Swim England's new membership system: what clubs should check

Swim England's new membership system went live on 20 October 2026, built on the Sport:80 platform. It replaces the Online Membership System (OMS) and Open Engage, which closed for the changeover at 1pm on 9 October. Swim England is moving clubs' and members' existing records across itself, so nobody has to re-enter data. What clubs need to do is mostly about being ready for activation emails and making sure their own records are clean.

This guide sets out what Swim England has said, what does not change, and a short checklist for committees. It reflects Swim England's published information as of 19 October 2026.

What Swim England has announced

• OMS and Open Engage closed at 1pm on 9 October 2026 while information moved to the new system. The new system went live on 20 October 2026. (Swim England)
• From 20 October, Swim England is inviting people to activate their accounts over several days. Not seeing an invitation on the first day is expected.
• Existing membership information is transferred securely as part of the changeover. Members and clubs do not need to move it themselves.
• Swim England says it will send tailored guidance to members, clubs and volunteers from 20 October, starting with the things to do first.
• Clubs part-way through affiliation have been told to look out for specific communication.

Swim England describes the new platform as the central system for membership and club services. (Swim England)

What it does not change

The new system is deliberately focused on membership and administration. Swim England said in June 2026 that at launch, competition entries through the new platform cover diving, water polo and artistic swimming, with swimming and Masters entries to follow in a later phase. (Swim England) For swimming galas, nothing changes yet: entries still go to the host club through the meet's own files, usually Hy-Tek or SportSystems.

Your club's own systems are also unaffected. Swim England's platform holds the governing body's membership record. The club still needs its own system for squads, registers, coaching, messaging, galas, safeguarding records and fees.

The requirement to renew DBS checks every three years is unchanged too. See DBS renewals in a swimming club.

A checklist for the committee

1. Tell members what to expect. A short message to parents and members: Swim England will email an invitation to activate the new account, invitations arrive over several days, and it is worth checking spam folders. One message from the club saves the membership secretary a week of individual questions.
2. Make sure the right volunteers are ready. The secretary, membership secretary and welfare officer are the people most likely to need club-level access. Check each knows to watch for their own activation and that the email address Swim England holds for them still works.
3. Check your own records against Swim England's. Names, dates of birth and Swim England membership numbers in the club's records should match. Membership numbers are how official times and memberships are matched to the right person, so a mistyped number causes trouble later.
4. Hold off on changing Swim England records for now. Wait for Swim England's staged guidance before changing anything on the new platform.
5. Note who has had their invitation. A simple list of who has activated helps you spot members whose email address is out of date.
6. Keep affiliation on the radar. If your club is mid-affiliation, follow Swim England's specific instructions rather than general guidance.

Where your club's own system fits

Moments like this show how much a club depends on records being accurate and held somewhere the next volunteer can find them. If membership numbers, contact details and roles live in a spreadsheet one person maintains, a governing-body change becomes that person's problem.

Olympus Swim holds the club's own membership records, roles and DBS dates in one system that the whole committee can use, with access that follows each person's role. An integration that pulls rankings directly from Swim England's data is in development and will follow once membership API access is in place. Read more about what club software should cover.

Common questions

When did Swim England's new membership system go live? On 20 October 2026. OMS and Open Engage closed for the changeover at 1pm on 9 October 2026.

Do members need to re-enter their details? No. Swim England is transferring existing membership information to the new system as part of the changeover.

Why haven't I received my activation email? Swim England is sending invitations over several days from 20 October, so not receiving one on the first day is expected. Check spam folders, and check the email address Swim England holds for you is current.

Can swimmers enter galas through the new system? Not at launch. Swim England said competition entries through the new platform initially cover diving, water polo and artistic swimming. Swim England says swimming entries will follow in a later phase. Until then, gala entries continue through the host club's meet files.

Does this change DBS requirements? No. Swim England still requires DBS checks for regulated roles to be renewed every three years.

Written by Joel Knight, swimming coach and founder of Olympus Swim (about). Checked against Swim England's published information on 19 October 2026.

Checked 19 October 2026