Plymouth Life Centre leads the way in elite diving

The Plymouth Life Centre has reaffirmed its credentials as one of the country’s leading diving facilities by signing a high performance agreement with British Swimming.

One of only two nationally, the four-year agreement will place Plymouth at the forefront of elite diving training and coaching.

The Plymouth Life Centre has one of the best diving pools in the country, including a dryside training facility with trampolines, springboards, harnesses, crashmats and other specialist equipment. It currently runs the largest diving programme in the country and is recognised as a specialist in platform diving.

The number of elite divers on the programme has grown from four to 11, with many choosing to study in Plymouth while they train. There has also been a 300 per cent increase in the number of learn-to-dive opportunities, from 250 at the old Mayflower Leisure Centre to 1,000 at the Plymouth Life Centre.

Plymouth’s Life Centre caught the eye of the world’s diving elite before it had even been built and was used as a pre-London 2012 training camp by Canada, Mexico and Spain, who won five Olympic medals between them. It also hosted the British Gas Diving Championships last year and will welcome Canada Diving back for a training camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

The new agreement with British Swimming means Plymouth will benefit from a fully-funded assistant diving coach and strength and conditioning coach, as well as £40,000 a year to spend on sports science and medical services. British Swimming will also pay to host two diving training camps a year at the centre.

The Council is investing £10,000 a year to support the programme and has purchased a 15-metre airtrack, which aids the squad divers with learning and developing their acrobatic skills.

British Swimming Performance Manager Kim White said: “Plymouth has been a High Performance Centre since 2005 and produced numerous junior and senior international divers, including Olympic medallist Tom Daley and European Champions Sarah Barrow and Tonia Couch.

“With its new diving facilities at the Life Centre and currently no less than nine UK Sport funded divers, British Diving is presenting Plymouth with a High Performance Centre plaque as a sign of its achievements over the last three Olympic cycles. Recognition is also given to Plymouth City Council for its endless support of diving in Plymouth and SLM, who enable this relationship to be so successful.”

Deputy Council Leader Peter Smith said: “We are really pleased to be signing this agreement with British Swimming, which proves Plymouth has not only world-class diving facilities but also the professional skills and expertise to develop the next generation of diving champions. We’ll continue to work alongside our leisure operator Everyone Active to promote diving, not only in Plymouth but nationally and internationally.”

Andy Banks, Aquatics Director for Everyone Active at the Plymouth Life Centre, said: “Plymouth has a long history with elite diving and now with the fantastic facilities at the Plymouth Life Centre, working partnerships with educational establishments and great support from Plymouth City Council and Everyone Active, I know we can offer British Diving a high quality and professional High Performance Centre moving forward.”