Cambridge University Swimming consists of 3 separate squads which are the Blues Squad, the Seconds (or Marlins Squad) and the Development Squad. The Blues Squad and the Seconds Squad are the competitive squads, and are invited to take part in many major competitions throughout the year, including the annual Varsity match against Oxford.
There is also an opportunity to take part in Open Water competitions (which happen in the summer). More information about that can be found in the Open Water section
The high point of the year is the Varsity Match, which in 2027 will take place in Cambridge.
Why Us
Whether you are new to Swimming, or have been competing for years, there is always something for you. We have many different squads for different levels of experience and commitment. However, we also have a lot of fun throughout the year, hosting and taking part in socials both in the club and with other sports at Cambridge.
Since we are a joint club with Water Polo as well, it is much easier to take part in Water Polo and potentially compete as well. Indeed, many of our swimmers do both sports throughout the year.
Squads
The 3 Swimming squads at CUSWPC are the Blues Squad, the Seconds Squad, and the Development Squad. If you wish to join the Blues or Seconds, you are required to trial. For the Development Squad, there is no requirement to trial, you only need to be able to swim 50m.
The Blues Swimming Squad is the top university team for Swimming at Cambridge. They are required to take part in all major competitions which happen throughout the year, some examples of which are BUCS, Varsity and BUSL.
The standard is often near the time to qualify for regionals, however selection for the team is done by how strong the cohort is that year.
The Blues Squad is ideal for those who wish to continue swimming fully at University. There are around 10 hours of training per week, of which the blues are expected to attend as many sessions as is possible.
The Seconds (or Marlins) Swimming Squad is the other competitive swimming squad. Unlike the Blues, they are not required to take part in all the competitions throughout the year, however are still invited to.
The standard is often near the time to qualify for counties, however selection for the team is done by how strong the cohort is that year.
The Seconds Squad is ideal for those who still wish to continue Swimming competitively at University either to hopefully get to Blues or instead as a lower commitment sport. There are around 7 hours of training per week of which the Seconds are expected to attend at least 2 sessions.
The Development Swimming Squad is the non-competitive swimming squad. This is ideal for those who don’t wish to compete throughout the year and would only like to swim when they’re available for fitness.
There is a large variety of people in the Development Squad, some of which are people who do other swimming related sports (such as triathlon), or some who had previously swam competitively however don’t want to anymore.
There are also socials for the Development Squad which are separate from the Blues and Seconds squad.
Training and Timetables
The 2025-26 timetable for each squad is attached below. When released, the 2026-27 timetable will be added.
The team has strong links with the City of Cambridge SC. Members of CUSWPC also have the opportunity to train with City with some swimmers going for an occasional early season fitness crisis session whilst others are full members of both clubs.
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 – 8am Dev Swim @ Leys with Triathlon |
6:30 – 7:30am Blues & Seconds TTR |
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4:30 – 5:30pm Blues TTR |
3 – 4pm Dev Swim @ Parkside |
3:30 – 5pm Dev Swim @ Leys with Triathlon & Pentathlon |
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8:30 – 9:30pm Blues Swim @ Leys |
8:30 – 9:30pm Seconds Swim @ Leys |
3 – 5pm Blues & Seconds Swim @ Parkside |
4 – 5pm Blues Swim @ Parkside |
4 – 5pm Blues & Seconds Swim @ Parkside |
1 – 3pm Blues & Seconds Swim @ Leys |
Before the start of Michaelmas and Lent term there is pre-season training which lasts around a week. During this week, there will be around 15 hours of training for the Blues and Seconds swimmers, which includes some swimming and some land training.
Every Winter the Cambridge University swimming captains have organised a weeks’ training camp as well. Generally the trip begins soon after New Year to end just before the next term starts. So far the destinations have been Jersey, Wales, Budapest, London’s Crystal Palace, The Army’s facility in Aldershot, and in recent years, the team have completed their training camp in the Canary Islands.
How to Join
You will have the chance to meet some of us at the Freshers Fair in freshers week. If you would like to join either one of the competitive squads then you’ll need to take part in our trials, which take place shortly after freshers week. Otherwise, if you want to join the Development squad, you’ll just need to fill out a form. The only requirements are that you can swim 50m.
It is worth trialling even if you are unsure whether or not you’ll make the team. The standards for the team change each year. Furthermore, it is a great way to meet other swimmers at Cambridge, and you may end up surprising yourself!
If you do not make the competitive team then don’t worry. There is often another trials for the Seconds Squad at the start of Lent term. You can therefore use the sessions in Development Squad to help train for these trials if you are keen on competing.
Click here to signup for trials. We look forward to meeting you all!