How Swimming Meets Work

Licence levels

Meets, and the four levels

Meets are competitions where swimmers enter individual events using their personal best times. Swim England licenses meets at four levels:

🥇Levels 1 & 2

The highest grade, with strict qualifying times. Level 1 runs in 50m pools, Level 2 in 25m pools.

🥈Level 3

Where swimmers chase times for County and Regional Championship entry — with upper and lower time limits.

🥉Level 4

For club swimmers and newcomers — generally no minimum qualifying times. The perfect first meet.

📊Your times

Check personal bests, rankings and licensed meets on the Swim England database.

swimmingresults.org

Team racing

Our leagues

EDSC fields teams in four leagues across the season — from a first taste of racing to chasing the best club in the country.

🟢Tudor League

All ages · 6 galas, held locally in the first half of the year, against 8 local teams. The introduction to competing: upper time limits (usually Kent County qualifying times) keep the level friendly, the first 5 rounds decide the league and the 6th is a stand-alone shoot-out for the Tudor Cup. Our aim: introduce new swimmers to competition and get as many racing as possible. Coach: Paul Graimes.

🟡White Horse League

All ages · 4 galas in the first half of the year against 8 local teams — picking up where Tudor finishes in standard, again with upper time limits. All 4 rounds count. Our aim: field the strongest team possible, the fastest swimmer in each age group and stroke. Coach: Damian Edmonds.

🟠Kent Junior League

Up to age 13 · 3 galas across the county in March, June and September, against 24 teams, to find the fastest junior club in Kent. No upper time limits; all 3 rounds count. Our aim: the strongest possible junior team. Coach: Paul Graimes.

🔴National Arena League

All ages · 3 galas in October–December. We race in the NAL South (around 90 southern teams; other regions run in parallel) — the ultimate aim is to crown the best club in the country. No time limits, promotion and relegation apply. Our aim: the strongest team in every age group. Coach: Damian Edmonds.

How teams are selected

Selection is made by the coach responsible for each league, primarily on times recorded in SwimClub Manager from the current and previous season — alongside behaviour and effort in training, injuries/illness and training attendance. To be in the frame you'll be a hard worker with great attendance, aptitude and attitude, a team player who goes the extra mile and is injury free.

Swimmers may be picked for any events (not necessarily their favourites — the team's points come first) and occasionally for relays only. Swimmers may not be selected if they haven't followed the EDSC Code of Conduct, withdrew from a previous round in an unsatisfactory way, or didn't reply to selection in good time. Remember… it's a huge honour and privilege to be selected to represent your club. Go EDSC!

White Horse League resources

Team managers from all eight WHL clubs will find round-by-round entry files, programmes, DQ code sheets and Swim England data-validation tools on our resources page. Entries must be submitted by 10am on gala day.

WHL resources

Also in competitions

Ready to race

📰Competition news

When entries open, when they close early and when arrangements change — straight from the club's news feed.

Read competition news

📅Our meet calendar

The four meets EDSC hosts each season, in running order, with entry packs, deadlines and results.

See the meet calendar

Fancy your first race?

Level 4 meets are made for newcomers. Book a trial and our coaches will get you started.

Book a Trial