If your child has started training with a swim squad, you have probably heard coaches and other parents mention open meets. An open meet is a swimming competition that any swimmer from any club can enter, provided they meet the age and qualifying-time requirements for each event. Unlike an internal club gala, an open meet brings together swimmers from across a town, county or region, and the times your child swims there count officially towards the Swim England rankings.
This guide explains what an open meet is, what the different meet levels mean, how qualifying times work, how to enter, and what it all costs, so you can help your child take the next step in competitive swimming without feeling lost.
What is an open meet?
An open meet is a swimming competition that is “open” to entries from outside the host club. Any swimmer who is registered with Swim England, falls within the right age group, and meets the entry times for an event can take part. That is the difference between an open meet and a club championship or internal gala, which is usually limited to your own club’s members.
Open meets are the regular pathway of competitive swimming. They are where your child gains racing experience, chips away at their personal bests, and works towards the qualifying times needed for the bigger championships. For most young swimmers, open meets, not county or regional finals, make up the bulk of their racing calendar.
Why “licensed” matters
Open meets are licensed by Swim England. A licensed meet has to meet certain standards, from qualified officials to accurate timing equipment, so that competition is fair and the results are trustworthy.
The practical benefit for your child is simple. Every time they race at a licensed meet, the time is recorded on the Swim England database along with the date, the name of the meet and the venue. Those recorded times feed into the official rankings and count towards qualification for county, regional and national championships. A time swum at an unlicensed event, however fast, does not count for any of that.
If you want to make sense of the times your child brings home, our guide on how to understand your child’s swim times breaks down personal bests, qualifying times and what they actually mean.
The four Swim England meet levels explained
Swim England licenses open meets at four levels. The level tells you how fast the field is likely to be and what the meet is for. It is the single most useful thing to understand when choosing where your child should race.
| Level | Pool | Entry times | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Long course (50m) | Qualifying (lower limit) times | Experienced swimmers chasing county, regional and national qualifying times |
| Level 2 | Short course (25m) | Qualifying (lower limit) times | The short course equivalent of Level 1, for the same championship qualifying times |
| Level 3 | Long or short course | Upper limit times, sometimes with lower limits too | Developing swimmers gaining times for county and regional championships and for Level 1 and 2 meets |
| Level 4 | 25m or 50m, entry level | Usually upper limit times | Newer swimmers and first competitions outside the club, including some club championships |
In plain terms, Level 1 and Level 2 are the faster meets aimed at swimmers who already have the speed to chase championship qualifying times, the difference being the pool length. Level 3 meets use upper limit times so the racing stays competitive for swimmers who are still developing. Level 4 meets are the entry point, designed for inexperienced swimmers and for those racing outside their own club for the first time. The usual progression is Level 4, then Level 3, then Level 1 or 2 as a swimmer gets quicker.
You can read Swim England’s own summary of the levels on the licensed meets page at swimming.org.
Qualifying times and upper limit times
The phrase “qualifying time” trips up a lot of new swim parents, partly because it can mean two opposite things depending on the meet.
A qualifying time, sometimes called a lower limit time, is a time your child must have already swum to be allowed to enter an event. It stops the higher-level meets being flooded and keeps the heats competitive. If the qualifying time for the 50m freestyle is 35 seconds and your child has only swum 38 seconds, they cannot enter that event at that meet yet.
An upper limit time works the other way around. At Level 3 and entry-level meets, a swimmer must be no faster than the set time. This protects developing swimmers from being pitched against children who are far quicker, so a first race feels achievable rather than demoralising. It is why a fast swimmer cannot simply enter an entry-level meet to collect easy wins.
Your child’s coach will usually recommend which meets and events suit them. If you are not sure, ask. Coaches plan a season’s racing deliberately, balancing confidence-building meets with ones that stretch a swimmer towards the next qualifying time.
How entries work
This is the part that surprises most parents: you do not usually enter your child directly with the host club. Entries go through your own club.
The typical process looks like this:
- The club circulates the meet details, the list of events, and an entry deadline, often through email or the club’s team management system.
- You choose which events your child will swim and provide a recent entry time for each one, usually their personal best for that stroke and distance.
- The club collates everyone’s entries and submits them together, then pays the host club and collects the fees back from families.
- A week or two before the meet, the club shares the start sheet (often called the heat sheet) showing when and in which heat your child swims.
Deadlines often fall several weeks before the meet, because popular events fill up and are frequently accepted in the order they arrive. Missing the club’s internal deadline usually means missing the meet, so watch for those emails. Behind the scenes, the admin of gathering entries, times and payments is significant for volunteers, which is why many clubs lean on dedicated tools to manage it. Our swimming gala entry management guide covers how clubs keep that side organised.
What open meets cost
Open meets are not free, and the costs are worth planning for. Clubs typically charge a fee for each individual event your child enters, usually a few pounds per race, sometimes with a small administration or coaching fee added. A swimmer entering five or six events across a weekend will run up a noticeable bill, so it is worth agreeing in advance how many events your child will swim.
On top of entry fees, budget for travel, parking, and food, since meets often run for a full day or even a full weekend. If you would like the wider picture of what competitive swimming costs a family, our parents’ guide to competitive swimming in the UK sets out the typical commitments.
What to expect on the day
An open meet day follows a familiar rhythm: an early arrival, a warm-up session, then a long programme of heats with plenty of waiting in between. Your child might swim at 9:15, then not again until past lunch. Bring layers, snacks, and patience.
For a full run-through of arriving, marshalling, the heat sheet and surviving the waiting, see our gala day survival guide for new swim parents. Almost everything in it applies to an open meet, which is simply a larger, multi-club version of the same day.
How to choose the right meet
You do not have to work this out alone, and you should not try to. Lean on your child’s coach, who knows their current times and what they are ready for. As a rough guide:
- A swimmer racing outside the club for the first time usually starts at a Level 4 or Level 3 meet, where upper limit times keep the field fair.
- As they record faster times, they move towards Level 1 and Level 2 meets to chase county and regional qualifying times.
- Choose long course (50m) or short course (25m) meets depending on which qualifying times your child is working towards, since the two are timed separately.
The goal in the early years is enjoyment and steady progress, not collecting medals. A well-chosen meet leaves a young swimmer keen to race again.
If you are wondering how open meets relate to the bigger championships, our guide on open meet vs county championships explains how the regular racing your child does at open meets earns the qualifying times that unlock the county championships.
Frequently asked questions
What is an open meet in swimming?
An open meet is a swimming competition that any swimmer from any club can enter, provided they meet the age and qualifying-time requirements for each event. It is licensed by Swim England, which means the results count officially towards the national rankings. Open meets give swimmers experience of racing against other clubs and a chance to record personal bests and qualifying times.
What is the difference between an open meet and a club gala?
A club gala or internal competition is usually run by your own club for its own members, often to award club championship titles. An open meet is open to swimmers from many clubs and is licensed by Swim England, so the times count towards official rankings and championship qualification. Some events are both: a club championship can be licensed as an open meet so the times count.
What do the Swim England open meet levels mean?
Swim England licenses open meets at four levels. Level 1 is long course (50m) and Level 2 is short course (25m); both use qualifying times and are aimed at faster swimmers chasing county, regional and national times. Level 3 meets, in either pool length, use upper limit times so the racing stays competitive for developing swimmers. Level 4 meets are entry-level events for newer swimmers and first competitions outside the club.
What is a qualifying time or an upper limit time?
A qualifying time, or lower limit time, is a time your child must have already swum to be allowed to enter an event, so the faster meets are not flooded. An upper limit time works the other way: at Level 3 and entry-level meets, a swimmer must be no faster than the set time, which keeps developing swimmers racing against others of a similar standard rather than against far quicker children.
How do I enter my child into an open meet?
Entries almost always go through your club rather than direct to the host. The club shares the meet details and a deadline, you choose the events and provide a recent entry time for each, and the club submits the entries together. Deadlines often fall several weeks before the meet because popular events fill up and are accepted on time order.
How much do open meets cost?
Most open meets charge a fee for each individual event entered, typically a few pounds per race, sometimes with a small administration or coaching fee on top. Costs add up if your child enters several events across a weekend, and you should also budget for travel, parking and food, as meets can run for a full day.
Final thoughts
Open meets can feel baffling from the outside, with their levels, qualifying times and club-managed entries, but the idea behind them is straightforward: fair, properly run racing where every time counts. Once you understand the four levels and how entries work, the calendar starts to make sense, and you can focus on the part that matters, which is supporting your child as they race, improve, and enjoy the sport.
Run a swim club and tired of chasing open meet entries, times and payments by hand? Swimly’s competition management tools help clubs handle meet entries and fees alongside membership and billing, so volunteers spend less time on admin and more time poolside. Join the Swimly waitlist to be first to hear when it is ready.