Officiating

Swim England laws and rules dictate the number and type of Officials that should be officiating at a gala or open meet. All these Officials ensure that these are run smoothly and fairly.

Please be willing to support your child’s swimming by taking up training opportunities related to ‘Officials’ status and offering your help at these and other events.

If you are interested then please contact Colin Booth who will be happy to discuss what is involved.

Details of courses run in Kent can be found on the Kent County Swimming website. Here are some useful links:

All Officials must be a member of a club officiated to Swim England.

The following list describes briefly the role of the various Officials.

Referee. Has complete control of the competition, the venue and other officials in all matters of the swimming laws and conduct. The Referee’s decision is final.

Starter. Starts each event.

Stroke Judge. Patrol the side of the pool to observe the swimmers conform to the Laws of Strokes.

Place Judge. Stand at the finish of each event to decide the official places, may also act as a Turn Judge.

Turn Judge. Observe the swimmers conform to Swim England Law regarding turns and relay takeovers.

Chief Timekeeper. Records official time from each Timekeeper and, if necessary, adjusts them to suit the places with the supervision of the Referee.

Timekeeper. Take and record the time of the swimmer in the lane allotted. This is the official time, which may be adjusted in accordance with Swim England Law to suit the official places, which takes precedence over times.

Announcer. Announce results after they have been recorded, provides security awareness and any other relevant information.

Marshalls. Arranges the swimmers in each event into appropriate heats.

Licensed Club Championships & Time Trials

Our Club Championships and Time Trials are run as licensed Level 4 meets, at which Swim England times can be achieved and recorded in the Rankings Database.

Times recorded are suitable for entry into County Championships and Level 3 Meets.

Listed below is the minimum required number of officials – around 16 in total

• Referee (1) – licensed and qualified to at least J2(S)
• Starter (1) – qualified to at least J2
• Judge of Stroke (2) – qualified to at least J1
• Finish Judge (2) – no qualification or training required
• Chief Timekeeper (1) – minimum of J1 in training and qualified to Timekeeper
• Inspector of Turn/Timekeeper
  • Start End (1 per lane) – qualified to a minimum of Timekeeper
  • Turning End – at least 1 per two lanes (6 lane pool = a minimum of 3 Inspector of Turns) all of whom must be qualified to a minimum of Timekeeper.