediscover sport in a safer, more welcoming environment. We can be ourselves at the Glams – can throw off the day and be a bit silly together while also getting fit and improving our swimming. But taking that initial plunge can be pretty daunting. I often say to new members at the club who are a bit nervous that they have already taken the biggest step – just showing up for the first time.

How do you create a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ people within your club?

It can be a daunting prospect to turn up for your first session with a queer swim squad. Getting down to your togs and trying to fit in with an established groups of friends is not easy. We have members who take the lead on introducing new swimmers at their first session and we make sure that the coach gets some one-on-one time with them before they jump in. There is often a bit of cheeky banter between the coaches and the swimmers which breaks any illusion that we’re all there being serious athletes.

We always have club announcements during a training session and that’s when we will introduce and applaud swimmers at their first session. Then we know they’ll be taken care of in their lane.

What do you do to ensure your members’ voice are heard/ their needs are met?

We have a volunteer committee that runs the day-to-day of the club and is made up from the membership. As well as informal feedback directly to coaches or committee members, we also seek input from our membership through surveys or direct communication.

What do you look for in a coach? Do you provide any special training?

There are minimum training requirements for coaches of a masters swim squad. Many of our coaches have actually come from the squad itself. They see coaching as a way of giving back to the club. This helps to reinforce our culture a bit too.

What strategies do you use to reach LGBTQIA+ identifying swimmers and get new members? How do you promote club visibility?

The Glams are a regular feature at Midsumma events with a booth at Carnival every year and you can often find us in the pride parade. In 2023 we ran a very successful ‘Give Swimming a Go’ event as part of Midsumma and participated in a number of pool party events to promote the club.

We have reached out to other sporting codes in the past to promote the club, but we often find that people find us organically. As we are not a ‘learn-to-swim’ club but a club for people who swim, the kinds of people that are suited to us are usually on the lookout for a masters club to swim with. Some of our members hear about us on the grapevine, otherwise they have been specifically seeking out a queer swim club directly.

Do you participate in any LGBTQIA+ events?

Oh yes! Apart from the Midsumma events, we regularly have groups of Glams jet off to interstate and overseas competitions. One of my most cherished memories was to attend the Gay Games with a big group of Glams in Paris in 2018.

We hosted the IGLA championships in Melbourne in 2020 and are keeping our fingers crossed that Melbourne wins its bid for the Gay Games in 2030.

Do you have any partnerships with other LGBTQIA+ groups?

We are connected to other queer swim clubs in Australia and overseas through formal and informal channels. We are a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) association and Masters Swimming Australia. We have working relationships with other queer sporting clubs in Melbourne through shared fundraising ventures and competition focused committees (IGLA and Gay Games).

What advice would you give to other swimming clubs/ organisations trying to create a more welcoming/ inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ swimmers?

Listen to your members – there are definitely some queer ones in there. If they are not outwardly vocal, ask them about inclusivity. And remember that language matters. Sometimes it is the words that you use that reinforce whether queer identities are included or excluded.

Can you share any future plans?

Just keep swimming!