Coaching Team
TYSSS members benefit from having a team of experienced and talented coaches headed up by Danny Martland, supported by Vicky Holt. The team works across all training groups, getting to know all swimmers and ensuring they have a cohesive but challenging training programme helping them to reach their technical and physical potential.
Athlete Focused.
Team Driven.
Head Coach: Danny Martland
Senior Swim England Coach
Danny holds the Senior Swim England Coaching qualification and brings 30 years of experience in Swimming to the Head Coach role at TYSSS. He has experience working with athletes across the age range from 8-28+
He has been Head Coach since 2015 and during his tenure he has supported a transformation in the coaching programme at the Club, coaching multiple National finalists and medalists from 13 Age Group to Open.
As well as coaching, Danny is:
Head Coach for the University of York Swimming Team (2013 to date).
Team Manager (TM2) and Life-guard trained.
Danny has previously worked for Swim England as a National Development Coach. He has also coached Team Yorkshire at multiple Swim England National County Team Championships. He often provides mentoring for junior coaches.
Danny leads the coaching programme for the Club. He oversees the Performance Development, Advanced Competition and Competition Development training groups and supports Vicky with Competition Gold and Navy.
Danny is a former top ten ranked national swimmer at multiple events, his passion is athlete development and giving each swimmer their own platform to perform well and thrive in and out of the pool.
Danny’s commitment to guiding young swimmers toward their best performances has not gone unnoticed by our region. In 2023, Danny was awarded the Swim England North East Coaching Award for Swimming.
Danny was also nominated for the 2023 National Swim England Coach of the Year Award (Swimming).
Coach: Victoria Holt
Level 2 Swim England Coach
Vicky is a Swim England Level 2 Coach and a qualified ASA Swim Teacher. Her career to date has involved working with children in various capacities in and out of the pool.
As well as coaching, Vicky is:
Part of the Tadcaster Pool Swim Development Team
An Aquafit instructor
Team Manager (TM2) and Life-guard trained
Qualified to work with children with special educational needs and disabilities, she has completed a number of specialist courses specifically targeted at supporting swimmers with additional needs and has years of experience gained working with children with special educational needs in former childcare roles
In 2023 and 2024, Vicky was selected as a Swim England North East Development Programme coach.
Vicky oversees the Competition Navy and Competition Gold training groups and supports Danny with the rest of the squad.
Vicky is a former breaststroke sprint specialist and has a particular interest in supporting swimmers with their mental resilience, self-belief and body conditioning.
Assistant Coach: Abby Netherway
Swim England Level 1 Coaching Assistant
Abby is a longstanding squad swimmer. She specialises in Fly and is current a member of the Performance Development Training Group.
Abby has completed the Swim England Assistant Coach qualification and is a qualified life-guard.
She regularly supports Danny & Vicky working with the Competition Development Training Group.
Assistant Coach: Jake Lee
Level 1 Swim England Coaching Assistant
ake is a former TYSSS swimmer who has returned to the Tadcaster area after studying a degree in Sports and Exercise Science at Loughborough University.
He rejoined the squad as a qualified Swim England Assistant Coach and is currently working towards his Swim England Level 2 Coach qualification.
Jake is a qualified lifeguard and has over 3 years coaching experience in Lifesaving Sport. Jake took up Life Saving Sport at Loughborough and has won several National and International titles. Jake recently coached Team England at the 2023 Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships in Windsor, Canada.
Jake supports Danny and Vicky with the Competition Development, Competition Navy & Competition Gold Training Groups. As an experienced competitor he also provides cover for the Advanced Competition and Performance Development Training Groups when required.
Assistant Coach: Jon Allars
Level 1 Swim England Coaching Assistant
Jon supports the Competition Development, Competition Navy & Competition Gold Training Groups. He also shadows Danny to support his ongoing development during the early morning sessions for Advanced Competition and Performance Development Training Groups.
Part of the team at Tadcaster Pool as a volunteer, lifeguard, swim teacher and occasional duty manager.
National Pool Lifeguard and Open Water Lifeguard qualified
RLSS Trainer Assessor (Core, NPLQ, AED and PXB)
STA L2 Swim Teacher
National Pool Plant Operator
Training towards Level 2 Fitness
Advanced Whitewater Kayak Leader, Level 3 Whitewater kayak coach, Level 1 White Water Raft Guide & Level 2 Powerboat qualified!
Jon swam competitively up to the age of 16, mainly competing in fly and IM. Having been tempted away by climbing, kayaking, mountain biking and other adrenaline fuelled sports Jon got back into swimming through quadrathlon and triathlon in 2013. Now with two children in squad Jon has completed his level assistant coaching qualification to be able to support the club and is looking to complete his coach qualification later this year.
Strength and Conditioning
TYSSS believes that S&C is an essential part of a swimmer’s training programme and has dedicated S&C coaching provision.
S&C Coach: Jonathan Letts
MSc Strength & Conditioning
Jonathan has been working as a paediatric S&C coach since 2015.
Prior to starting at TYSSS, he worked in South London, delivering the S&C programmes at Bromley Tennis Centre and Bromley Swimming Club, within the Move4Sport coaching team.
With an emphasis on long-term athlete development, his experience ranges from programming and delivering the fundamentals of movement to young children starting out on their sporting journey, all the way up to professional athletes performing on the international stage.
Jonathan delivers the S&C squad sessions for TYSSS, supporting the swimmers’ physical development throughout the year. Our S&C squad sessions place a strong emphasis on achieving sound movement patterns, building robust and resilient performers.
Jonathan has also attended 3 training camps as TYSSS S&C coach. As a former TYSSS alumni Jonathan not only brings his professional expertise but an understanding of the supportive culture of TYSSS.
Jonathan’s qualification include:
MSc Strength and Conditioning
ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage
S&CE Certified Youth Strength and Conditioning Coach
REPS Level 3 Personal Trainer
Cover Coaches
All our swimming coaches are employed by Tadcaster Community Pool. From time to time, to support our main coaching team to take well earned annual leave, training sessions may be covered by other coaches provided from a pool of experienced swimming coaches employed by Tadcaster Community Pool. All our cover coaches have appropriate coaching or teaching qualifications. Many are former TYSSS swimmers and are familiar to squad members.
Junior Coaching Volunteers
At TYSSS we support experienced senior club members who would like to train and develop as coaches. Before, during and after they complete coaching qualifications they are encouraged to volunteer poolside and receive mentoring from our senior coaches. Many of our senior swimmers also volunteer and coach for other local clubs and swim schemes.
Former Coaches
Our swimmers have benefitted from coaching from a number of excellent and dedicated coaches over the years. Huge thanks to all our former coaches.
Jane Cusworth
Our 2023 Back-to-School Blast swimming gala was an opportunity for us all to say goodbye to our much loved and hard working coach – Jane Cusworth. Jane has been a coach at Tadcaster since the early days of the squad at Tadcaster Pool and has coached, supported, encouraged and cheered many, many of our swimmers! In respect of her long and much valued service to the club we commissioned a piece of art from Andrea Hall which reflected a busy club training night!
The Club Captains, and Keith Morris Head of Sport at the University of York joined the Swim England North East Regional President Chris Halliday as he made the presentation to the unsuspecting Jane!
Jane said:
“Thank you so very much for the oh so kind and lovely words today, that it took me by surprise is an understatement! My picture is so wonderful. I will treasure it and I’m sure I will spend many hours just looking at it and remembering. My love and best wishes to all of you, it was absolutely brilliant to see the swimmers today (and of course the grownups!). Excellent gala! I hope to see you all again very soon, leaving Squad has left a big hole in my heart.”
