About Us

The PA programme is headed by 8-time Olympic Coach, David Lyles who was Head Coach at club, University and National training centre level in the UK. In that time, David coached over 20 swimmers to international level, including finalists at both Sydney and Athens Olympic Games before becoming Head Coach to the Shanghai provincial team in China. Here, coach Lyles won more than a dozen medals at Asian, World, and Olympic Games before being appointed Head Coach to the New Zealand National Performance Centre in 2013. During his time with the National programme, swimmers won medals at World, Commonwealth & Pan-Pacific championships, as well as setting the first World Record for a generation.

David Lyles has been a New Zealand National Team coach at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, as well as the 2013 and 2022 World Championship teams and the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2025 he was appointed Head Coach to the National Junior squad for the Tri-Series competition in Australia. He is a member of the NZ High Performance Coaches Group and several National Federation working groups on education and competition planning. Alongside his work at Phoenix Aquatics, David now serves as National Youth Coach for Swimming New Zealand, leading a nationwide programme of over 140 swimmers aged 13–20 and guiding the next generation of Kiwi talent on the Olympic pathway.

With an Honours degree in Sports Management from the World-renowned Carnegie Sports College in Leeds, David Lyles brings almost 40 years of coaching knowledge and experience to the club programme and guides a team of young, aspiring and capable coaches who focus on technique and skill in the water together with a passion and hunger for swimming success.

What keeps David going is not just winning, but the quest to continually improve himself, his coaches, and his swimmers both as athletes and as young people.

A former professional swimmer in China, Jenny reached international standard at both World Schools and World Cup level. After retiring from swimming, Jenny went to study International Business at Jiao Tong University where she managed to combine her studies and running a small learn to swim school for both Chinese and foreign children.

After moving to the UK, Jenny took a position as Swimming Development Officer at the University of Bath. With the emphasis on the quality of teaching and focus on core skill acquisition, it was not long before she was back on poolside as a development coach. She fed directly into the University Age Group programme which went on to be National Age Group champions in 2004 and 2005.

A fully qualified ASA Teacher, Jenny moved back to China in 2005 to work as a swimming coach with the Shanghai provincial team. With the success of the swimmers under her guidance, Jenny was selected to the Chinese National coaching staff in 2009 and attended both Asian Games and World Championships as well as coaching swimmers to the 2012 Olympic Games in London with several swimmers winning medals at these competitions.

After moving to New Zealand in 2013, Jenny returned to her first love of teaching swimming, forming the “Swim2Win” swim school. Her influence is felt by youngsters across Auckland and her eye for detail and total focus on technique development provides a pool of talented swimmers that feed into the Phoenix Aquatic programme.

Bridget has been involved in swimming for most of her life as a competitor, teacher, and coach. She excelled in distance races and made finals at the New Zealand Senior Championships for 8 consecutive years, winning medals at NZ National Championships both in the pool and on the Open Water circuit.

She began her coaching career whilst she was still competing, starting out as a volunteer teacher at just 15 years old in the Wairarapa region before heading to Manawatu to further both her education and swimming performances.

Bridget completed a Certificate in International Sport Studies whilst training and teaching in school’s swimming programmes and her distance successes led to selection for the New Zealand team at the Hong Kong Open Water World Cup and the Oceania Championships in 2014.

Bridget holds a Bachelor in Sport & Exercise Science (Coaching) and is a Bronze Level accredited Swimming New Zealand coach. She has worked for NZLSwim since they opened in 2016 and played a pivotal role in the development of both the squad system and the Phoenix Aquatics club. She has been selected for the Auckland Team for the Caro cup on several occasions and has also been a part of successful junior camps overseas.

With a wealth of experience, passion and knowledge, Bridget works at most levels of the programme but is directly responsible for the identification and development of swimmers graduating from the swim school and moving into squad swimming. To most youngsters and their families, Bridget is the face of NZLSwim and her position as Aquatic Manager reflects her commitment and determination to make the programme succeed at all levels.

Swimming has been a lifelong passion for Michael, who started competitive swimming at the age of 5 and continued right through to 21. Throughout his competitive swimming journey, Michael achieved remarkable milestones by breaking over 20 New Zealand Age Group Records and represented New Zealand in various National and International events between 2011 to 2017, including the Youth Olympic Games, Youth Commonwealth Games, Junior Pan Pacific Games, World Championships, and World University Games.

Michael was instrumental in getting David Lyles back into serious coaching way back in 2016 when, after watching the Olympic Trials on TV, he decided he wanted to return to the water and make the World Championship Team. With only 6 months in which to qualify, Michael turned to his former coach, David Lyles, for guidance. Swimming many sessions on his own in lane 6, with just his coach for company he not only achieved his goal of World Championship status, but attracted other high calibre swimmers to the programme, planting the seed from which Phoenix Aquatics would later grow.

Michael has a great deal of experience in teaching and coaching for someone so young, as he started at the age of 18 teaching swimming at The Southport School in Australia, where he worked with children with disabilities. Upon returning to New Zealand, Michael continued teaching for Jenny and David with their Swim2win and NZL Swim programmes.

His coaching trajectory advanced under the mentorship of David Lyles, and Michael was instrumental in the growth and development of both the Age Group and Stars Programmes. Michael moved to the Mt Eden Swimming Club to take on the role of Head Coach, playing a pivotal role in the reconstruction of the competitive programme at the Mt Eden Site and being rewarded with selection onto the Auckland coaching staff for the NSW State Championships.

Michael was welcomed back to Phoenix and brings a wealth of experience and dedication to swimming, both as a seasoned competitor and a skilled coach. His unique ability to reach, understand and communicate with swimmers of all ages and levels has made him a firm favourite among parents and swimmers alike and is in great demand for both group and private coaching sessions.

He aspires to foster joy and a deep passion for the sport of swimming, with a commitment to giving back to the very activity that presented him with so many opportunities. Michael’s objective is to provide children with the chances and opportunities to grow and develop, enabling them to reflect on their swimming journey and emerge as stronger and more positive individuals, both in water and in life.