{"id":579114,"date":"2024-02-26T18:14:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T01:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=579114"},"modified":"2024-02-27T15:54:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T22:54:31","slug":"david-proud-appointed-head-coach-of-sydneys-southern-performance-centre-on-the-road-to-brisbane-2032","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/david-proud-appointed-head-coach-of-sydneys-southern-performance-centre-on-the-road-to-brisbane-2032\/","title":{"rendered":"David Proud Appointed Head Coach of Sydney\u2019s Southern Performance Centre On The Road To Brisbane 2032"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Proud Appointed Head Coach Of Sydney\u2019s Southern Performance Centre <\/strong><\/p>\n

Swimming NSW has today officially announced the appointment of award-winning Queensland coach David Proud<\/strong> to lead its highly anticipated Southern Performance Centre based out of Sydney\u2019s Sutherland Leisure Centre.<\/p>\n

As the new Head Coach, Proud says he will focus his immediate attentions on preparing swimmers from one of Sydney\u2019s largest junior sports participation areas for an Olympic pathway to Brisbane in 2032.<\/p>\n

As well as educating them and celebrating the club\u2019s extraordinary history with such names as Ian Thorpe, Craig Stevens, Simon Cowley, Kirsten Thompson <\/strong>and Jason Cram.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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ON DECK: David Proud, coaching the coaches at the SCTA Four Corners Session at the SCTA 2023 Conference Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (SCTA)<\/p><\/div>\n

And it\u2019s who\u2019s who of successful dedicated coaches like Greg Hodge, Doug Frost<\/strong> and Tracey Menzies, <\/strong>who laid all the foundations.<\/p>\n

The Sutherland Shire is a thriving sporting metropolis in southern coastal reaches of Sydney and has long been a swimming stronghold in NSW \u2013 particularly in the 1990s and 2000s.<\/p>\n

Proud, a former British international distance swimmer, \u00a0moves from the Brisbane-based Swimming Australia Hub where he has worked under celebrated Olympic gold medal coach Vince Raleigh<\/strong> after plying his trade alongside another highly regarded Olympic coach, another Englishman in Chris Nesbit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2022 Proud was named the Swimming Coaches And Teachers Association Multi-Class Coach of the Year after coaching Will Martin<\/strong> to Tokyo Paralympic gold in the 400 freestyle S9 and gold in the 100m butterfly in world record time.<\/p>\n

He was also instrumental in preparing Kai Edwards<\/strong> for the Olympic Open Water 10km under Nesbit\u2019s reign in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Swimming NSW is confident Proud\u2019s appointment will \u201cdrive the development of swimming talent in the southern metropolitan region and bolster NSW coaching capability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proud brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise garnered from that recent tenure alongside Raleigh and having played a pivotal role in coaching athletes gearing up for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Trials, in Brisbane in June.<\/p>\n

Swimming NSW says that Proud\u2019s decision to relocate from Queensland to NSW underscores his commitment to fostering swimming excellence.<\/p>\n

With CEO and Sydney 2000 Olympic swimmer Kirsten Thomson, <\/strong>knowing only too well how important this appointment is, having herself been a past product from the Sutherland Shire.<\/p>\n

Thompson welcomed Proud’s appointment, saying: \u201cDavid’s passion and expertise will be an invaluable asset to our swimming community in NSW and we look forward to supporting David and we are confident that his appointment will place NSW \u00a0in a strong position for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proud made his mark in Australian swimming circles when he joined TSS Aquatic in 2010.<\/p>\n

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DYNAMIC DUO: David Proud (R) with dual Paralympic gold medallist Will Martin. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (SCTA)<\/p><\/div>\n

There, he led the Junior Swimming Program and mentored notable athletes such as Edwards, Jessica Walker, Emma Robinson<\/strong>, and another Tokyo Olympian in Kiah Melverton<\/strong>, guiding them to Olympic and International senior and junior teams.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Proud assumed the role of Swimming Director at Nudgee College, where he collaborated with a team of five coaches and worked closely with the Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist, Martin, showcasing his ability to nurture talent across diverse disciplines.<\/p>\n

Proud is excited by the move and is up for the challenge working with the group who swim under the SLC Aquadot banner, saying: \u201cThere is no reason why we can\u2019t really build something out of Sutherland and I\u2019m looking forward to starting and I know there is a good group of swimmers there and it\u2019s up to myself as Head Coach and our group of coaches to develop the team and work really hard as a coaching team to get the best out of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m keen to bring some of the history back into the club and to celebrate that initially and give the kids people to look up to and to remind them of the history of this club and the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo give them someone to aspire to be and at the start it will be educating them a lot on what it takes to succeed in the sport at the highest level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a lot of work to be done from the coaches and I\u2019m really looking forward to starting and trying to compete with the clubs in Queensland and seeing if we can mix it with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proud reflected on what he has learnt from his mentors, Chris Nesbit and Vince Raleigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been fortunate enough to spend two years in the Brisbane Hub with Vince looking at some of the world\u2019s best swimmers and how they train and how they go about doing what they do. And now I\u2019m ready to put that into practice,” said Proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir success is no fluke when you have people like Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook<\/strong> and seeing how he goes about doing what he does.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe puts a lot of thought into his preparation and learning from him and looking at what he does has been really invaluable over the last couple of years\u2026.and I can take all that information and use it to develop the next generation as we look at the Olympics in 2032.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having built up a coaching resume across distance\/open water and sprint-based pool swimming for Olympic and Paralympic swimmers has placed Proud in a strong position to steer \u201canyone who walks through his door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou work with the athletes in front of you in and out of the pool and you develop them into what you think is the best area for them,\u201d \u00a0says Proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a distance swimmer myself and I started with a distance group at TSS but when I went to Nudgee College, I had a lot of 100m swimmers and there was Will Martin the Paralympic swimmer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I had to learn more about preparing Will and working with sprinters and I had to go out and source that information to get better\u2026it\u2019s about coaching whoever walks through your door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proud said he would be working with the SLC Aquadot juniors and the National Age group squad and developing from within and working with the junior section of the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a fantastic opportunity to identify and nurture emerging swimming talent in a region renowned for its swimming prowess. If you look after the juniors and you look after the Age group swimmers then the club is going to flourish and I want to bring back that past glory and make sure people are aware of that history, it\u2019s very important,\u201d said Proud, who will make the move south after the Australian Age and Open Championships on April 20.<\/p>\n

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Swimming NSW Launches Latest Olympic Inspired Push To Make The Once Premier State Great Again\u00a0<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n