SWIMMING Swim Ireland Appoints National Aquatic High Performance Centre Coach

Paul Donovan has been appointed as the National Aquatic High Performance Centre Coach for Swim Ireland and will officially take up his position in September 2009. Donovan joins the Swim Ireland team from his current position as Head Coach of Trojan Swimming Club. Donovan, a former swimmer from the Blackrock-based club has spent the past eight out of nine seasons working with the Trojan Swimming Club, where he previously worked under former Irish Olympian and Swim Ireland Women In Sport Manager Earl McCarthy, as an Assistant Coach and Age-Group Coach.

In 2008 Donovan spent one year in the United States working as a Volunteer Assistant Coach at the University of Florida, with the aim of further developing his coaching career. Whilst working in the Sunny South, Donovan coached alongside top names in the world of International Swimming, such as Anthony Nesty and Gregg Troy and he also gained experience coaching many US and International Olympic swimmers, among them Olympic medallist and World Record Holder Ryan Lochte.

Since returning from Florida and while coaching with Trojan Swimming Club, Donovan has coached swimmers to 9 Irish Senior Records. The South-Dublin Club also boasts swimmers representing the Club on National Teams at European Short Course Championships, World University Games and World Championships.

The specific responsibilities of Donovan's role will be to establish the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin as a High Performance Centre and to develop, manage and implement a performance programme at the centre for squad members, and national team members.

In 2006, Swim Ireland in conjunction with the Irish Sports Council and the University of Limerick collaborated to establish Ireland's first High Performance Centre for swimming. The University of Limerick High Performance Centre (HPC-UL) is managed by Swim Ireland's Limerick High Performance Centre Coach Ronald Claes, a former swimmer and native of Belgium. The Performance Centres are designed to raise the level of training opportunities for Irish swimmers and to provide the structure and programmes to allow our top swimmers to achieve success at a European, World, and Olympic level, at home in Ireland.

Peter Banks, Swim Ireland's High Performance Director commented: "Having worked within the Irish swimming scene for a long time and having also gained experience in the United States coaching at the University of Florida, Paul brings a fresh and enthusiastic element to our sport. We're excited to establish the National Aquatics Centre (NAC), which has the premier swimming pool in Ireland, as a Swim Ireland High Performance Centre and with the backing of the Irish Sports Council along with the NAC management and Sport NI, we are really looking forward to a very bright future at the NAC for our High Performance and Development teams."

Banks started his position with Swim Ireland last month. Part of his role also is to further develop the Swim Ireland Performance Centres, co-ordinating in conjunction with the relevant coaches the training, competition and associated programmes for Ireland's top athletes and managing the direction and application of sports science and sports medicine.

For further information please contact

Chantal Gibney, Swim Ireland
Ph: 086 - 381 7933
Email: edo2@swimireland.ie