Swim Ireland’s handling of coach complaints criticised

Swim Ireland has been criticised by parents of children in Galway Swimming Club following its handling of complaints about a senior coach's verbal reprimands in breach of codes of behaviour.

The club’s head coach returned to work on November 1st after a two-month suspension.

However, parents who have quit the club say the national body’s handling of the situation has been inadequate. It is understood at least 12 families have left the club in the past year.

“There is no confidence in the independence of Swim Ireland in all this,” said one of several parents who spoke to The Irish Times on the basis of confidentiality.

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The body’s complaints and disciplinary committee had directed that head coach Pearse McGuigan be suspended from “all activities as a coach or otherwise” with Galway Swimming Club over his treatment of a 14-year-old swimmer at a gala last January.

The complaint which led to his suspension related to his public reprimand of the teenager after she had talked to members of her former club during the competition at the University of Limerick swimming pool on January 21st.

Mr McGuigan’s behaviour at the gala was found to be in breach of the Swim Ireland code of conduct, which states a child should not be exposed to “criticism, hostility or sarcasm”, should not be sworn at, ridiculed, shouted at unnecessarily or argued with.

The code also states coaches should not use verbal or physical punishments or exclusion for mistakes.

At the gala, the teenager had been sent to the bench, scratched from remaining races, and was found by her parent in a state of anxiety.

Disciplinary hearing

Mr McGuigan did not attend the disciplinary hearing into this case on August 15th at the Swim Ireland headquarters but said in a written statement he had been wrongly treated and the disciplinary procedures were “flawed”.

Mr McGuigan has coached with the club for 10 years, and was league coach for the Connacht performance centre, based at NUI Galway, from 2012 to 2016.

He declined to comment when contacted by The Irish Times this week.

The complaint was one of three submitted by members of the club to Swim Ireland.

One of the other complaints, which related to the circumstances in which a family’s membership was terminated, led to a reprimand and a €400 fine being imposed on the club after a hearing.

The club reinstated the membership a day after the expulsion, and a fine of €500 was reduced to €400 as the club acknowledged its failure to follow proper procedures.

The parent involved said he believed his questioning of certain practices led to the membership suspension, and to restrictions on participation in competitive events.

A third complaint admitted by Swim Ireland did not proceed because the hearing was set for August 16th. The family concerned could not attend as it was the day of the Leaving Cert results.

At the Galway club’s recent annual general meeting, outgoing club chairman Owen Doorly is said to have referred to a “lack of support ” from the national body when “problems began to fester”.

He is said to have been critical of “strict confidentiality demands” surrounding the outcome of Swim Ireland hearings which resulted in club members “taking a different pathway” and expressing their frustration in the media .

However, according to a person who was present, he acknowledged that the suspended head coach had been a “huge and positive influence”.

A comment was sought from Mr Doorly.

Responding, Swim Ireland said any complaints relating to Galway Swimming Club had been “completed” and it could not comment on individuals.

Swim Ireland said it was “working with the new committee in Galway Swimming Club to ensure all of their policies and procedures meet Swim Ireland requirements”.

Galway Swimming Club confirmed Mr McGuigan had resumed duties in the club and would not be appealing his suspension. A spokesman said it had no comment on issues which had arisen and had now “been addressed by Swim Ireland”.