British Swimming and the ASA have already brought one elite program to the London Aquatics Centre, a diving centre that will include Tom Daley, and another will be soon behind. Lisa Bates has been appointed as the head coach of the new London Aquatics Centre Performance Programme.
Bates will make the jump from the Middlesbrough Swimming Club, where in addition to other duties she leads the National Training Group. There, her most famous charge is 21-year old Aimee Willmott, who is a 2012 Olympian and the English National Record holder in the 400 IM in long course (4:33.64).
Willmott, whose father is also a coach at Middlesbrough, has committed to join Bates at the new London-based program after her appearance at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
“The London Aquatics Centre was built with performance in mind and we saw the very best athletes compete here in 2012,” Bates said of her new appointment. “History runs through the whole park and to be part of this moving forward is extremely exciting. To have the chance to nurture our nation’s talent in our home Olympic pool, the best facility in the country, is a privilege.”
The new program will be run, as with many of the UK’s elite clubs, as a relationship with a university. In this case, that’s the University of East London, who will offer sports scholarships and support the sports science backgrounds of the club.
Bates begins her new role on September 1, 2014 with Willmott, and a full program is expected to roll out in October of 2014.