Boxing club fights for a secure future
Go down to Elite Boxing Club’s new base on the Lynn Road almost any night of the week and you’ll find the John Joe Nevins and the Katie Taylors of the future working up a sweat as they attempt to master the sweet science.
The two things that strike when you enter the doors are the energy and focus of the young fighters as they train, and the limited size of the space that the club has called home since November.
For the first four years of its existence, Elite BC had been based in a unit in Lough Sheever Park, a space that was large enough to enable its members to prosper.
However, the club was forced to find a new home last winter when its lease ran out.
Elite founder and head coach Tony Conroy found himself having to look for a base in a property market where rising rents meant the club was forced to downsize in order to keep going.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Tony revealed that in light of space restrictions at their current home, he has had to turn away prospective members.
“Our current home is so small. It’s got a ring and a bag in it. We’ve had to turn away some kids who wanted to joing the club as there are only so many you can fit in.
“In our other place anyone who wanted to join we could say come in and train. Now we can only have so many in a class at any one time. The club’s members need a bigger space to move around during training, it’s very confined.
“We are a victim of rising rents. Anywhere that is a decent size in way out of our budget. They are looking at €1,000 to €1,500 a month. There was a big unit outside Mullingar near the Equestrian Centre, when we called they were looking for €1,000 a month.
“It [Elite’s current home] looks brilliant, we have top of the range equipment and a great ring but it is so small,”
Tony says that the size of the gym is beginning to have an impact on the club’s results in the ring.
“We suffered this season. The season before last we had six All Ireland champions and one European bronze medal, and last year we had seven and a European silver medal. This season we only had one All Ireland.
“It’s having an effect. We’ve had a few boxers leave and go to other clubs as it’s so cramped and small.”
Tony, who is running a new Slam Ball exercise class over the summer months to pay the club’s running costs, says that the hunt for a new home is ongoing.
"I am constantly looking. We are going to do a few more fundraisers. Our committee is very small, unlike other clubs there are just a few of us here helping out."
It’s not all doom and gloom though for Elite. Four of the club’s brightest talents - David McDonagh, Jake Charles, Johnny Dinnegan, Oliver Dinnegan and Muhammad Nasser travelled over to the north of England at weekend to compete in the Hull Box Cup, one of the largest underage boxing tournaments in the world. (Regrettably the tournament was cancelled but the Elite contingent travelled over and got in some highly valuable sparring practice).
“We have fought in Denmark before but this is the first time what we are bringing lads to Hull. They have been training five days a week and going everywhere sparring. We have been very lucky to get sponsorship for Hull from Mileage Tires and Kilmurray Crash Repairs. It was very important and we wouldn’t have been able to go without it,” Tone
For the sake of Elite’s young boxers, let’s hope that the club’s luck extends to finding a new fit for purpose home that is within their budget.