Blantyre roots
champions and two good prospects, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
“It’s not like they’re getting poached – they simply move to clubs that they can get to more easily.”
Blantyre Miners’ Welfare ABC has always prided itself in the fact that people have been able to walk in off the street, and Ross hopes they can get back to that as quickly as possible. He’s keen to stress that it’s not just about boxing, or even fitness – it’s the loss of a much-needed community resource.
Ross said: “We need space to work in, 13x9 would do, and in an area in Blantyre that kids can walk to. We need to get back into the town, and we are speaking to people, but it’s money that is the problem.
“We hope the Resource Centre will be rebuilt, but that might take 18 months or two years.
“Surrounding clubs have been great to us, guys like O’neil’s, Forsyth’s in Hamilton, Priestfield in Blantyre, Bellahouston, City of Glasgow. Danny Coll from Dunfermline ABC heard about this and sold a pair of boxing gloves and donated £150 to us. He was upgrading his equipment and gave us their old gear, which is incredible.
“The boxing community has been great, the camaraderie has been great, and people have really pulled together for us. People are doing great, we could not ask for more, but it’s a case of getting premises and at the moment they’re just not there.
“Any ideas about us getting a hut or a cabin up and running would be gratefully accepted.
“People have put their hands in their pockets, they’ve donated equipment and been brilliant for us, but it’s important to get back to Blantyre as soon as possible to make sure we survive.
“It’s not just about boxing, it’s a community club, and it’s getting harder and harder week to week.
“It’s a struggle to keep the doors open. Sometimes we only get five boys in a night and we still only charge them £2 each.”
We refuse to lie down, but it’s getting harder