Swimmers get a voice in Ferns

SOUTH African swimmers are expected to have a greater say in the decision making at Swimming SA (SSA) after Olympic gold medallist Lyndon Ferns was recently co-opted on to the national federation’s board.

Ferns, a member of the “awesome foursome” that won gold at 2004 Athens Games, said he hoped to bring the swimmers’ perspective into the boardroom.

The 33-year-old retired from the sport in 2011, and has since established himself as a successful businessman in Limpopo.

“I also serve on the board for Limpopo Cricket, and I’ve always been in contact with (SSA) about the sport and how we can promote it,” said Ferns.

“Once I got a grasp of how it is done in cricket I, said to Jace Naidoo (SSA vice president) to get me involved with the SSA team.

“I view things from a different angle because I come from an athlete’s background.”

Ferns, who has been coopted on to the board as the athletes’ representative, said they still needed to work out the details of what would be expected of him.

The BSc Accounting graduate believed the combination of his business background and professional career would be of great benefit to SSA. “What makes it nice being a former athlete is that we come with the experience and knowledge of how it works on the ground.

“I have a good business background and I think the key would be to include the athletes’ views in the business decisions to ensure they benefit.”

Although his role has not yet been defined he believed it was important to speak to swimmers about their experiences in the sport. “We haven’t discussed the role in totality and what will be expected of me which will be thrashed out in future,” he said. “If you ask me, I’d like to speak to the athletes and get the issues on the table where we can map a way forward.”

Currently working as general manager at Unitrans in Limpopo, Ferns also brings years of international experience in the pool. He studied at, and swam for, the University of Arizona, and learned from the American systems.

“When I stopped swimming I started a swim school and now still host clinics, but this will give me a platform to really make a difference in the sport,” he said.

Ferns said a key challenge would be to create an environment similar to college swimming in the US where it is considered a team sport, while the lack of funding also needed to be addressed.

“Swimming is a full-time job and requires the same amount of time and effort as an office job.

“Also we need to support our swimmers financially,” said Ferns.

This will allow me to make a real difference