The Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Fund continues to support Sports, Clubs, and Organisations to provide meaningful and quality Physical Activity opportunities for rangatahi across Aotearoa.

Woolston Boxing Club in Ōtautahi is one such club that has utilised the fund to support their existing Youth Class to create opportunities for rangatahi to participate in the sport of Boxing, that may not have been there otherwise.
 

Woolston Boxing Club Incorporated teaches participants the skills, techniques and discipline required to become an Amateur Boxer – where anyone can Box from the age of 10 up to 40 in this points-based Sport. All the coaches work together to keep the gym open for five classes per week during the School Term.

The Club’s Secretary and Head Coach, Holly Sullivan says, “We have a passionate team who train hard together and always work as a team in order to achieve the best possible results.”

The after-school Youth Programme was first established in 2015 and runs from 4.30-5.30pm Mondays and Wednesdays during the School Term from February-October. This is the grounding class where the young athletes from ages eight to 16 years head along to develop Amateur Boxing skills, techniques, fitness and to have some fun in a safe, controlled environment. There are two coaches that run this class, along with the help of a couple of parents and the club’s Head Coach where possible. This class is an open door for all the youth in the community to attend.

Additional classes - Friday 6-7.30pm and Sunday 3.30-4.30pm are then added once the coaches see each participant’s skill set, effort and commitment levels increase.

The Youth Programme first came together, as the class sizes were increasing steadily, and the Club couldn't keep up with the numbers, so developed a programme specific for youth. At present, they work off an annual intake whilst class sizes sit high (an average of 25 to 30 participants) and look to open the doors at the beginning of each Term when they are able. 

Sullivan says there are two key motivators that drive the development/continuation of this Youth Class. 
“We want to give every athlete a chance to learn no matter their current skill set - we are looking for effort, dedication, and commitment, as well as minimising the costs. 

“We are motivated to remove the obstacles to be able to get involved including having reduced fees or not charging where families are unable to meet costs. Our area is full of lower decile schools and many families simply do not have the extra funds to support their children in Sport, our objective is to make this possible,” she adds. 

With class numbers full, it is clear that Woolston Boxing Club have created something truly special. 

To find out more about this class - Click here 

Article added: Tuesday 05 April 2022