Churchie Swim Club coach Richard Sleight takes legal action against Anglican Church Grammar School
A sacked Churchie Swim Club coach is taking legal action against Anglican Church Grammar School, lodging an unfair dismissal claim.
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Sacked Churchie Swim Club coach Richard Sleight is taking legal action against Anglican Church Grammar School, lodging an unfair dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission.
In the claim against the elite school, filed through Maurice Blackburn Lawyers on Thursday, January 9, Mr Sleight describes its decision to terminate him as “devastating”.
Mr Sleight was appointed head coach of Churchie Swim Club in late 2023 and in 2024 the squad posted its best-ever results at the national and state championships.
It followed a tumultuous time for the East Brisbane club – which is open to the wider community – after former coach Benjamin James David Allen was convicted of one count of sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in 2022.
In late December 2024, as exclusively reported by The Courier-Mail, the entire club committee and its elite squads quit over the school’s outsourcing of its aquatic program to Rackley Swim Team, which resulted in the axing of Mr Sleight and assistant head coach Liam Smith.
The high-performance swimmers, many of them considered Olympic prospects, have this year started with rival clubs, including St Peter’s, Nudgee, Somerville House, Brisbane Grammar and The Southport School.
A shattered Mr Sleight is believed to be seeking, at the very least, payout of his five-year contract, due to expire in September 2028.
The full dollar figure is yet to be determined.
“I loved my job at Churchie and was proud to lead an exceptional group of students and athletes to the school’s most successful swim program results,” Mr Sleight said.
“The decision to outsource the program came out of the blue and is not supported by the vast majority of the swim team.
“The decision to remove me is devastating as elite swim coaching is a highly-skilled, small field.”
Since the widely unpopular exit of Mr Sleight, ex-committee members, Churchie parents and (now former) club swimmers have come forward, expressing their disgust at the school’s handling of the matter.
The Courier-Mail has repeatedly contacted Churchie for comment but it has not responded.
Patrick Turner, principal lawyer with Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, said:
“Mr Sleight is one of Australia’s leading swimming coaches for young athletes and was poached from St Peter’s Lutheran College in late 2023 and given a five-year contract.
“He experienced immediate success, leading Churchie’s strong performance at state and national swim titles in 2024.
“The school did not consult with Mr Sleight at all about the decision to make his role redundant or provide Mr Sleight any meaningful opportunity to change its mind. Nor did Churchie attempt to redeploy Mr Sleight.
“Churchie holds itself out as a community leader that instils empathy and respect in its students. Our client has not been treated consistently with those values at all. We have begun legal proceedings against the school and will be seeking justice for Mr Sleight.”
kylie.lang@news.com.au
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