National Open Water Coaching Association

The National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA) is a UK-based umbrella organisation for open water swimming venues. Founded by Rick Kiddle, a former British triathlon champion, NOWCA grew out of his experience managing one of England's largest open water swimming venues. Frustrated by the traditional, inefficient and administratively heavy methods of managing swimmers and venues, Kiddle developed NOWCA and its integrated systems to make swimming safer, reduce administration and put money back into the pockets of venue operators. NOWCA operates as a network of open water swimming venues across the United Kingdom, each offering a safe, supported environment for open water swimming. The organisation provides venue management systems, safety protocols and membership services. Its network includes venues such as Dock2Dock in London's Royal Docks, Blenheim Palace Lake, Chasewater Lake, Cliff Lakes, Denham Waterski Club and many others across England. The organisation serves a community of over 45,000 members. Beyond venue management, NOWCA is involved in coaching and education. Kiddle developed the first Open Water Swimming qualification — the STA Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching — which became part of the national framework and continues to run, helping hundreds of people turn their passion for open water swimming into a career. NOWCA also organises and supports events such as Dock2Dock, a major open water swimming event held in London's Royal Docks, and promotes ambassador stories to inspire the swimming community. NOWCA's mission is to open up more water, for more people, more safely. The organisation aims to increase its impact on the sport and community by acting as a spokesperson for its network of venues, engaging with its members and helping private businesses and governments create new open water swimming communities across the country.

The National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA) was founded by Rick Kiddle, a former British triathlon champion. After retiring from competitive sport, Kiddle managed one of the largest open water swimming venues in England. He found the existing methods of managing swimmers and venues to be stagnant, traditional and inefficient by modern standards, and inadequate for running a venue safely. Administrative tasks and costs were major obstacles to a venue's success. These frustrations led Kiddle to develop NOWCA and its integrated systems, designed to make people safer, reduce administration and put money back in the pockets of swimming venues, ultimately enabling more people to swim more often and more safely. One of Kiddle's passions is getting the best out of people through coaching and educating people on open water safety. This led him to develop the first Open Water Swimming qualification — the STA Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching. With the support of the STA, the course became part of the national framework and still runs today, helping hundreds of people convert their open water swimming passion into a long-term career. Kiddle persevered with NOWCA through a long and arduous road, and it is now the UK's largest network of safe open water venues. With NOWCA established, Kiddle aims to increase its impact on the sport and community by acting as a spokesperson for the large network of venues that use its systems, engaging with its 45,000+ members and helping private business and governments create new open water swimming communities across the country. NOWCA's network has expanded to include numerous venues across the UK, such as Dock2Dock in London, Blenheim Palace Lake in Oxfordshire, Chasewater Lake in Brownhills, Cliff Lakes in Tamworth, Denham Waterski Club in Denham, and many others. The organisation also supports major events like Dock2Dock, which has become a significant fixture in the UK open water swimming calendar, attracting swimmers who go on to undertake marathon swims and English Channel crossings.

• Rick Kiddle develops the first Open Water Swimming qualification, the STA Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching, with support from the STA.

• NOWCA becomes the UK's largest network of safe open water venues.

• NOWCA community reaches over 45,000 members.

The UK's largest network of safe open water swimming venues, focused on safety, community and reducing administrative burdens for venue operators.

• NOWCA venue management systems

  Integrated systems designed to make swimming safer, reduce administration and put money back into the pockets of swimming venues.

• STA Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching

  The first Open Water Swimming qualification, developed by Rick Kiddle with STA support, now part of the national framework.

• Dock2Dock

  A major open water swimming event held in London's Royal Docks, with distances including 1.5km, 10km and 15km.

1. 1Open Water Swimming near me Home - NOWCA - Official websitenowca.org
2. 2About us - NOWCA - Official websitenowca.org
3. 3Super Swimmer Story: Liam Bourke goes from pool swimmer to Dock2Dock® winner - NOWCA - Official websitenowca.org
4. 4Super Swimmer Story: From Dock2Dock® to the English Channel for Georgia Dolan-Mould - NOWCA - Official websitenowca.org
5. 5National Open Water Coaching Associationwikidata.org