Quartet appointed to England Boxing Board

England Boxing has appointed four new directors to its board.

The quartet (pictured below) took part in a first board meeting yesterday (14th September), where their appointments were formally ratified.

Anna Cain has been the principal at East London-based The Boxing Academy since 2009, a ground-breaking and unique school that provides an alternative to educational exclusion for young people who have struggled in mainstream.

She has helped the school grow from 12 students in its first year to 40 students and is the only government-funded boxing-based school in the country, being graded “Outstanding” in all areas by Ofsted in March 2020.

Ian Ireland is Secretary of the England Boxing Championship Sub-Committee, as well as Executive Secretary of the RAF Boxing Association and the Officials Secretary of the UK Armed Forces.

An England Boxing national level Grade A boxing Supervisor and Grade A Referee (pictured above) and Judge, he has remained active at regional grass roots level for more than 10 years within Home Counties, Southern Counties, London and Eastern Counties in addition to his duties at a national level and alongside his day job as military aircrew as part of the Royal Air Force C17 Air Mobility Force.

Amy Pu boxed for Islington ABC for six years, where she is still an England Boxing-qualified coach, and is also a registered official who has refereed at several England Boxing National Championships, as well as at competitions in the London region.

She is a Department Manager at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and a former Deputy Centre Director at INTO London World Education Centre, with her department enjoying a 95% student satisfaction rated in a 2019 survey.

Ryan Vickers is a member of the England Boxing Talent and Performance Committee and a coach at Scunthorpe ABC, home club of GB boxer Gemma Richardson and European Schools 2019 champion Jess Keeton.

He competed for close to 15 years for the UK Armed Forces, Welsh clubs St Athan and Bridgend ABC, Newark ABC, and Dynamite School of Boxing, clocking up 78 bouts.

From a working perspective, he spent a significant amount of time in the Middle East and now works in the UK specialising in business, commercial and brand management.

Chair of England Boxing’s Board of Directors, Caspar Hobbs, said: “After a thorough recruitment process, we’re very pleased to welcome Anna, Ian, Amy and Ryan onto the Board at what is an exciting time for the sport as we emerge from the Pandemic.

“Following on from the relative inactivity because of the Covid-19 lockdowns, their skills across a broad range of areas will help shape the organisation’s direction as boxing rebuilds in communities up and down the country.

“They will also have a significant role to play in helping England Boxing implement a new strategy, due to be published in later this year, that aims to build on the good work and progress that has been put in over the last few years.

“I would also like this opportunity to place on record our thanks to the directors who have recently departed, with Dr Mike Loosemore and Darren Chapple coming to the end of their permitted two terms in office and Gerry Willmott opting not to stand for a second term. The hard work they have all put in is very much appreciated.”