Dale Youth boxing club

The Dale Youth boxing club is an amateur boxing club in London that operated from a gym in Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate. It has produced many champions, but lost its premises in the 2017 fire that destroyed the tower.

History

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Before moving into the Grenfell Tower the club used a church hall, affectionately called "The Morgue".[1]

Since 1999 or 2000 the club had occupied a 190-square-metre (230 sq yd) gym on the ground floor in the podium of the Grenfell Tower. During the two-year refurbishment it moved into temporary accommodation in a section of the basement garages of the "finger blocks"; in November 2016 it then moved to a new 287-square-metre (343 sq yd) venue on the walkway level of the tower.[1][2]

Everything was lost in the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, and the club moved back to its former temporary accommodation.[1] Volunteers are helping prepare new premises for the gym and a community centre through the television programme DIY SOS.[3]

Coaches

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There have been many coaches over the club's history. Mick Delaney, who runs the club, has been with it since 1978 and Gary McGuiness since approximately 2000.[1]

Notable boxers

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Boxers trained at the club include Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale, super middleweight world champion George Groves[1][3] and heavyweight Daniel Dubois.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Bunce, Steve (21 June 2017). "Lost to the Grenfell Tower flames but the spirit of Dale Youth boxing club lives on". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  2. ^ Grenfell Tower regeneration Project Archived 2017-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Duke of Cambridge joins DIY SOS Grenfell crew". BBC News. 15 May 2018.
  4. ^ Christie, Matt (16 June 2017). "Dale Youth ABC will rise again after the Grenfell Tower fire". Boxing News.