About our Club
Linslade Crusaders is a Swim England SwimMark accredited club.
Our friendly and passionate club ensures that every member counts as we aim to develop their full swimming potential. Through our structured pathway system swimmers will improve on all their technical skills while developing speed and endurance.
We welcome swimmers from Learn to Swim Level 5-10. Those starting out on their competitive swimming careers and those striving to compete at Counties, Regionals and Nationals.
Our dedicated teachers and coaches are all DBS checked and are qualified to the standards required by Swim England. These all work under the guidance of our Head Coach, Adrian Smith. Adrian is a holder of the Swim England UKCC Senior Coach qualification. Our Assistant Head Coach, Simon Wright holds the Swim England UKCC Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Swimming.
Crusaders History
Crusaders Swimming Club was started following an unsuccessful attempt to form a training squad for swimmers in the South Bedfordshire area. At that time there was, and still is, a high demand for learn to swim lessons, and as a result water time was obtained on Sunday afternoons at Lewsey Pool in Luton, and under the supervision of Colin Moore, the original Crusaders Club Coach, with the assistance of Colin and Pauline Swaithes and Mr and Mrs Tom Nairn, the Crusaders Self Help Learn to Swim scheme was launched. From this grew our current club, which at the moment has a membership of approaching 170.
Linslade Crusaders was one of the original founding members of the Chiltern League, which was formed in the late 1980s to give the young, inexperienced novice swimmers the experience of competitive swimming. In 1996 Linslade Crusaders took the decision to enter two further leagues, the Home Counties and the prestigious National Speedo League. The club currently swims in not only the Chiltern League, division 1, junior league division 2 but also Arena League 3.
Our Club is very proud of its beginnings, especially its Learn to Swim scheme, where many of our current swimmers started their swimming journey. This demonstrates the loyalty of the Club’s swimmers to the Club, coach and teachers.
Linslade Crusaders also helps to develop school swimming by hosting a successful schools gala for the town’s middle schools.