TEAM COYLE’S HULL PROJECT
SIBLINGS HOPE FAMILY FIRM WILL CHANGE LIVES
WHETHER it be a thundering left hook or a crisp right-foot finish, it’s unlikely the Coyle family’s contribution to sport in Hull will be forgotten as this century progresses.
The eldest of four brothers, Tommy has delivered not only a major boxing title but a number of the most dramatic evenings of sport seen in this region.
Younger brother Lewie, 25, has returned to his hometown from Leeds United via Fleetwood, with the hope a successful Hull City career lies ahead.
His competition for a place in the City side may soon become even fiercer with 15-year-old brother Rocco one of the most exciting talents in the City under-16s side, while Joe, the second eldest, is set to return to golf to continue his pursuit of reaching the European Tour.
It’s a family sporting success story like no other of recent times, but now the Coyle family are determined to use that platform for bigger things.
Having worked on a range of community-driven issues with his Box Clever programme in schools, Box Clever Bus and free train
I had a vision when we were all growing up that we would be one firm and that’s what we’ll be. Four brothers working together to make a difference in our home city Tommy Coyle
ing for all under-18s at his gyms, 31-year-old Tommy is now launching his biggest project yet. And he’s ensuring it remains a family affair.
The brothers have set up Coyle e Sports in the Community, a community interest company which they hope will make a significant impact in the region.
Headed by recently retired boxer Tommy, working alongside Paul Sewell in a non-executive director capacity, Coyle Sports will build on the work of the Tommy Coyle Foundation by offering training and education across the community.
“I had a vision when we were all growing up that we would be one firm and that’s what we’ll be. Four brothers working together to make a difference in our home city,” explains Tommy.
“Coyle Sports will be about being a home for talent and a family for everyone. We want to try and improve minds and change lives through sport.”
Ahead of his Rumble on the Humber showdown with Luke Campbell in 2015, Coyle said, “it’s not what I do inside the ring but outside the ring that will define my legacy”, and with this new initiative he’s proving true to his word.
“The foundation was focused on boxing, this is going much wider. We will get involved in boxing still, but we’ll work in football, rugby league, racket sports, cricket, it could be ping pong. Any way we can engage with kids in a positive way through sport we will get involved.
“I’m excited about expanding our reach beyond boxing and hopefully creating a happier and healthier Hull.”
He may be the driver of Coyle Sports, but this is more than just a Tommy Coyle project. With GCSES and his own burgeoning career to focus on, Rocco may take a back seat for now, but brothers Lewie and Joe are determined to deliver real change.
“It makes perfect sense the fact I have come home in terms of the football side of this, but Coyle Sports is never going to be just about football,” adds Lewie.
“It has to cater for everyone and offer other things, but for me personally it is nice I can tie things in with the football having come home to Hull City. I hope to get kids involved and engage with them that way and open them up to the other sports as well.
“I’ll be doing coaching with the kids. This is about me trying to give something back, it’s as simple as that.”
While boxing, football and golf will feature prominently in terms of the brothers’ contribution to the community, new coaches in a
variety of sports will be employed to deliver bespoke programmes across the region both in schools and on evenings and weekends, with troubled areas especially targeted.
Tommy Peel Street boxing classes last week in the wake of the tragic stabbing, is an indicator of the type of outreach programme that will be employed.
“Gone are the days when kids are forced into one sport and that’s all they do. Kids should have the opportunity to try all sports and find what they want,” explains Joe Coyle.
“If you just have football on a school curriculum and you’re not very good, you can be deemed as a not very sporty person, which is crazy. You may be a natural at athletics or gymnastics.
“As Coyle Sports in the Community we want to give kids an opportunity to get involved in as wide a range of sports as possible to find their passion, to see which sports p suit them.
“Everyone has a different talent and if you don’t give kids an opportunity to try many things, that talent may go undiscovered.”
Huddled around a table as they set out their master plan, the determination to make an impact on their community beyond anything they have or will achieve individually in sport is clear to see.
This is no short-term fix or challenge, it’s a path laid out which the brothers hope Rocco can take up and lead in 20 years when he’s hopefully at the end of a successful football career.
“There is something about citizenship here,” says Paul Sewell.
“These four kids embody everything you want to see in a young person in this city. They are well-mannered, focused and determined.
“This initiative is not about producing sportspeople, it’s about producing good and healthy citizens and that’s what these four boys represent.”