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TOUCHLINE
ISSUE 19 | NOV 2014 |
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required. It is unique in the opportunities it affords to
disadvantaged communities; many of our clubs are the
essence of their local community, and have a proven
track record of success in tackling social issues, crime
and anti-social behaviour.
Although boxers compete until the age of 40, the sport
offers fitness opportunities for all ages.
What are your views on the use of headgear?
Significant changes have been made by the
international federation, with rule changes for senior
elite men, which includes the removal of head guards.
As a governing body, we are obviously primarily driven
by the views of our athletes, and the feedback we
have received from them so far has been positive. In
terms of competition and tournaments, the sport has
responded well to recent rule changes.
What impact is social media and new technologies
having on the boxing fan base? Where do you feel
that this will go in future
At England Boxing we’ve found social media to be a
great way of communicating with our athletes and
volunteers at grassroots level, providing a much
more immediate way of guaging feedback from our
members.
Social media has become a key channel of
communication over the past few years. Twitter in
particular makes the sport a lot more accessible. Club
boxers can get an insight into the training regimes
or competition progress of the athletes that inspire
them, and it’s a lot easier to engage with others within
the sport. It’s also a good tool for creating healthy
competition between clubs – particularly around
championships.
TV production and presentation continues to change
and engage fans in a different way, and that can only be
a good thing. England Boxing has recently conducted a
strategic review and one of the key themes is around
our digital strategy and customer relations. We see
social media as an absolutely key part of that emerging
plan.
Wha are your general thoughts on the future for
boxing?
I think to a degree we’re seeing a renaissance
of the sport and it is re-emerging into the public
consciousness in a very positive way. London 2012
and Glasgow 2014 were hugely
successful boxing events, and I
believe our major tournaments
will only continue to evolve. There
have been significant changes in
the rules and competition formats
of the sport, and the landscape of
boxing is constantly shifting, which
is very exciting.
We are always very mindful of
the fact that the most important
person in all of this is the boxer,
and the opportunities that are
given to that individual. It’s great to
see the sport continue to provide
these opportunities and it’s a very
exciting time to be a part of boxing.
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