Aquatic Development Manager & Salford Head Coach / Group A
I started swimming from a very early age after it was recommended due to temporary paralysis caused by an allergic reaction to a vaccine. My swimming career took me from Atherton SC to Tyldesley SC and then an 8 year membership of Wigan Wasps who were unrivalled as the best club in that particular era when 5 members went to the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and then 8 to the LA Olympics 1984. I was involved in other sports up to the age of 12 and had county trials for Rugby League and was a Brown Belt at Karate which I had to give up due to persistent knee problems and the need to focus on swimming which was becoming my obvious talent.
As a swimmer, I was National Champion for my age several times for the 200m Butterfly and also made finals in the 400m Freestyle, 400m IM and 100m Butterfly. I retired at 17 which still remains a regret as those who used to finish behind me at nationals went on to gain Olympic selection. I represented the England Youth Team from 1985 – 1986 and also captained Lancashire in 1986.
After finishing swimming, I took my teaching qualifications and started working as a teacher/lifeguard at Wigan facilities and a private school in Bolton. I also worked on School Holiday and Activity programmes coaching other sports whilst also coaching for Keith Bewley back at the Wasps. I continued this pattern whilst doing a degree in Leisure Management in Sheffield. Jobs were scarce after graduation so my best bet for a job was something I was expereienced in and qualified to do. I moved away form home to Cardiff SC and City Council, starting a full time Swimming Development and Coaching role as assistant to Dave Haller. In this time, I coached 14 National Medallists, 4 National Champions, 4 GB Junior Swimmers and developed the early career of Olympic Medallist David Davies up to 15 years.
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Since joining Salford in 2001, John has taken the programme from strength to strength and championed the home-grown talent ethos. John has taken many swimmers from grassroots to the international stage, including many national and international titles including Senior British titles, World & European medalists and Paralympic medal success at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 where he was part of the GBR coaching programme.
TOM NELSONAssistant Development Manager / Group B Coach
I started swimming lessons from when I was three years old and was involved in multiple sports up until age 12, when I decided that swimming would be my priority. This was a double-edged sword for me, as I was a naturally talented tennis player and had family history within the sport although swimming was the sport I enjoyed more.
Having these early experiences within multiple sports would serve me well, acquiring fundamental movement skills from each sport that would help enhance my swimming experience. As a swimmer, I had absolutely no talent- I am the first person to admit this. What I did have as an athlete was a highly regarded work-ethic and drive to embrace the process.
As a consequent, my swimming career had a natural progression to it:
12 years old- county qualifier, 14 years old- regional qualifier, 16 years old- national qualifier, 18 years old- international representative for GBR.
My career highlights as a swimmer were competing at the 2014 FINA World Junior Open Water championships- finishing in 5th and 27th in my respective events. The 2014 LEN European Junior Open Water championships- finishing in 24th and winning multiple national medals within open water swimming.
I then went onto complete a degree at Liverpool John Moores University, gaining a 2:1 in Sport Development with the Business of Sport. After some time away from swimming, I had decided that I wanted to get back into the sport from a coaching perspective.
I started out by getting my teaching and coaching qualifications, alongside working at a couple of local leisure centres. I would then start coaching at my local club Wirral Metro, working primarily with the junior swimmers and gaining invaluable experience of what was required from the ground up.
Afterwards, I would then get a coaching role at the Ellesmere College Swimming Academy. In my time at the academy, I had coached with all the groups and it proved to be a very successful year. As a result, there were seven international swimmers I had coached including a bronze medalist at the 2022 European Junior Swimming Championships and gold and bronze medalists at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival.
I have been very lucky to have competed against and worked with very good people, that have had a positive and profound impact upon myself as a coach and as a person. For a lack of talent I had as a swimmer, this allows me to appreciate the process of developing athletes within the sport more than most.
I’m always looking to develop myself as a coach and uphold my core values such as work-ethic, enjoying the process and learning from others; coaches and athletes. Finally, I’ve always seen coaching in bringing out the best in a person’s inner qualities and implementing them. On a personal level, I’ve been through a fair bit of adversity in my time although I have utilised that to my advantage. As a result, I always thrived on the big occasions as an athlete as I had nothing to fear; just enjoyed it. This is something I value most of all when coaching athletes, bringing out their best qualities and maximising their potential.
JOE STOUTAge Group Coach
I started my career at the bottom of the ladder at Salford being the slowest of 6 boys in my age group. Through pure hard work and determination I worked my way up to achieve multiple national titles, including British Age Group Champion in 200m butterfly, winning the Paris final at British Championships and the opportunities to represent England and GB at various competitions.
The most common thread throughout my career has been a ‘never give up’ attitude, faced with all the challenges of growing up as well as being an athlete there are always new hurdles that need to be cleared especially when you are determined to be the best you can be, dislocating my knee and being out the pool for 3 months in the 2018/19 season then going on to win British gold in the summer in not one but two events, becoming the first Salford swimmer ever to take gold at national level both in the pool and open water, was an incredible achievement and a testament to my beliefs about hard work, determination and mental resilience.
I have started coaching at Salford because I am incredibly passionate about this sport and want to provide the same opportunities and experiences I’ve had the privilege of having, to young swimmers who can have those happy memories with their families the rest of their lives, by conveying my core beliefs surrounding dedication, determination and resilience, I hope to educate and inspire young athletes to take the same path I once took and go on to achieve incredible things in the sport, in addition to developing essential traits and characteristics they can use throughout the rest of their lives.
Working with Salford Community Leisure’s (SCL) Swimming Development Programme we nurture swimmers from post lessons to the international stage.