Swim England has apologised after a landmark report criticised the “toxic” culture in some clubs, with bullying going unchecked and parents fearful of complaining to the governing body due a perceived risk of retaliation.

The independent report, which was based on 1,000 responses from competitors, parents and coaches, also warns of the “excessive demands and pressure” of a “performance-first” system that expects top young athletes to keep training even when exhausted, stressed, or during busy exam periods.

The report, which was commissioned by Swim England as part of a strategy to improve the sport, makes 21 recommendations for change, which centre on safeguarding, welfare and improving its culture.

That is unsurprising given that the report finds there is a “culture of fear” within some clubs and that “extreme competitiveness along with power imbalances within clubs can lead to a ‘toxic environment’ where bullying and aggressive coaching styles go unchecked”.

“Past and current experiences of bullying are widely reported, particularly by coaches and other child athletes, leaving a lasting impact on people,” the report adds. “Clubs are known to sometimes ignore or not act on concerns about bullying by coaches due to the risk of a coach leaving who they will struggle to replace, or fear that they or their child will be penalised.”

However the report also finds that coaches also felt vulnerable to unfair allegations and face constant pressures to get their athletes performing at the highest level.

“Many of the more problematic features of the aquatics culture are believed to flow top down from Swim England itself,” the report states. “In particular, a belief that too much attention is directed towards high performance athletes to the detriment of others.”

Swim England is also seen as being unsupportive when it comes to welfare and safeguarding issues, with some accusing it of “lacking empathy” and others saying they have mistrust in its intentions and impartiality. “Some have an ongoing fear of complaining about Swim England due to a perceived risk of retaliation, based on past experiences.”

In response, the Swim England chair, Richard Hookway, promised his organisation would change.

“We are sorry that the culture within aquatics has fallen short of what we strive for and that this has resulted in negative experiences within our community,” he said. “As part of this, we take the views expressed about Swim England within the report extremely seriously. We are committed to change.

“We have been working on our ‘Heart of Aquatics’ plan for 12 months, which aims to improve safeguarding, welfare and the underpinning culture across our sports. As part of that plan, we made a firm commitment to commission an independent report to capture an honest and thorough reflection of the prevailing culture.

“I want to reassure everyone that we welcome the recommendations and we will act on the findings, which we fully accept.”

Swim England was praised in the report for sustaining the sport during the pandemic and its role in keeping pools open at a time of rising energy costs. However, the report says it should now provide an independent place for people to raise safeguarding concerns and complaints, and to do more to make the sport more inclusive at all levels.

“Our overarching aim is simple – to ensure everyone feels safe, included and welcome in our sport,” added Hookway.