The local community has rallied around to help the boxing club reopen
19:45, 02 Oct 2026Updated 19:46, 02 Oct 2026
Young boxers at Ards Boxing Club(Image: Ards Boxing and Fitness Club/Facebook)
A boxing club in Co Down is fighting to reopen and get back up to strength following its closure after 15 years.
Ards Boxing Club was forced to close last month after being unable to secure a permanent premises after their spot on North Street in Newtownards shut due to a planned social housing project in the area.
The club moved into a space too small to facilitate a boxing ring, before head coach Stevie Quinn said they had to move on. Now, however, the club has had a stroke of good luck and they have been offered a new hub on the Donaghadee Road.
Believing the club was closed for good, they gave their existing boxing equipment away, and so now have started the journey towards starting from scratch.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Stevie Quinn explained what the club means for the local community. He said: “We had been based in North Street, but the whole street is being turned into social housing, so we had to find new premises to continue.
“Luckily enough, we were offered a wee place, but it was just too small. We used it for around six months and it just got to the point where there was no room for even a boxing ring, so we had to move on.
“The club is massive for both the kids and adults. A lot of kids use it for fitness, we’ve had even football teams coming in too. It has a big impact on improving people’s mental health.
“Every club in the country provides that space to help people improve their mental health, and it gives kids discipline and a sense of belonging. For a lot of our kids, it was somewhere to go to work on your fitness and have a bit of craic too. It also helps to keep kids out of trouble.”
Ards Boxing Club moved into a smaller hub earlier this year(Image: Ards Boxing and Fitness Club/Facebook)
Looking back on finding out the club would have to close its doors, Stevie worried it was the end of his 49-year involvement in the sport.
A fundraiser was launched as news of the closure spread within the community, with over £1,600 raised so far to help the boxing club reopen with the equipment it needs to flourish.
Stevie said: “A firm is going to sponsor the boxing ring which is amazing. The amount of people who have supported the fundraiser for us to get equipment is just brilliant.
“It has reached as far as America, with people donating to it from New Jersey, it has been unreal seeing people wanting to help out.
“We gave our equipment away thinking we were finished, so we have to start again from scratch basically – which is maybe not a bad thing.”
Stevie said they have been supported by boxer Paddy Barnes who has been pointing them in the right direction with regards to finding grants to apply to, to ensure the club’s future.
Ards Boxing Club are hoping to reopen in their new location on October 19. Stevie added: “We’re hoping this all works out and we can keep going.”
To find out more and donate to the fundraiser for Ards Boxing Club, click here.
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