Jordan Houlden ready to face world's best on his own doorstep in Sheffield
For years it was the John Charles Aquatics Centre in Leeds that could lay claim to being British diving’s medal factory.
Jack Laugher, Chris Mears, Lois Toulson and Matty Lee all won Olympic bling after time spent at the City of Leeds club, while others like Alicia Blagg, Hannah Starling and Rebecca Gallantree won medals at major championships the world over.
The City of Sheffield club at Ponds Forge had had its time, helping Leon Taylor to a landmark medal for British diving in 2004 before falling behind its Yorkshire cousin as the home of diving in the north.
The city council relinquished ownership of the City of Sheffield Diving Club in 2013, leaving Tom Owens, now the head coach, and Nikki Smith to pick up the reins as a private company.
Further challenges arrived in the Covid summer of 2020 when Ponds Forge was temporarily mothballed, but the club and the facility has emerged from those days in a lot healthier position.
They sent two members to the Paris Olympics – Yasmin Harper winning a bronze – with that success coinciding with Everyone Active taking over the running of Ponds Forge and its diving scheme, and Aquatics GB supporting the venue as a high performance centre.
Sheffield suddenly became a magnet for Britain’s best again, with Olympic legend Laugher and Toulson uprooting from Leeds after a lifetime at the John Charles.
The resurrection of Ponds Forge as an international sporting venue continues this weekend with the inaugural Aquatics GB International, a three-day diving event that has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport.
For two homegrown talents in particular, having this international-standard facility on their own doorstep has been an enormous factor in their ability to compete on the world stage.
Jordan Houlden was one of the athletes to represent Sheffield in Paris, finishing fifth ahead of Laugher in the 3m springboard.
“It’s a great feeling having an international in my own pool where I’ve trained day in and day out most of my life,” said Houlden, who is from Parson Cross in the city. “It’s been great for us who have been here for a long time to have this influx of divers from Leeds because it makes for a bit of a stronger, friendlier group.
“The vibe is really supportive. We welcomed them with open arms. They’ve come in and they’ve embraced it as well.
“At first it was hard because we only had one high-performance coach in Tom and he had to get around 10, 11 athletes so it’s hard to get any momentum, there’s times when you’re stood cold. But we had someone step in and now we’ve got a coach in from Mexico who competed in the 2016 Olympics, so he’s got the knowledge that we need to compete at the top level.”
Houlden’s club-mate Maisie Bond is only 18 but has been training at the facility since she was four. A world junior medallist and junior European champion, she will compete in the women’s 10m prelims on Friday lunchtime and hopefully the final from 4.40pm. “Having these facilities is unbelievable, this pool is huge, it’s a massive family, an amazing environment,” she said.
“We’ve got great coaches, a world class facility and we’ve got so many Olympians to train alongside.
“Some people would have to travel hours to get to a facility like this but it’s right on my doorstep.”
Houlden is also in action on the first day of competition in the 3m springboard.
“I’ve got to get it into my head that I’m not coming into train, I’m coming here to compete,” he said. “The banners will be up, so it should put me in the right competition process.
“It’s the first competition of the year, I want to get my dives off, make sure they’re in the right place and I’m doing the right things.”
The rivalry with Laugher, who is absent this weekend with a wrist injury but will be poolside cheering on his British team-mates, has elevated Houlden’s belief in his ability to compete at the highest level.
“It’s always been a rivalry, they’ve never let us have an inch between us, they’re always pushing us and it’s been a friendly rivalry,” said the 27-year-old of his competition with Harrogate’s four-time Olympian.
“We love it. It’s making the sport better in the UK.”
As for his own development, Houlden believes his Olympic experience in Paris has made him a better all-round athlete.
“It’s changed me as a person, I’m still chasing goals but I’m thinking more day-to-day, what I need to do, what I need to change, what process I need to take forward,” he said.
“What I can do when the bad days are on and what I can do to minimise those and make it a more productive session.”
The Aquatics GB International starts at 10am on Friday with the men’s 3m springboard preliminaries. Sessions start at 11am and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online via the Aquatics GB website and will also be available at the Spectator Services Desk in Ponds Forge on competition days.