Maverick boosts female coaches with community project funding

Coaches on England Boxing’s Female Coach Development Programme (FCDP) are to receive £2,500 each to set up a programme at their clubs based on their community’s specific needs – thanks to funding from the Maverick Stars Trust.

Each of the 10 coaches from around the country will deliver bespoke activities at their respective gyms.

It follows on from the residential weekend which took place at the home of GB Boxing in Sheffield earlier this year, which was also backed by Maverick Stars Trust.

This further support underlines the charity’s firm commitment to the FCDP, which has been designed to support and upskill female boxing coaches.

Tyne, Tees and Wear Club Support Officer Laura Sargeant, who helped set up the FCDP says the recipients are thrilled to be given the extra support.

She said: “I initially approached Charlotte (Gilley) at Maverick Stars to seek some funding to hold the residential weekend, as we wanted to get the coaches some real face to face interaction and learning.

“On hearing our proposal, Charlotte really wanted to help and after the residential in Sheffield she also wanted to continue the ladies’ progress with their new-found confidence and skills, which has resulted in her making this additional funding available, which will be a fantastic boost.

“We can’t thank Charlotte enough for all the help she has given us with funding this programme. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to run the first residential, or the others that we have planned, which have been fundamental to the learning for these coaches.

“To then be given the additional funding for these ladies to run their own project is just phenomenal. We can’t wait to see the end results and the impact it has, not just for growing women and girls’ involvement, but also for the links and engagement it will give them with their local communities.”

The FCDP was set up earlier this year and aims to increase female participation and assist the sport to be more inclusive, with this cohort of female coaches helping to empower other women and girls to take part.

Each coach is currently working with their mentors on some ideas about how their respective community projects will look, and they will start to deliver them at the end of the current programme in March.

The coaches who are to benefit from the funding are:

Kate Newton – Rathbone (London), Igne Vaitkunaite – High Wycombe (Home Counties), Naadrah Hafeez – Gladiators (Yorkshire), Kara Mikolajczyk – Mikey’s (Midlands), Claire Salisbury – Jewellery Quarter (Midlands), Donna Harvey-Arnell – Ipswich (Eastern Counties), Louise Vidor – Bright Star (Midlands), Sally Webb – Priory Park (Midlands), Kerry Norfolk – Norwich City (Eastern Counties) and Samantha Fawcett – Warrington (Merseyside and Cheshire).