A Liverpool boxing club secretary hopes to move into a derelict church in the city following the club’s increasing popularity post-World Boxing Championships.
The inaugural event, held at the M&S Bank Arena this September, has shone a light on boxing which has filtered down to amateur clubs.
But it has come at the cost of some clubs, such as The Old Swan Amateur Boxing Club, being over-subscribed.
Secretary Paul Moran feels that this is the perfect time and opportunity for the city to capitalise on the success of the Championships.
He said: “Just like the 2012 Olympics in London, what’s our legacy going to be after the championships? If we could say that after the event, we could build a world class boxing facility in Old Swan, how great would that be for the community?’’
The club is based on Derby Lane in a building that was built just under 200 hundred years ago. Moran and his colleagues have been in talks with the council this year about their first step for expansion and believes the club wouldn’t need to move far to take on more aspiring boxers.
The 48-year-old said: “We can’t fit any more kids in. St Brendan’s Church has been closed for 10 years now and during that time the council have looked to do things with it for the benefit of Old Swan and the community, but nothing has really clicked.
“There are a lot of dead spaces across Old Swan that have already been regenerated into flats or houses but there’s not that much for the community, especially for younger people, so we’re trying to capitalise on that.’’
Moran has enrolled the club onto Liverpool City Council’s Community Use and Asset Transfer Programme (CAT) which allows a community organisation to take over publicly owned land or buildings like St Brendan’s Church and turn them into organisations that will bring benefits to the local community.
St Brenden’s is one of six buildings that sit on the CAT scheme but with interest from multiple organisations, Moran feels that Old Swan ABC can offer the community something others can’t.
He said: “We’re trying to educate the people in power as to what boxing can bring to the local community. Not only just short-term value for our young people but how we can influence NHS waiting lists.
“If you’re active, healthier and fitter at a younger age that will benefit you later in life. For the benefit of police, we combat anti-social behaviour by giving kids positive activities to do after school as well as giving them role models to look up to like myself and other coaches who’ve perhaps been through similar circumstances.
“It’s an extremely frustrating process as we know that we could lift our ring up, move across the road and start the week after. I do realise that when you’re going through the council, there’s a lot of legal issues that you must deal with.
“But I do really appreciate that the council are actively looking at these buildings in the first place and considering how they can help make them into a positive community asset.”
The oversubscription at the club has skyrocketed post-World Boxing Championships in September, which was the first of its kind, held in Liverpool.
Scouse-born Odel Kamara went on to win a bronze medal at the championships in the 70kg division and Moran feels it’s a moment that has inspired the younger generation across the city.
He said: “We’ve definitely seen more interest of the back of the championships. We’d love to say yes to all of these people, but we simply don’t have the space. We want to capitalise on the positivity around the championships, but we’ve got to be mindful to the fact that safety is our number one priority.
“Trying to squeeze lots of young people into a tiny building is not something we can or want to do. We’re very aware that for some kids that are perhaps on the spectrum or require extra guidance, an enclosed space is not ideal for them.”
Moran feels that an expanded Old Swan ABC could help inspire and push the younger boxers to give it their all and compete in future Olympic level events.
The full-time Barclays Project Manager said: “Whenever Odel boxed, the arena was full, so it really shows how much our local boxing scene backs the scousers. It’d be amazing to see in the future if someone from our club in the next five years could compete at the World Championships in our home city.’’
The Old Swan boxing coach feels that the city is the perfect place to hold future boxing events and believes the area holds qualities that sets it apart from the rest of the UK.
@wilshaw17 Paul Moran speaks on the rise in popularity of amateur boxing across Merseyside following the World Boxing Championships held at the M&S Bank Arena #fyp #liverpool #cityofliverpool #oldswan #boxing
Moran said: “You’re either a comedian or you’re a fighter is an old saying in Liverpool. It’s known for its heart and passion and boxing is just a small example of that.’’
