In 1986, a competition was run at Blairgowrie Recreation Centre for local kids to come up with a name for a new swimming club.  Blairgowrie Dolphins was established and, on Sunday 24th August 1986 the first ever Blairgowrie Dolphins training session took place. 

On 4th January 1987 we became affiliated to the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association and our first competitive swimming gala took place in July 1987 at Blairgowrie Recreation Centre where we beat Aberfeldy Sharks 165 points to 154!

We are a competitive club, and our swimmers compete at various levels.  We’ve had swimmers compete in inter-club friendly galas, league galas, Midlands District galas, Tayside Schools galas, Scottish Schools galas, Perth & Kinross Disability Swimming galas and we’ve even had swimmers attend National events like the Scottish Summer Meet and the Scottish National Age Groups (SNAGS).

Throughout your time with Dolphins, you’ll have a range of amazing opportunities to try out such as open water swimming and long course training at the University of Stirling’s 50m pool.  We’ve developed strong links with neighbouring clubs, Dundee City Aquatics (DCA) and Perth City Swim Club (PCSC) where we’ve been invited to attend Development Sessions run by coaches David Haig (DCA) and Ann Dickson (PCSC).  In previous years, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting Olympic athletes like Hannah Miley and Stephen Milne at organised events throughout the district.

We are a ‘non-profit’, relying entirely on volunteers giving their valuable time to run and develop all aspects of the club.  The volunteer roles include fully qualified coaches, poolside support, technical officials, and the club’s committee.  Our main financial overheads are associated with the training facilities.  No-one running the club, including coaches, receive an income.

Throughout the years, our club has grown immeasurably through the invaluable support of our club’s volunteers.  2019 was a particularly momentous occasion where we won the Midlands District Division 1 League.  We were subsequently promoted to the Premier Division League for the 2020 season – a very proud moment for all who made this happen!

We are affiliated to SASA Midlands District / Scottish Swimming and currently hold SwiMark Plus status.  All coaches and club members in regulated roles are required to have a PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) and CWPS training (Child Wellbeing & Protection in Sport).  All coaches are qualified to a minimum of Coaching Level 1 (or equivalent teaching qualification) and most have achieved Coaching Level 2.  Training is an ongoing process and renewable periodically.

We don’t have an age restriction for joining the club, instead swimming ability is key.  Most swimmers reach the end of their swimming lessons programme e.g., Scottish Swimming Award Scheme Level 4 and may have joined the ‘Club Ready’ programme which is the preferred pathway to joining our club. Currently, our training takes place in a 5 lane, 20m swimming pool within Live Active’s Blairgowrie Recreation Centre.  However, our club is super excited at the prospect of the new Blairgowrie Swimming Pool being built in the very near future.  This will become a premium choice of venue for all clubs throughout Midlands District and will allow us to host our own swimming galas, as the new facilities will have a 6 lane, 25m pool.  Exciting times ahead!