Punching for disabilities @ Trillick Boxing Club

Who are we?

Golden Star Boxing Club is a small rural boxing club that provides fun and inclusive boxing and exercise programmes for young people and the wider community of rural Trillick County Tyrone, to try out the sport and compete in competitions.

The boxing club, which is based at Unit 3, Trillick Enterprise Centre, Bt78 3st, is aimed at under 18s and currently has 30+ members ranging in age from seven to eighteen, including a growing girls squad. We train three nights a week and the boxers hard work and dedication has paid of with Mid Ulster, Ulster and All Ireland champions since forming. Our boxers boys and girls compete all over Tyrone, Ulster and Ireland therefore. 

Our Club is growing, with demand increasing daily.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We want to "punch for disabilities" in Trillick, so we are excited to launch this Crowdfunding Campaign to attract more young people with learning disabilities to the sport of boxing and encourage more parents/carers of those with disabilities to take coaching roles within our Club. 

Specifically, our project will include 20 weeks, 7pm to 9pm Wednesday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings from 9.30 to 11.30am (3x2 hour sessions per week).

Depending on fundraising, we would like to start the project in November and run it into next Spring (March time)

We have no designated programme for persons with disabilities in our club. Because of this, we have engaged with Disability Sport NI to see what types of programmes and initiatives we could be delivering going forward.

We have also engaged with Trillick Leisure Centre, local Primary schools surrounding us, and Arvalee School in Omagh which is a special needs school. It will be through this, and the parents that we will advertise and promote the project.

We, therefore, want to launch a brand new programme that focuses entirely on boxing for youths with learning disabilities in Trillick.

With your support, we can significantly impact our rural community of Trillick, inspiring more disabled persons to participate in boxing going forward! Which is a minority sport in this part of rural Tyrone.

This autumn and winter, we’re launching a new boxing programme targeted at young people with learning disabilities aged 10 to 18. Any money raised will be used to engage young people with ADHD, Autism and wider disabilities.  

Crowdfunding will allow us to deliver 20 weeks of boxing introductory programmes for example initiatives focused on our demographic of children and young people with learning disabilities. 

Your donation will directly support over 10 young people with learning disabilities to get involved in boxing for the first time. The 20 weeks will involve learning the basic skills of boxing, having fun through boxing for fitness, meeting new friends and working on technique. Ultimately, we want this to lead to the development of more opportunities for boxing within our Club.

Crowdfunding will also be used to upskill our volunteers with appropriate coaching qualifications so they can lead the development of coaching young people with learning disabilities in boxing in our club going forward, and also to encourage more parents of those with learning disabilities to join our committee in leadership roles.

To make this happen, we need your support through our crowdfunding campaign. Your donations will help us cover the costs of accesible boxing-specific equipment, Coach Education, a Workshop in inclusion boxing programming, boxing kits, etc., and promotional costs to ensure the programme reaches far and wide.

Every little bit helps, and the good news is that Sport NI will match every pound raised up to a maximum of £5,000!

Your support will have a huge impact on our small boxing community here in Trillick, getting more young people with disabilities active and into boxing! Together, we can create this new, exciting boxing programme, and inspire the next generation of boxers, building on from the success of the Paris 2024 Paralympics and previous Special Olympic programmes.

How we’ll spend the money raised

To make this happen, we need your support through our crowdfunding campaign. Your donations will help us cover the costs of accessible boxing-specific equipment, Coaching costs for specialised coaches working with kids with ADHD, Autisim and so on, accessible Coach Education, and promotional costs to ensure the programme reaches far and wide. 

Specific budget is:

Accessibility-specific boxing equipment £4,000. Broken down further as: 

- 8oz boxing gloves @ £30 each x 20= £600

- Boxing Bar BOXING BAR SPARMASTER - £1,500

- Adidas Leather Pro Speed Double End Ball @ £100 each x 3= £300

- Boxing head guards @ £50 x 20= £1,000

- Multi Sport Coaching Packs @ £100 each x 6= £600

Facility Hire for 20 weeks @ £30 per hour x 6 hours per week= £3,600 (renting Unit 3, Trillick Enterprise Centre, and the hall in Trillick Leisure Centre as required)

Programme advertisement costs= £400 (social media and local print media)

Coaching costs and qualifications upskilling for 6 coaches= £2,000

Every little bit helps, and the good news is that Sport NI will match every pound raised up to a maximum of £5,000!

Community impact

The impact on the community will be significant. This programme will not only introduce more young people with disabilities to a new sport but also foster a sense of inclusion and empowerment. 

Our project will give young people with disabilities the opportunity to try a new sport, and a sport they otherwise would not have the chance to participate in. 

Our facilities will become a hub for developing athletes with disabilities and leaders. The wider benefits include enhanced community spirit, improved health and fitness for participants, and increased opportunities for parents of young people with disabilities in sports leadership roles.

Our project seeks to 'Level the Playing Field' by addressing the traditional exclusion of young people with disabilities from participating in and leading within the sport of boxing. In our rural community of Trillick, persons with disabilities have historically had limited opportunities to engage in sports like boxing. Through this project, we aim to break down those barriers by actively creating opportunities for young people with disabilities to both participate in boxing and take on leadership roles within the club.

Creating New Opportunities for Participation

Our programme is specifically designed to target a new group that has been underrepresented in boxing - young people with disabilities. The programme will provide them with an introduction to the sport, offering a safe and supportive environment where they can develop their skills, improve their fitness, and build confidence. These opportunities are new and additional to our normal club activities, which have traditionally focused more on boys, girls and not those with disabilities. 

The programme will deliver 20 weeks of tailored training that goes beyond our usual offerings, focusing on fitness, skill development, and fun.

Empowering Parents of young people with disabilities in Leadership and Coaching Roles

In addition to increasing participation, we are focused on empowering parents of young people with disabilities to take on active roles in the club’s operations. We will provide volunteers with coaching qualifications and leadership training that focuses on disabilities in sport, enabling them to become role models and leaders in their community here in Trillick. This focus on volunteer and coach development is a completely new initiative for our club when it comes to supporting more people with disabilities into sport. 

 This initiative is critical for changing the dynamic of our club and ensuring sustained involvement at all levels including young people with disabilities and their parents.

Long-Term Impact and Inclusivity

By leveling the playing field, this project will have a lasting impact on the club and the community. It introduces young people with disabilities to boxing who may have previously felt excluded from participating in sports, fostering inclusion and diversity. Additionally, by equipping our coaches with the skills needed to lead, we are ensuring that future generations of young people with disabilities have visible role models in boxing and that the sport becomes more accessible to everyone, regardless of their disability.

With Sport NI matching every pound raised up to £5,000, your support will be crucial in making this vision a reality and creating lasting change in our community. Thank you for helping us inspire the next generation of boxers!

How you can play your part

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

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. 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.

3. 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!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!