Millfield School appoints new Head of Swimming
Published by Millfield on Monday 28th of September 2026
Millfield School has announced the appointment of Matt Puddy as their new Head of Swimming.
A former national swimmer and water polo player, UK Talent Development Coach of the Year and Team GB Lead Coach at the Youth Olympics, Matt steps into the role following two years as Assistant Head Coach at Millfield. During his six years coaching at the school, he has overseen the Senior National squad, coached athletes at all levels, played a key role in the planning and delivery of performance training programmes and led the Millfield Water Polo team.
Matt first joined Millfield as Lead Coach for the swimming programme, developing athletes from national to international level. He was recognised as a UK Talent Development Coach of the Year and selected as Team GB Lead Coach for the Youth Olympic Festival in Slovakia, building on more than two decades of experience preparing and supporting some of Britain’s most promising young athletes on the international stage.
He was also a key member of the team that led eight current students to represent their countries at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Matt will take on the new role following October half term, succeeding Keiron Piper.
Matt has also served as Head of Swimming and Aquatics at FirstPoint USA, a world-leading sports scholarship and university admissions service. During his time there, he helped expand the organisation’s network across national governing bodies, grassroots and elite sports clubs, universities and schools, working with more than 60 organisations and establishing partnerships across the globe. Millfield Swimming has an exemplary track record of students progressing to prestigious universities, with 2026 destinations including Princeton, Yale, University of Bath, Loughborough University and the University of Tampa.
Matt’s coaching career also includes four years as Head Coach of City of Bristol Aquatics, where he was tasked with transforming a programme that had not produced an international athlete for twenty years. Under his leadership, the club developed several international junior aquatic athletes, youth and senior team qualifiers, while earning recognition from Swim England as a Club of the Year in 2017.
Millfield’s Director of Sport, Irena Dzisiewska, said “Matt has a rare combination of broad club experience packed with remarkable energy and vision, and having been at Millfield for six years, he's steeped in our philosophy. He will ensure we deliver the best possible programme for every swimmer, whether they're on the pathway to LA 2028 or heading to a top university.”
Euan Dale, former Millfield Director of Swimming and the current Performance Pathway Lead for Aquatics GB, said “Matt combines a deep understanding of Millfield with huge energy, ambition and a genuine care for people. He understands what makes Millfield special whilst appreciating the local community, but also has the vision to keep moving it forward and being at the forefront of youth development in the UK. Above all, he’s an outstanding person who I know will add value to the whole programme. He has my full confidence and he’ll give everything to helping every swimmer fulfil their potential.”
Matt Puddy said “I’m incredibly proud to take on the role of Head of Swimming at Millfield. We have an outstanding platform, and I’m excited about what we can build from here. Our vision is to be the best youth development swimming programme in the world, not simply through results, but through the quality of the environment, coaching and development we provide every day. We will build on our strengths, raise our standards, develop our coaches, create a truly connected squad structure and work closely with the wider Millfield community. Above all, we will focus on developing better swimmers, better people and better coaches. We have a big ambition, and I can’t wait to turn that ambition into reality."
Millfield Swimming has a proud history of producing athletes who have competed at the highest level of the sport. The programme has supported the journey of 33 Olympians and has had a swimmer compete at every Olympic Games since 1968, including Olympic champions such as Duncan Goodhew, Mark Foster and James Guy. Swimmers made up 19 of Millfield’s 23 selections at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, picking up 12 medals, including a gold for Upper Sixth student Filip Nowacki.
