Ben Higson appointed WAIS Swimming Head Coach

The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Higson as Head Coach of the WAIS Swimming Program.

Higson has worked as Swim Ireland National Head Coach and Head Coach of the National Hub Dublin since September 2017. He was appointed the Swimming Head Coach for the Irish Olympic Team at the Tokyo Olympic Games, having personally coached three athletes on to the team.

The move to WAIS will see Higson bring international experience from two national programs to WA, having been appointed as a Coach for Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and multiple World Championships while Head Coach at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Higson is recognised as a highly credentialed coach with a record of coaching athletes to the international podium across two Olympic cycles. Including Ross Murdoch to gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and World Championship medals, and Danielle Huskisson and Shane Ryan to the top of the podium at European Championships.

“I am extremely excited and privileged to be appointed Head Coach at WAIS. With such a prestigious reputation, I am looking forward to getting started and contributing positively to the WAIS team,” said Higson.

“My philosophy is based around creating a bespoke plan for all athletes with a person first approach, ensuring that the wellbeing of the athlete as person is at the forefront of all actions and decisions.

“Over the past eight years I have been fortunate to work with world class athletes & practitioners in different countries and environments. I hope to use this experience to operate a collaborative approach that ensures the growth of the WAIS program and endeavours to appropriately develop the next generation of athletes to having a significant contribution to Swimming Australia’s success.’

The WAIS Program is the WA High Performance Hub as part of Swimming Australia’s National Strategy. As Head Coach he will lead a multi-disciplinary team focusing on athlete performance, wellbeing and sport science, towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and other benchmark international competitions.

WAIS Chief Executive Steve Lawrence said, “Ben has an excellent record of developing internationally competitive swimmers. I am very excited about the contribution he can make as a coach and leader of the WAIS swim program heading towards the 2024 Paris Games and the 2032 Brisbane Games. 

“Ben’s approach to supporting athletes develop as people and athletes is totally consistent with WAIS’s philosophy and I am sure he can also contribute to the ongoing development of the broader organisation. “

Swimming Australia Head Coach Rohan Taylor added, “Ben is an impressive coach with an impressive track record of recent times, and I think fits in really well with the Hub approach. Not only for the ongoing development of athletes in the WAIS Hub but also to help upskill other coaches in the system. I think that is one thing he will bring to the table that I feel really excited about.

“I feel Ben will offer a lot to the high-performance team across the national system, from his experience in the UK and Ireland and that fits really well with the collaborative approach between WAIS and Swimming Australia.”

Higson’s appointment completes the key swimming high performance appointments in WA, following Mel Tantrum commencing as the Swimming Australia State Technical Director for WA in January.