Team Shoe-Box: Time To Move

Aim

Help Team Shoe-Box move to a dream new gym in the centre of Northampton by pledging your support towards core project costs today!

Who are we?

Established in September 2019, Team Shoe-Box are fast becoming one of the leading boxing gyms in the UK!

We provide an elite, friendly and accessible training base from which Northampton based boxing talent can thrive, offering boxers a comprehensive support package that will cater for their every need.

Regardless of age, ability or end objective, we expect all of our members to be the best that they can be - whether that's a World Champion, a fitter, more confident version of themselves, or an upstanding member of their local community.

Community impact

Boxing is a sport that appeals to people of all different ages, races, abilities and genders. As such, the sessions we deliver reflect a need to meet the varying goals of the members we serve. 

Our timetable currently consists of classes that cater for children aged 8-15, carded amateur boxers (aged 10-40), adult recreational members and elite professional athletes.

With over 350 active members, we are already positively impacting the lives of many - albeit whilst dealing with ongoing challenges relating to the space and capacity available to us in our current premises.

Alongside our traditional boxing offer, we deliver a number of meaningful community boxing interventions, harnessing the power of sport to inspire and transform the lives of our participants.

During the past 12 months alone, we’ve taken boxing into a number of local secondary schools, ran holiday camps for children eligible for free school meals and began delivery of a year-long outreach project, in partnership with Maverick Stars Trust, for service users (those experiencing poverty and its associated challenges) from Northampton Hope Centre. We've also made regular food bank donations to the local Sikh Community through our link with SCCYC Waterside Connect. 

Other partners that we regularly work with include: England Boxing (NGB), Empire Fighting Chance, Northamptonshire Sport, Northampton SSP, Daventry & South Northants SSP, Northampton Town FC, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, BBC Radio Northampton, University of Northampton, Coventry University, The Travers Foundation, Boxwise, BCB Promotions and many more.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Put simply, we're bursting at the seams in our current gym - and we've found our dream gym upgrade... So it's time to level up and make our dream a reality!

To fully achieve the vision that we've set out for Team Shoe-Box, we need more space, which in turn enables us to cater for far greater numbers - meaning more people get to experience the physical, mental and social benefits that boxing offers. 

The space available to us in our potential new home would allow us to quadruple the amount of activities we're able to offer both existing and new members overnight. 

We'd be able to expand our recreational boxing timetable, increase our community engagement work and bring a range of other local partners under our wing to offer not just a hub for sports participation, but for the entire community. 

The vision we have transcends boxing. With the space available to us, we'd be looking to set up alternative education provision, health & wellbeing classes, safe community spaces, nutritional seminars, classroom based activities, workshops, courses, talent development camps... The opportunities truly are endless. 

The images below illustrate the journey that we've undertaken in the 2.5 years since opening Team Shoe-Box. We currently have just over 1,000 square feet at our disposal, imagine what we could achieve with a space 10 times bigger...

How can you help us?

If we can get as close to our £20,000 target as possible, then there’s a chance Sport England will match fund us the final step of the journey. It's a huge sum of money, but if every member of our gym gave just under £60 to our cause - we'd hit our target! 

The funds raised would enable us to put a deposit down on the new premises, begin a phased refurbishment programme and to purchase vital equipment that would ensure a smooth transition between old and new. 

Like all sports clubs, the pandemic presented massive challenges, which we overcame - and we're now presented with another in the form of the cost of living crisis. We understand that times are hard, but we're stronger together - and if we're fortunate enough to secure our new gym, the impact this would have on Northampton is almost unimaginable. 

How our project will be United by Birmingham 2022

The success of England's boxers at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games provides the perfect foundation for our project to build upon. 

Major sporting events bring people together, inspire future generations and encourage people to live happier, healthier lives - which is exactly what we're looking to achieve with our "Time to Move" project. 

By moving to the proposed new premises, we're intending to expand the impact we have in our local community. As a club, we're currently involved in delivering so many wonderful initiatives, but unfortunately we're limited by the space available to us. Put simply, with more space we can reach more people.

Boxing has the power to transform lives. It has an almost unmatched capability to engage some of the most disaffected young people and help to combat a massive range of social problems, covering crime, educational underachievement, health & fitness and community cohesion. The sport attracts people from all walks of life and it doesn't discriminate. As such, we believe that boxing - and our project specifically - is uniquely positioned within the sporting landscape.

Our project aligns itself to every aspect of the Birmingham 2022 Mission:

• Bring people together - Our already thriving membership base, encompassing a broad and diverse demographic, will grow exponentially in larger premises. The aforementioned projects - all centred on the principle of bringing people together - that we'll be delivering will all be taken to the next level without the limiting factor of space. 
• Improve health & wellbeing - With a bigger facility, we will cater for much greater numbers and, as such, will positively impact the health and wellbeing of more people. The extra space available will allow us to connect with other community organisations to diversify our offer, encompassing other physical exercise classes, holistic activities and wellness schemes. 
• Help the region to grow and succeed - With longer term plans in place to deliver alternative education, apprenticeships and numerous volunteering opportunities for young people, we're well equipped to maximise the Games' legacy from a sustainability perspective. 
• Be a catalyst for change - By refurbishing a currently unused facility, we'll be working with other local partners to strengthen our community and provide a new location from which people can take advantage of the various physical, mental and social benefits that boxing offers. 
• Put us on the global stage - The role models created by Birmingham 2022 serve to inspire our younger members and give them dreams to aspire to. Similarly, with members of our own gym competing on the biggest global stages in professional boxing, we understand the importance and impact that these ambassadors have, on both individual participants and participation as a whole. To borrow the popular Northampton Town FC phrase: "Big city lights don't bother me, Northampton Town we're proud to be".  

How else can I play my part?

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

• Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
• Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
• Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
• Create a fundraiser of your own. Use the button on our page to get started. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Thank you for taking the time to read about our project and please help in any way that you can - it would mean the world to everybody involved with Team Shoe-Box.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made