Huddersfield boxing gym faces closure

A boxing club which prides itself on having helped keep people away from gangs and crime is fighting for its future after being asked to move out of its home.

Gladiators Boxing Club in Huddersfield is looking for a new base, having been served notice by the landlord at its Turnbridge Mills site.

Several national amateur champions have been coached at the club and it welcomes hundreds of children, teenagers and people on probation through its doors every day, head coach Den Doyle says proudly.

He admits news of their eviction after 10 years has come as a shock, leaving him “absolutely worried sick”. The building’s owner says the cost of maintenance and repairs has become “unsustainable”.

A potential new gym has been identified, but the cost of moving and renovation works would be in the thousands – a figure Den says the club cannot afford.

“We usually have between 100 and 200 people through the door every day,” says Den, who runs the not-for-profit facility alongside his son Brandon.

“We are a busy gym, so the last thing we want to do is lose it.”

Among those being put through their paces with footwork and shadow boxing drills is 22-year-old cruiserweight Mario Reve Ozaria from Crosland Moor.

“The gym has changed my life,” says Mario, a mechanical fitter by day who represents the Gladiators gym as an amateur boxer.

“It’s like one big family. It’s a huge part of my life.”

Mario trains in the gym five times a week and dreams of giving up his day job and turning professional.

He says he joined Gladiators because of its reputation as “the best gym in Huddersfield” and admits: “I don’t really know what I would do if it closed.

“I couldn’t really join a different gym, they have shown a lot of grace in training me.”

A 15-year-old schoolboy from the Birkby neighbourhood is also training in the gym and takes time out to describe its transformative effect on him.

“It’s helped me a lot with focusing my anger and how to control it,” the towering youngster says.

“I was rude, I was always coming around aggressive. When I came here, it helped me calm down a bit.”

He admits the alternative option for teenagers from the town’s deprived areas is video games or being on the streets.

“It’s scary, gang violence around Huddersfield is crazy nowadays.”

Den, whose gym is decked with flags from across the globe, believes it has “taken thousands of people away from crime” through its work with youngsters and people on probation.

“The fact we are bringing all the community together, they are less likely to be killing each other,” Den says.

“As soon as you come through that door nobody knows where you are from or who you are. We are all like one big family.”

Anthony Smith, a councillor who represents the Lindley ward, warns the club’s closure would be a “significant loss for the community”.

“We are hopeful, but it’s not done until it’s done, so the club is in jeopardy at the moment.

“These kids in particular, they have got nothing else to do.

“For them, to have the opportunity to channel that energy into something positive, learn a discipline and get guidance is absolutely fantastic and there’s nothing else like it around.”

A fundraising page has been set up to help the gym towards its £3,000 target to continue its work elsewhere.

“You have got to give kids something to focus on, something to strive for, something to believe in – especially people from a lower class,” says Den.

The owner of Turnbridge Mills, textile manufacturer John L Brierley Ltd (JLB), has submitted an application to Kirklees Council to partially demolish and renovate the Grade II listed building on Quay Street.

Once complete, it would be occupied by a medical equipment manufacturer.

A planning statement says there are “a number of longstanding and unsustainable pressures facing the JLB business at this site,” including “unsustainably low rents that do not cover the ever-growing repairs and upkeep liabilities needed to maintain these buildings”.

“The trajectory for these buildings is one of continued decline and eventual total dereliction,” it added.

A JLB spokesperson says the tenants have been aware of the plans to transform the site for four years and the company has been helping them to find new premises.