Former Portsmouth Northsea swimmer Grant Robins delighted to take on ‘unique’ role for 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

But the 'unique' opportunity to have a role to play at a home Games in Birmingham next year was a chance he couldn't turn down.

Portsmouth-based Robins, 51, who is head of talent for England Swimming, has been appointed as team leader for a second straight Commonwealth Games, having held the role on the Gold Coast in 2018.

On that occasion, he oversaw the top swimmers in the country pick up 24 medals - a return that was 'pretty good for competing in Australia', yet four down on the gongs collected at Glasgow in 2014.

England won nine swimming golds at Gold Coast - Ben Proud, Adam Peaty, James Wilby, Sarah Vasey, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Aimee Willmott, Thomas Hamer, Alice Tai and Ellie Robinson.

Next time around, though - and presuming crowds will have been allowed to return to sporting arenas by the time the Games begin in July 2022 - England will be cheered on by a raucous home support which should spur them on to greater heights.

It will only be the second Commonwealths held in England since London hosted the event in 1934 – the last occasion was at Manchester in 2002.

But with that added backing, Robins believes the pressure and expectation can grow.

And the lifelong Portsmouth Northsea Swimming Club member is taking it upon his shoulders to make sure anticipation is 'realistic' in the time between now and when the Birmingham Games get going.

‘A home Games and a home crowd will be good. We’ve got to be careful of the pitfalls and the pressure that might be put on the swimmers and staff because it’s a home Games,' he told The News.

‘Yeah (could feel some added pressure) but it’s my job, I’ve got to manage those expectations and I’ve got to be realistic.

'While I’d like to have the best Games ever - as and when people start racing again and I get an idea of who’s racing and how they’re racing, I’ve got to manage expectations going forward.

‘But in terms of preparation, we’ll do everything we can to make sure the preparation is good.

‘I was fortunate enough to do it in Brisbane and that worked pretty well.

‘I wasn’t actually going to do it initially (in Birmingham) but I thought a home Games was quite unique.

‘To lead your country and your team into a home Games is pretty cool, it doesn’t happen very often, so I thought I’d give it a go.'

Robins, formerly a teacher in the business and IT department at Admiral Lord Nelson School earlier, has a big job on his hands over the next 16 months or so in preparation for Birmingham.

As team leader, he is responsible for putting together the second largest squad England will have at the event.

In total, the swimming team will be made up of around 70 athletes and staff - only the athletics squad will include more - with Robins leading both able-bodied and para participants.

A lot of pressure, indeed, but it's a role the Southsea resident is relishing.

‘It’s assembling a team, creating a culture, getting the values in place and then selecting your team within a team - your coaches, sports science staff and all that sort of stuff,' added Robins.

‘As team leader it does (final decisions fall on).

‘It’s unique in the sense of this is a Games where we go as one team so para athletes as well as able-bodied athletes are under the same banner as such. I’ll be leading a para team as well as an able-bodied team.

‘There’s going to be about 46 swimmers and about 20 staff, so it’s a reasonable size. The only bigger team will be athletics - they normally have 70 or about people, maybe a bit more.

‘It’s quite a busy international calendar in 2022.

‘But, as I say, a home Games - particularly against Australia and Canada - will be a pretty good show.'

Birmingham will be the fourth Commonwealth Games Robins has been a part of in varying capacities.

It all started in Auckland in 1990 when the Portsmouth Northsea member competed in the pool but failed to medal.

Robins was then part of the coaching team at Kuala Lumpur eight years later, prior to his team leader role on the Gold Coast.

Despite this being Commonwealths number four, there will be some new experiences in Birmingham.

Aside from the obvious of getting to lead the squad on home soil, the event - uniquely - will be just a year after the Tokyo Olympics after that was put back 12 months because of the andemic.

It means the Olympics, Commonwealths and World Championships will be held within a shorter time frame than usual.

But Robins feels a busier calendar could actually work to England's advantage in Birmingham.

'You’ve got the Olympics, then we’ll have the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in 2022 and there will also be the European Championships in 2022,' said Robins.

‘I think the postponement of the Olympics will hopefully work in our favour.

‘There would have been a two-year gap between the Commonwealth Games and Olympics so some of our older swimmers might have felt that was too long to carry on and not get on with the rest of their lives.

‘I’m hoping they’ll be fewer retirements because they’ll only be an additional year of training.

‘But, equally, some of the youngsters in the team have got two years to progress, to find their skills and to improve their skills.

‘There might be a situation where they get on the team and do the business for us in July 2022.

‘Hopefully it’s a win-win situation with people staying on for longer because it’s so close to the Olympics and people having the ability to step up because they’ve had an extra couple of years of preparation.'