Fitness Access for National Sportspeople
OUR FANS SCHEME
Our Fitness Access for National Sportspeople (FANS) scheme is a program that provides free access to our facilities for elite athletes who represent their country at the national level in any sport recognised by Sport England. Our aim is to support athletes by giving them access to our local sports centres, gyms, swimming pools, and other training facilities, helping them maintain their fitness and prepare for competitions without the burden of additional costs.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
- Eligible athletes must fill out an application form on the website, or contact your local centre.
- Proof of residency (e.g., a utility bill) and a letter from the national governing body are required as part of the application.
COST AND DURATION:
- An administration fee applies for new memberships and any subsequent renewals:
- £25.00 for over 18s
- £15.00 for under 18’s
- Once accepted you will receive a free Core Gym/Swim membership.
- The membership is valid for 12 months as long as the athlete continues to meet the eligibility criteria.
- You can apply again at the end of your 12 months as long as you continue to meet the eligibility criteria, the usual administration fee will apply.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Only athletes meeting the eligibility criteria will be granted access to the FANS Scheme.
- Failure to meet the eligibility criteria may mean the FANS membership could be revoked.
- Any publicity relating to LED must be positive and refer to us as LED Community Leisure or LED.
- A FANS membership will be valid for 12 months from the date the application has been accepted and eligibility will be reviewed at the end of this period should you wish to reapply.
- The FANS Scheme provides access to LED Gym and Swimming Pool facilities for training purposes.
- The FANS Scheme does not offer specialist classes, courses or court bookings free of charge. FANS usage only applies within normal opening hours, when usage fees do not involve extra cost or loss of income to the facility.
Terms & Conditions Updated: September 2024
ELIGIBILITY:
- Athletes must be competing at a national level in a sport recognised by Sport England.
- National level is deemed as either a member of a national squad or ranked in the top 10 (UK or England) for your age group.
- Proof of eligibility is required, typically a letter or certificate from the national governing body of your sport, confirming your status as a national athlete.
- Athletes must reside within the Devon or Somerset area to qualify for the scheme.
- Athletes must also have an active social media presence and on a monthly basis must:
- Acknowledge LED Community Leisure on your social media platforms, promoting the support you receive through the scheme.
- Share content that highlights your training, achievements, and the facilities you use at LED, giving visibility to LED Community Leisure’s role in supporting your athletic journey.
- Athletes must provide the following and agree to have this information displayed on our website and social media channels:
- A photo of yourself undertaking your sport alongside your name.
- A photo of yourself undertaking training for your sport at one of our centres.
- A 100 word summary of your achievements.
- A short bio about yourself and what you love about LED.
Our Brilliant FANS Members
William Letch
I have been a member of FANS for the past five years as a Masters swimmer and my link to LED has been with the 25 metre pool at Exmouth. As a retired person I am able to choose the best times to train on each occasion. LED’s timetable and booking app make confirming swims very easy and with the new automatic entry system, no hold ups at reception occur.
The controlling body for Masters swimming is Swim England (formally the ASA – Amateur Swimming Association) and they organise competition on local, regional, national and international levels. The entry age for Masters swimming is in the 25-29 age group and this five year age band continues with no upper limit. These age bands are internationally used.
I have been a Masters swimmer for the past twenty years and have been successful in competing against former international Olympic swimmers.
In 2010 I became the first 70 year old UK Masters swimmer to break 30 seconds for the 50 metres freestyle (29.4 seconds). In that year I competed in Sweden at the World Masters Championships and came away with two gold, two silver and one bronze medals. In recognition of my achievements I was awarded the ‘Devon Swimmer of the Year’ trophy, an award previously won by Sharon Davis, Tom Daley and Liam Tankard to mention a few well known athletes.
In 2020 (and just before Covid 19 hit the UK) I aged up to the 80-84 years age group and established seven short course British Masters records and four long course British Masters records. Later in early 2021 when FINA (the World governing swimming body) published their Masters Top Ten Lists for 2020 swims, I was named as the fastest swimmer in the World over four distances in the 80-84 age group.
I am presently a few weeks out of hospital, having been admitted with sepsis and pneumonia and the doctors treating me made reference to my high level of fitness as an 84 year old, which is also greatly helping my recovery stage. I know that my consistent swimming workouts through my FANS membership has played a major role in the references given.
At the appropriate stage of my recovery I will again start to swim and slowly and carefully build up my cardio vascular fitness and other levels.
If my recovery is consistent I will hope to compete in my next age group, 85-89 years!
Jean Fail
I really enjoy coming to LED Community Leisure because I don’t feel out of place because of my age. I always feel comfortable training. The staff are so helpful and very supportive.
In the last 37 years I have held many world and British titles. Also, many British records in long jump, triple jump, hurdles, and heptathlon. Hurdling is my main discipline now. I held the heptathlon British record for 18 years. I had a knee repair done 10 years ago and came back from injury whilst training at LED to win the world championship in Perth. I won silver medal in the World Masters Athletics 60m hurdles in 70 – 75 age group.
Keith Jenns
After a very successful military career within the Army, Keith has been a member of the GBR Winter Triathlon Team since 2009 and is also the Team Manager. He has consistently competed in both European and World Championships each year, with the exception of the COVID year. Throughout his career, he has earned multiple prestigious medals, including European Championship medals from Etna, Italy (2018), Andorra (2022), and Skeikampen, Norway (2023) for winter triathlon. Additionally, Keith secured World Championship medals in winter duathlon at Skeikampen, Norway in 2023.
Before transitioning to winter triathlon, Keith was a squad member of the GBR XC Skiing and Ski Orienteering Teams. He also had the honour of representing Great Britain at the Interski Congress in 2023, held in Finland.
The support given by LED Exmouth has enabled Keith to stay on track to gain the highest level within the sport.
William, Jean and Keith all make the most of our brilliant facilities at Exmouth Leisure Centre to enhance their training, why don’t you come and try them out for yourself?
