Our History

The History of State Swim

State Swim has a rich history  - we were founded more than four decades ago by  David Urry.  If David's name sounds familiar, it's because he is a former Australian National Swimming Coach and educator, who was appointed as Australia's Men's Swimming Coach for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. 

Over the last 40 years, we have developed a strong philosophy about how children best learn the skills required to make them stronger, safer swimmers. Our decades of experience have proven that children best learn to swim through a combination of attained skill revision - to ensure swimmers properly form a habit - and the steady introduction of new swimming skills to keep the swimmer challenged, motivated and constantly learning.

Our swimming lessons and programs are designed around this philosophy, ensuring that children strengthen previously learnt skills to ensure that when they move on to more challenging skills, they build them upon a solid foundation.

1974

David Urry, our founder, is appointed as Australia's Men’s Swimming Coach for the Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch, New Zealand.

1976

David purchases Clovercrest Swimming School in Adelaide, South Australia, where the foundation and philosophy of the State Swim swimming lesson programs are developed.

1980s

Clovercrest becomes one of Australia's busiest swim schools, with our program highly regarded throughout the aquatic education industry.

1990s

State Swim was created as we expanded to multiple centres in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. By this stage, tens of thousands of children have learned to swim with State Swim.

2000s

State Swim continues to develop new centres in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne.

2010s

State Swim opens its first international swim school located in Singapore in 2018 and continues to develop new centres in Australia. The team also continues investing heavily in continually improving its program through the use of state-of-the-art technology and team development.

Now & The Future

State Swim strives to be at the forefront of aquatic education and to remain a worldwide leader in our industry.

If you would like to learn more about the State Swim difference, you can read more about us, explore our facilities, find your nearest location, meet our team or contact us directly.