EFSL Swim League: About EFSL

EFSL Championships 2014

European Forces Swim League Organization

 The EFSL is governed by an Executive Board made up of elected and appointed members which come from swim teams within the League.  The President and Head Offical are elected every two years by the EFSL League Council, which is composed of the Presidents of all (17) teams.  The Vice-President is appointed from the team that is hosting the Short Course League Championship for that season.  All of the other Executive Board members (Treasurer, Secretary, Statistician, and League Coach) are appointed to one year terms by the President. 

 An EFSL League Council Meeting is held every year and is attended by representatives from every team.  The League supports the member teams in various ways including coordinating meet schedules, training and certifying officials, maintaining statistics and providing statistical support, ordering ribbons and medals, fostering communication, updating and amedning League governng documents, coordinating with military private organization rules and procedures and planning the two Championship Meets held each season.    

Objectives and Philosophy of the European Forces Swim League 

The European Forces Swim League is an outgrowth of Forces, NATO & European Communities' teams throughout Europe. It is not meant to be competitive with, nor to draw participants away from, the local competitive swim program. As is to be expected, the objectives and philosophy are different with each team and may vary with new coaches, or change when coaches change. It is very probable that two coaches with the same team may even have divergent philosophies, goals and objectives. Each team in this league has a different origin and a different number of competitive swimmers to draw upon. However, all have the common interests of providing a program of competitive swimming on the local level and a healthy environment in which our children can grow emotionally and physically.

Although higher levels of competition are the interests of some, the league shall not be a farm system, but shall seek to provide a strong foundation for those swimmers who receive their introduction to competitive swimming through the local team and will continue into higher levels of swimming excellence. Everyone won't become a great swimmer, everyone can't become great; but this league has excellent potential for providing the desire. At the same time, through dual and tri-meets, the novice - the beginner - is given an opportunity to compete at their level and they can progress as far as they are able and desire, right through to the highest level of competition.

With the very high quality of swimming that can be developed in this league, it is important that the teams and coaches not lose sight of the basic purpose of the league and that is to provide an organized, somewhat local, competitive swimming program for our swimmers stationed in Europe. The individual teams must meet the demands of its local participants. The league will provide an excellent dual/tri-meet and championship program to satisfy the needs for competition for most of the members of the teams. Those swimmers who especially excel in the program can continue their competition through other programs offered in Europe with the assurance that the local team and league experiences have provided the best and proper preparation possible for their continued success.