MANCHESTER NOW A HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR TELSTRA DOLPHINS
March 2: The Telstra Dolphins Australian Swim Team is Manchester bound in the run up to the London Olympic Games in 2012.
Swimming Australia and Manchester City Council have signed a long-term deal which will see the Telstra Dolphins train at the state-of-the-art Manchester Aquatics Centre for at least three major competitions until 2014.
The partnership will start this year when the team will use Manchester to put their final preparations in place for the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome.
Telstra Dolphins National Head Coach Alan Thompson is delighted with the arrangement and believes Manchester gives his team "all the comforts of home."
"It's important for our athletes to feel at home in the lead up to major competitions and we've been able to achieve this in recent years," said Thompson.
"Leading into Athens in 2004 we went to Sindelfingen in Germany on several occasions and then before Beijing it was Kuala Lumpur for our pre-Games preparations in 2007 and 2008 - both were ideal.
"Likewise, Manchester is perfect for us. It will become our hub and the team will quickly get to know the feel of the pool, the city, the people, the cafes and the shopping areas.
"We have been in Manchester for the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and again for last year's FINA World Short Course Championships and that was a good experience for the whole team.
"There have been several other cite visits and we couldn't be happier with the feel of the city, the friendliness and the facilities.
"The hotel is great and the Manchester Aquatic Centre is an ideal training headquarters for our team - we are on a winner there."
Triple Olympian and a gold medal-winning member of Australia's 2008 FINA World Short Course team, Adam Pine, certainly has fond memories of Manchester.
The 32-year-old veteran of the Telstra Dolphins squad said the Manchester people were so accepting of Australians and of sportspeople.
"It will be hard not to make a few friends during the staging camps, that's for sure," Pine said.
"Manchester will be a great venue for the Telstra Dolphins to prepare their attack on the world. It has a great sporting history with two of Europe's most competitive football teams and some awesome facilities as a legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games
"With some great hotels, restaurants and a bustling shopping centre it will allow the team to enjoy some recreational pursuits and also allow them to focus on their preparation for the big meets."
To secure the Australian Swim team is regarded as one of the biggest coups for Britain to date in the lead up to London 2012, and further strengthens Manchester's profile and reputation on the international stage.
Peter Mearns, Northwest Regional Development Agency Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, said: "This announcement is yet another coup for Manchester, and the Northwest, in our bid to host world-class athletes ahead of London 2012."
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council said the city was "absolutely delighted that a swimming team of Australia's calibre has chosen Manchester as its training base for these world events."
"It is testament to the sports facilities and infrastructure that Manchester has available for elite athletes from the Australian Swim Team that they have opted to train here for their next three international competitions.
"We look forward to welcoming them to the city and wish them every success now and in the future."
Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, the agency charged with promoting the city on a national and international stage, said: "Manchester is quite rightly regarded as one of the world's great sporting cities.
"Swimming Australia's decision to train in Manchester is a great coup for the city and provides further evidence of the city-region's international appeal."
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