CHAPTER TWO
NEW HOME, NEW ERA
Part Two. The Community Programs Begin
2014 | THE BIRTH OF THE YOUTH ACADEMY
Not long after the move to Leach Street, an unexpected opportunity arose that would help shape the future direction of Box Office Boxing. Children from the nearby Marfell community began turning up at the gym regularly, asking if they could be trained. Their enthusiasm and determination to be involved soon became impossible to ignore. Rather than turning them away, the club recognised an opportunity to create something positive. From these daily visits, the idea for a dedicated youth development programme began to take shape.
The Box Office Boxing Youth Academy was established in 2014, providing young people with a structured and supportive environment where they could learn boxing skills while developing confidence, discipline, respect and positive attitudes. The programme was about far more than teaching children how to box. It was about providing guidance, encouragement and a sense of belonging, using boxing as a vehicle to help young people grow both inside and outside the gym.
As the programme developed, the club began to recognise that some of the young people attending faced challenges extending well beyond their sporting activities. One particular concern was that many of the children were regularly arriving at training hungry. Recognising that their wellbeing was just as important as their participation in boxing, Box Office Boxing began forming partnerships with local businesses to help address the issue.
Through the generosity of these businesses, arrangements were made to provide children attending the Youth Academy with a snack following their training sessions.
What might have seemed like a small gesture became an important part of the programme, ensuring the young people received not only physical activity, guidance and encouragement, but also practical support for their everyday needs. These partnerships demonstrated the growing connection between Box Office Boxing and the wider business community, with local organisations coming together to support young people who needed it most.
What began with a group of local children simply wanting somewhere to train was developing into one of the club’s most important and enduring community programmes.
The Youth Academy also demonstrated the value of the decision to relocate.
The opportunity to reach and support more young people, first recognised several years earlier, was now becoming a reality.
NZ POLICE WORKING WITH YOUTH ACADEMY
FIRST CLASS FEB 24TH 2014
MEALS PROVIDED BY JOE’S GARAGE
WAIKATO CHEIFS VISITING YOUTH ACADEMY
2015 | MOTHERS OF MARFELL (MOMs)
As the Youth Academy continued to grow, another opportunity emerged directly from the community. Around 2015, several mothers of the children attending the programme approached the club with a simple request. They wanted an opportunity to improve their own health and fitness so they could better keep up with their children. Recognising another chance to respond to the needs of its community, Box Office Boxing embraced the idea. From that conversation, MOMs — Mothers of Marfell was born.
The programme was established to provide women with a welcoming and supportive environment where they could improve their physical fitness, develop confidence and enjoy the social benefits of exercising together. Unlike the club’s traditional amateur boxing programme, MOMs was not focused on competition. Its purpose was to promote health, wellbeing and participation, demonstrating how the benefits of boxing-based fitness could extend to people who had never considered stepping into a boxing gym.
What began as a request from a small group of local mothers soon became an established part of the club’s weekly activities. The programme has continued ever since, growing beyond its original beginnings while remaining true to the community spirit that inspired its creation.
2015 | GIVING BACK THROUGH THE ANNUAL FOODBANK DRIVE
As Box Office Boxing became more involved in the community, the club’s commitment to helping others began extending beyond its own programmes.
In 2015, the club became increasingly aware of the challenges facing local families during the colder winter months, when demand for food assistance placed considerable pressure on community organisations such as the Foodbank. Recognising an opportunity to help, Box Office Boxing established an annual winter food collection initiative.
Throughout the month of June, the club offered free training classes in exchange for donations of food, encouraging members of the public to get active while supporting those in need. The initiative brought together two important aspects of the club’s identity: promoting health and fitness while giving back to the wider community. Food collected through the campaign was donated to the local Foodbank, with contributions also supporting the SPCA and the animals in its care.
By removing the cost of participating in classes and replacing it with a simple request to donate food, Box Office Boxing created an opportunity for people to support a worthwhile cause while experiencing what the club had to offer. The campaign became an annual initiative, demonstrating that the club’s facilities and programmes could be used not only to develop athletes and improve physical wellbeing, but also to support other community organisations during times of increased need.
It was another example of Box Office Boxing responding to the challenges facing its community and finding practical ways to make a difference.
RECOGNITION FOR SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY
As Box Office Boxing continued expanding its community programmes and charitable initiatives, its contribution to the wellbeing and development of local people was beginning to receive recognition beyond the boxing community.
In December 2015, Box Office Boxing was presented with an award by the Central District Commander of the New Zealand Police, recognising the organisation’s services to the community. The recognition represented a significant milestone for the club, acknowledging the positive contribution it was making through its programmes and wider community involvement.
For an organisation that had begun eight years earlier in a converted scout hall in Bell Block, receiving recognition from the New Zealand Police was a particularly meaningful achievement. It reinforced the importance of the direction Box Office Boxing had taken, demonstrating that its work was having an impact far beyond the development of competitive athletes.
The award also recognised the collective efforts of the club’s coaches, committee members, volunteers and supporters, whose dedication was helping create opportunities for people throughout the community. By the end of 2015, Box Office Boxing was continuing to establish itself not only as a successful boxing organisation, but as a valued contributor to the wider Taranaki community.
2017 | COUNTERPUNCH PARKINSON’S
In 2017, Box Office Boxing received another approach that would further expand its role within the community.
Parkinson’s Taranaki contacted the club about the possibility of introducing a specialised boxing-based exercise programme for people living with Parkinson’s disease. The initiative presented an opportunity to support a different part of the community, using the club’s facilities and coaching experience to help participants remain physically active and socially connected. Recognising the potential of the programme, Box Office Boxing embraced the opportunity.
In August 2017, the club became certified to deliver the Counterpunch Parkinson’s programme. The programme introduced specialised, non-contact boxing-based exercises designed to support movement, coordination, balance, fitness and confidence. Beyond the physical activity, Counterpunch also created an environment where participants could enjoy friendship, encouragement and the support of others sharing similar experiences.
Its introduction represented another significant step in the evolution of Box Office Boxing. The club that had originally been established to develop competitive boxers was now using the sport to support people living with a neurological condition.
Counterpunch Parkinson’s has remained an important part of the club’s community programmes, reflecting its ongoing commitment to making boxing and physical activity accessible to a wider range of people.
2014–2017 | MORE THAN JUST A BOXING GYM
The years following the relocation to Leach Street marked a defining period in the history of Box Office Boxing. What had begun as a vision in 2011 to create greater opportunities for the community had developed into something far more significant.
The establishment of the Youth Academy, MOMs and Counterpunch Parkinson’s demonstrated how the club was evolving beyond its traditional amateur boxing roots. Alongside these programmes, initiatives such as providing food for Youth Academy participants and the annual winter Foodbank drive reflected a growing commitment to addressing the wider needs of the community. Each initiative had its own unique beginning, yet all shared something important.
They were created because members of the community had identified a need, and Box Office Boxing found a way to respond.
From children seeking somewhere to learn and belong, to mothers wanting to improve their fitness, people living with Parkinson’s looking for ways to remain active, and families facing hardship during winter, the club continued finding ways to make a positive difference. The recognition received from the New Zealand Police in December 2015 further reinforced the value of this work. These developments helped lay the foundations for the inclusive, community-focused organisation that Box Office Boxing would become.
Competitive success remained a source of pride, but the club was discovering that some of its most meaningful achievements could not be measured in medals, titles or championships. They could be seen in the confidence of a young person, the wellbeing of a mother, the friendships developed through a community exercise class, or the support provided to a family during a difficult time. The decision to relocate had achieved far more than providing Box Office Boxing with a new home.
It had given the organisation the opportunity to redefine what a boxing club could be.