about Stockport Metro
Stockport Metro Swimming Club, based at Life Leisure Grand Central in the centre of Stockport, is home to one of the most acclaimed coaching and competitive swimming programmes in Great Britain.
Live Results: Spring Open Meet 2020 here
Our Mission & Vision
Stockport Metro’s vision is to provide swimmers with the optimum environment and the right opportunities at each stage of their development to enable them to achieve excellence. We will continue to strive for gold medal success through the provision of seamless pathways from early skill development to the Olympic podium.
Stockport Metro…the club I considered best for me.
Philosophy
Stockport Metro swimmers will be:
- encouraged to fulfil their potential as an athlete and to develop their personal and life skills;
- taught to appreciate the philosophy which embraces the virtues characteristic of all great athletes;
- encouraged to see that hard work and honest endeavour achieve success;
- brought to understand the value of supporting their team, and the value of support from their team;
- constantly challenged;
- taught to win with humility and lose with resolve, and to embrace the commitment to always do their personal best.
Our World Class Facilities
Stockport Metro is fortunate to enjoy some of the best facilities in the country, with its main base at Life Leisure Grand Central, complemented by the use of two additional 25m pools nearby.
The pool at Grand Central is 50m long with eight lanes, jumbo anti-wave lane ropes and electronic Swiss Timing in operation, with continuous scoreboard display. There are designated areas available for land training for all squads, and the centre’s main strength and conditioning gym located above the pool is benefitting from a programme of expansion and equipment upgrading.
Life Leisure and British Swimming have invested extra resources in the facility to support the HPC, providing a brand new High Performance Land Conditioning Suite complete with all the latest technology and equipment including a new camera system and technical analysis area.
Club Programmes
Junior & Youth
Led by a team of highly motivated assistant coaches and support staff, with access to some of the best facilities in the UK and more than 24 hours of pool and land training, the Junior & Youth Programmes provide comprehensive resources for swimmers who aspire to further their potential at local, regional, national and international level.
High Performance Centre (HPC)
The new High Performance Centre at Stockport Metro is a natural extension of the Metro swimming heritage, which has seen the evolution of an environment where excellent Junior and Youth programmes have consistently delivered athletes through to the highest level of swimming.
Stockport is unique in its ability to offer a proven, sustainable environment from grassroots to podium. The HPC programme aims to build on this and to become one of the best all-round swimming programmes in the world.
Synchro
Synchronised swimming is a combination of dancing, gymnastics and swimming. Synchro is performed in solos, duets or teams to music. Stockport Metro follows the competitive skill grades and the swimmers participate in regional and national level competitions, as well as displays.
Club History
mStockport Metropolitan Swimming Club was set up in 1974 by Stockport Sports Council through the efforts of the late Harry Kent and Brian Rendell who appointed Harry Sullivan as Head Coach. All the swimming clubs in the borough were invited to send swimmers for trials at St. Petersgate pool in the centre of Stockport.
The aim was to provide an opportunity for swimmers in the area to access a swimming performance pathway. The selected swimmers started training in September 1974. Our intention still remains the same. We aim to provide an opportunity where swimmers from clubs in the area can continue to progress beyond a regional level and access a world class facility and environment.
Stockport Metro has enjoyed a long history of podium success across all age groups at County, Regional, National and International levels, breaking countless British and Commonwealth records. Since moving to Grand Central Pools fourteen athletes have qualified for the Olympic Games, and the club has produced four Olympic medallists, making it the most successful in British history.
Steve Parry and Graeme Smith both won bronze medals in Athens and Atlanta respectively. Adrian Turner was a semi-finalist in Atlanta. James Goddard, a Commonwealth gold medallist, narrowly missed out on a medal in Athens.
Five Metro swimmers competed in Beijing: Keri-anne Payne who took the silver in the inaugural 10K Marathon Open Water event, Cassie Patten took the bronze in the same event, Michael Rock, James Goddard and David Carry.
A further Five Metro swimmers competed in the London 2012 games, Keri-Anne Payne, Michael Rock, David Carry, James Goddard and Sophie Allen.
1996 Atlanta
Graeme Smith
Bronze 1500m Freestyle
2004 Athens
Steve Parry
Bronze 200m Butterfly
2008 Beijing
Keri-anne Payne
Silver 10K Open Water
2008 Beijing
Cassandra Patten
Bronze 10K Open Water