25 Aug 2025 |
A Big Wave of Opportunity for Swimming in Leeds

The Swimming Teachers' Association (STA) has teamed back up with Bigwave Growth to offer members an exclusive free new business support service.
STA spoke with Sam Webb, Aquatics & Junior Activities Manager for Leeds City Council, who deliver STA-accredited swim programmes, about their real-world experience of working with Bigwave Growth, and the impact it’s had on their learn to swim programmes.
What were the biggest challenges your swim academy was facing before the audit?
Our swim programme consistently achieved high occupancy levels across its sites – a sign of strong engagement. However, numbers remained largely unchanged, and with long waiting lists and clear demand from the local community, we saw an opportunity to grow further. We needed a clearer picture of our full market potential and how best to meet it.
This free online ‘Swim School Assessment’ is designed to help members improve operational efficiencies and strengthen their businesses for the future by clearly understanding their market potential and market penetration. But what does the audit actually offer in practice – and how can it help swim schools grow?
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