Bray Boxfit

Wicklow Local Sports Partnership along with Co. Wicklow V.E.C Sports Promotion Unit and St Fergals Boxing Club Ballywaltrim has been working to get more females boxing in the Bray area and to hopefully follow in the glorious footsteps of Wicklow native and World Boxing Champion Katie Taylor in time to come.

The 11 week programme called Bray Boxfit is an introduction to fitness and the basic skills and techniques of boxing and is aimed at girls aged 13-18 years with little or no previous boxing experience. The programme which is funded through the Irish Sports Council’s Women in Sport funding is the brainchild of the two agencies and St Fergal’s Boxing Club aims to encourage females to get active, to promote and market the sport of boxing to females & increase the number of females participating in boxing and joining their local boxing club.

The programme which is coached by renowed St Fergals Boxing Club & international coaches Al Morris and Jim Moore currently has 14 females participating on a weekly basis. Bray Boxfit commenced with a week long boxing taster programme at St Thomas’ Community School, St Kilian’s Secondary School and Youthreach Bray, whereby females were given the opportunity to come along to the once off sessions and try out boxing. Following the taster sessions interested females were then invited to attend specially organised female’s only boxing sessions running every Monday evening at St Fergal’s Boxing Club.

During the programme the girls participating in the programme had the opportunity to attend Ardmore studios for a boxing match between boxers from Wicklow and Wexford Boxing Clubs.

Kristine Meenaghan from Co. Wicklow VEC Sports Promotion Unit stated that ‘the girls have responded extremely well to the programme and we are looking forward to continuing the programme from this initial phase with a summer boxing programme’.

Tracy Bunyan, Sports Co-ordinator with Wicklow Local Sports Partnership added that ‘Wicklow Local Sports Partnership are delighted with the response to the programme, especially amongst girls who are not involved in any other form of physical activity/sport and who have never participated in boxing before’. She felt that ‘the success of the programme is due to the fantastic achievements of Katie Taylor, who the girls look up to as a positive role model and the backing of St Fergal’s Boxing Club and the Sports Promotion Unit in Bray’.