Blog
Ash Morris is Back in Orange
Ash Morris returns to Hamilton Aquatics as Director of Swimming
Appointed Performance Director for ESM Academies, and back in the role he held for thirteen years.
We are delighted to announce Ash Morris as the new Performance Director for ESM Academies, alongside taking on the role of Director of Swimming for Hamilton Aquatics.
Ash brings more than 20 years of experience across high-performance sport, coaching, leadership and programme development, with a career spanning the UK, the Middle East and international swimming.
For Hamilton Aquatics, it is a homecoming.
A long-standing history
Ash previously served as Director of Swimming at Hamilton Aquatics from 2009 to 2022. During that period he played a central role in transforming Hamilton from a small swimming programme into one of the region's leading aquatics organisations — developing its coaching structure, athlete pathway and performance culture, and supporting significant growth across multiple schools and facilities.
Those thirteen years, he says, shaped him as much as he shaped the programme.
"Having spent thirteen years at Hamilton Aquatics, that 100% shaped me and who I am today, and a lot of my beliefs," he says. "And I hope that it also shaped Hamilton, and sport in the UAE."
Asked what it means to return, his answer goes back to the day he left.
"My last Instagram post when I left was about always being a Hamiltonian. And I don't think parts of Hamilton have ever left me."
Track record
Throughout his coaching career, Ash has coached and developed more than 35 international swimmers, including Olympians, international medallists, national champions, national record holders and a World Junior Record holder.
Under his leadership, Hamilton also became the first overseas swimming club to top the medal table at the British National Age Group Championships.
It is a milestone he still describes in terms of what it proved rather than what it won.
"I came out to Dubai in 2009 and people thought I was crazy — sport was pretty much non-existent here," he says. "And the more people said that we couldn't do it, the more it motivated me to get a young group of swimmers and take them on that journey. It was a milestone for the academy, and for the legacy of the programme. To say to everyone in the UAE — you can do it."
Four years away
In 2022, Ash returned to the UK as Director of Swimming at Repton School, leading one of the country's leading school and performance swimming programmes and achieving national success. This included coaching and supporting Paris 2024 Olympian Eva Okaro, who represented Great Britain and reached the Olympic final in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay.
More recently, Ash served as Director of Aquatics for Cognita, leading the strategic transformation of aquatics across its Middle East schools. His work included restructuring leadership and staffing, strengthening school partnerships, growing participation and performance programmes, and supporting expansion into new schools, cities and countries.
Alongside his employed roles, Ash has more than 15 years of experience in consultancy, coach education and mentoring, supporting coaches, athletes and organisations in leadership, performance and programme development. He is also completing a Master's in Sporting Directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He sees that time outside as central to what he brings back.
"Having four years outside has also allowed me to go and learn new things, work with other sports, work with other elite coaches. I've been part of GB systems," he says. "And to be able to bring some of those good things back and add value back to the academy is something which really, really excites me."
The role
As Performance Director for ESM Academies, Ash will work across ESM's portfolio of sports to develop coaching, performance environments, athlete pathways and leadership. His return to Hamilton Aquatics as Director of Swimming will see him lead the next phase of the programme.
"My job will be to support all ESM Academies and to lead Hamilton Aquatics," he says. "As part of that, I'll be working with young children on their journey, making sure that talent pathways are in place, that talent development is at the key and core of what we do. Making sure that coach education is a core principle of everything we're trying to do within our coaching programmes, and supporting parents with parent education as well."
The remit extends beyond the pool deck — aligning Schools Centres of Excellence with academy programmes, working with national governing bodies as part of national strategies, and making sure young athletes have somewhere to go afterwards.
"I'll also be making sure that everyone has exit routes post-school, to make sure that people continue their sporting journeys post-education."
For swimmers already in the programme, he is clear about where he intends to be.
"I want to be as visible as possible. And with that, I want to be supporting our coaches on poolside," he says. "They're delivering excellent programmes as it is, but I want to add more value to the coaches themselves and contribute to the coaching environments that we have in our squad programmes."
Not elite sport only
The title, he acknowledges, can be misread.
"For me, it's about a journey," he says. "It's about taking young people, young athletes, from the grassroots of the sport — whether that's the learner pool in a swimming context — all the way through their sporting journey. And in my opinion, every single person has a different Olympics and a different podium that they can reach. And we want to help people get there."
That thinking runs through the three pillars he describes as his philosophy: developing people first, with humility and respect; building well-rounded, resilient and robust athletes with the mental and physical tools to handle a competition arena; and building performers with genuine belief.
"I want to make sure that every single one of our athletes has the confidence and belief that they can stand behind the blocks for an Olympic Games and believe that they're going to win gold," he says. "And if we can instil that kind of mentality and belief whilst keeping humble and respectful, I think that then translates into first job interviews, to university, to first jobs."
What comes next
Ash is candid that he has not come back to repeat himself.
"I want to take things to new levels. I want to do things we've never done," he says. "I certainly don't want to come back and do things we've always done."
He also wants the club looking outward — including in an area he says he could have handled better first time around.
"I want to collaborate with other clubs in the community, because that's probably, in reflection, something I didn't do as well when I was here the first time. The more we can share resources, the more we can share coaching practices and experiences, the more it will benefit athletes — not only in Hamilton, but in the wider community."
And what would success look like?
"Happy swimmers, fast swimmers, excited coaches, excited parents — and ultimately more international medallists than we've ever had."
A message to families
"It's just good to be back," he says. "I'm really looking forward to getting going, and to meeting people and seeing people again. I know a lot of people, I've got a lot of connections within the programme, but it's always good to meet new families who are on their journey and see where I can support them.
"And what I would say to people is: please don't be a stranger. I might not look it, but I am very friendly and I'm very approachable. I want to hear all the good things, and I want to receive feedback so that I can help improve things as well.
"So, looking forward to working together over the next few months and years."
We are excited to welcome Ash into this new chapter, and look forward to the impact his experience, leadership and passion for developing people and performance will bring across ESM Academies and Hamilton Aquatics.
Back in orange.