Livingstone appointed to Manchester Performance Centre Lead Coach role

Livingstone - who coached Matt Richards to a pair of world titles at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka - will take up the inaugural role in September 2024 at an exciting time for the training centre, as the Manchester Performance Centre develops into a fully-integrated Paralympic and Olympic Performance Centre following the Paris Games.

The centre, which is situated at the Manchester Aquatics Centre, is currently a Paralympic swimming performance centre, having fostered the talent of numerous Paralympic and world champions over recent cycles.

Working under the overall direction of Aquatics GB Associate Performance Director Tim Jones, Livingstone's new position as the Lead Coach in Manchester will see him working closely with Rob Aubry and Bill Furniss - the Head Coaches for Paralympic and Olympic swimming respectively - as well as Swim England's Swimming National Technical Lead, with the Manchester Performance Centre also set to provide opportunities for identified Swim England performance athletes, both in its resident programme and as a hub to transition at an appropriate time.

Speaking on his appointment, Livingstone said: "I'm really looking forward to working at the Manchester Performance Centre leading our Olympic and Paralympic athletes into the LA cycle. The integrated approach offers a unique and exciting prospect for all those involved. Manchester is fantastic city with a rich sporting heritage and is an optimal environment for those athletes looking towards Olympic and Paralympic success.

“For me personally it has been a long term ambition to coach in the performance centre set up and I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Aquatics GB Associate Performance Director Jones added: "This is a really exciting time for the Manchester Performance Centre as we look to further align our Paralympic and Olympic swimming programmes and ensure our athletes can get the maximum benefit from this collaboration - and we know that Ryan can play a pivotal role in that process.

“Manchester is a unique proposition for us in Britain, providing a complete pathway within the city with our Aquatics GB Performance Centre, Swim England’s investment into the City of Manchester Swim Team as a Talent Centre, a vibrant club swimming fraternity and excellent Learn to Swim provision. We will be working hard in the coming months to forge even stronger links with the key academic institutions within the city as part of our athlete support package.

“I have no doubt that Ryan's outstanding qualities as a coach, alongside his proven track record at driving performance improvements in his athletes and his collaborative approach, makes him the right person to take Manchester the next big step forwards, across both our Paralympic and Olympic programmes with Aquatics GB, as well as working closely with the next generation of talent coming through the Swim England pathway. In the coming months we hope to see great interest from athletes wanting to be part of this journey post-Paris 2024"

Richard Blackshaw, Swim England Head of Performance said: “Swim England are delighted to collaborate with Aquatics GB on the development of the Manchester Performance Centre. A unique opportunity to provide a connected and cohesive pathway from grass roots to Performance level swimming. Creating links between Swim England Performance Club, City of Manchester Swim Team and Aquatics GB National Performance Centre will provide development opportunities at many level of the talent pathway. I am confident this collaboration will have a long lasting positive impact on both Para and Olympic swimming.

“Ryan brings a wealth of experience of working at all levels of the swimming pathway. I believe the experience, outstanding skill set and track record he brings to the role will support the further development of a culture and environment in Manchester that will enable the next generation of English and British swimmers to thrive for years to come.”