Up off the canvas

Boxers need to box. They need to compete. They need to pit themselves and their skills against another...someone who can match them, blow for blow, pound for pound and thought for thought 

With your support, our boxers will continue to learn that they can win with discipline and grace but also to lose with dignity and respect for their opponent.

Since lockdown, our young boxers have not been able to train, compete or meet socially. All have lost a significant chunk of development opportunities and some have become de-motivated, disinterested and disengaged

They cannot get this lost time back, but we can offer them help to get back into the ring to re-discover their passion, their energy and their devotion to sports.

We are a local, voluntary sports organisation, managed by local people, staffed by volunteers who live locally for the benefit of our young people                                                          
We value the contributions of all supporters, members, funders and as such all financial contributions or income is to be stewarded in an open and transparent manner and used for the purposes for which they were intended

All income raised through this appeal (and all other sources) is used solely for our members, all of whom are under 18. 

Our club.

Our club is centrally located in the small rural town of Rathfriland. Our members hail from neighbouring towns such as Hilltown, Mayobridge, Cabra, Ballyward Katesbridge, Annaclone, Kilcoo, Barnmeen Leitrim and Castlewellan. The club has a rich tradition and heritage of serving the local community through the promotion of the sport of boxing. Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we had over 100 members (from11-18 years old) involved in our club: training; participating in competitions and building lifelong friendships

We will continue to value and uphold the reputation of the club, our members, volunteers, trustees and the wider community from which we derive our supportWe take pride in being a cross community organisation providing boxing general fitness coaching to local young people and children.

Since starting in 2014 the club has increased numbers year on year, however, since re-opening after lockdown, our member numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. A loss of over half our membership, coupled with a loss of income over the last 18 months, means we are urgently need of financial support to ensure we can continue to offer vital activities to aide the physical and mental health and well-being of our local young people 

The purpose of boxing (leaving aside the mental, physical, social and emotional benefits) is to compete. The cost of bringing squads to competitions can be high. Many parents would struggle to cover the cost of transport, accommodation, food, club kits and so forth. We believe we should not place the financial burden on parents, nor see any child excluded because cost is an issue.

With your support our club can continue to re-build after a very difficult 18 months. We urgently need the support of people like you, who understand the needs of offering children and young people transformational opportunities through sports

Our facilities.

Over the course of the next 2 years our club wish to embark on a highly ambitious facilities upgrade and inclusive participation strategy. Our longer-term aim is to develop the club’s facilities so we can become a local sports and community hub. 

To continue to be a strong presence in the local community, we will to begin to not only rebuild our membership base, but also to source a wider range of fitness products and equipment. This will signal to our current and lapsed members that the club means business and our young people can have access to state-of-the-art equipment. Eventually, this will be utilised by our partners

We have always sought to offer our young members, the best facilities and equipment available. However, we are limited by our income. This income has been drastically reduced due to loss of business sponsorship, membership fees, charity Gala fundraisers and individual donations.   

How will we use the funds

We will purchase relevant equipment and other coaching aids which will be beneficial for the attainment of our young people's coaching and fitness goals.

We will supply members travelling to competitions, galas and other club events with training kits so they can show their pride in their club

...and finally a word from Bobby