Top coach's new swim club battles for lanes in heated Albury feud
A veteran swimming coach's split from Albury Swim Club has sparked a turf war leaving 70 young swimmers unable to compete.
Albury’s once-tight swimming community has been plunged into conflict, with coaches, parents and administrators battling for training lanes and the future of the region’s rising stars.
What began as a quiet internal dispute has now become a turf war, leaving dozens of young swimmers struggling to find places to practice and unable to formally compete.
Things came to a head last week during an early morning training session when several parents demanded seven Gould Swim Club swimmers, two parents and a leading coach leave a public pool.
The dispute over lane usage was resolved with the intervention of pool staff, with a complaint made to pool-owners Albury City Council.
Wayne Gould, a decades-long club veteran, has been instrumental in the rise of many local swim champions, including world class 16-year-old Sienna Toohey.
But earlier this year the highly regarded coach retired from Albury Swim Club amid discussions regarding future employment of his assistant, Dawn Tukuniu.
Mr Gould, 71, started his own swimming group, headquartered at the long-running Gould Swim School in Boronia St, North Albury.
The school is owned and run by his family.
“I’m the one that received all the trophies and the firm handshakes and the success that comes with training people like Sienna,” Mr Gould said.
“But Dawn was the one who did all the hard work behind the scenes, you know.”
Mr Gould said 14 Albury Swim Club’s elite swimmers followed him to the new outfit, which now boasts 70 members.
But according to Gould vice president Tom O’Connor, governing body Swimming NSW has rejected their application for affiliation.
Mr O’Connor claimed a pending rule change in admissions policy was never communicated.
He said Gould would happily resubmit its application but did not have confidence it would be assessed professionally.
“Common courtesy and good governance would suggest we would have been told,” Mr O’Connor said.
“We only discovered they had changed the policy by accident.
“This inactivity from Swimming NSW is creating the situations we’re seeing now.
“We have parents believing they have the right to tell other families they can’t use a public pool.”
Coach Mr Gould said Albury Swim Centre was operating below capacity but Gould members were restricted from officially using its lanes.
Mr Gould said he wanted access to “a couple of lanes” at the Albury pool.
“We’ve got 80 kids ready to go,” he said. “We just need a fair go.”
Mr O’Connor said the 70-plus families at Gould were bracing for a turbulent summer.
“We’re just trying to train,” he said. “But the politics are unbelievable.”
In response to questions, a Swimming NSW spokesperson confirmed Gould’s application for accreditation was received on August 26, a week after its admission policy review started.
The spokesperson said the review was part of a scheduled two-year cycle and did not result in “material changes” that impacted the decision.
Gould’s application was declined by Swimming NSW in October as it “did not meet the requirements of the Swimming NSW New Club Admission Policy”.
“Gould may resubmit a renewed application to the board that meets the requirements of the policy,” the spokesperson said.
“Any revised applications received by the Swimming NSW Board will be considered on merit.
“Gould have been advised of this opportunity.”
Clubs affiliated with Swimming NSW receive essential insurance coverage to operate under the national insurance policy, access to club support services and education.
Affiliation also creates the ability for club members to enter sanctioned competitions, including State Championships.
Albury Swim Club president Marcus Dwyer said the volunteer-run organisation had run a successful Albury Open event with 215 participants.
“We’ve run club night already,” he said.
“We’re running another club night this weekend.
“We’re need to do what we are here to do and that is run a swim club.
“We’re here for our members and for our volunteers.”
In response to questions, a spokesperson from pool manager Aligned Leisure said the company was aware of an incident at Albury Pool.
The spokesperson said Aligned Leisure, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Richmond Football Club, manages four local pools including the one in Albury.
“Like all users of the Albury Swim Centre, swim club members are required to follow our terms and conditions of entry,” the spokesperson said in a written response to questions.
The spokesperson said Swim NSW accreditation did not impact a club’s ability to book lanes at Allied Leisure facilities.
“All sporting clubs and community groups are welcome to enquire about lane bookings,” the spokesperson said.
“We encourage any club to contact the relevant facility directly so our team can discuss what options are available to them.”
A Swimming NSW spokesperson said: “Swimming NSW encourages a respectful and collaborative approach amongst the local swimming community that supports the best interests of participants.”
The spokesperson said a general Swimming NSW policy was “guided by a one club for one pool” approach but the organisation remained open to all applications.
