What we do

our work

We deliver four psychologically informed non-contact boxing programmes that reach around 10,000 vulnerable young people every year. 

We run these programmes in our gym, in schools, and through a growing network of partner organisations and affiliated amateur boxing clubs in England and Wales.

Our model features a powerful fusion of boxing and psychology, delivered by coaches and therapists that young people can trust, in a place where they feel safe, cared for and understood.

With Empire Fighting Chance, young people gain support in ways that are natural and enjoyable, encouraging them to turn up, relax, engage in the work and go on to make positive changes to their lives. 

We also build strong and engaged relationships young people's families, communities and others who refer them to us in the first place.

We take our evidence and experience to policy arenas, so we can advocate for action on youth poverty and mental health. 

Non-contact boxing

We use the street credibility of boxing to engage young people, but safety is our top priority. To achieve this, we exclusively offer non-contact boxing training in our programmes. This approach allows us to teach fundamental boxing techniques, improve participants' fitness levels, and create a boxing gym-like environment without any physical contact or sparring.

Our training sessions are designed to be both fun and impactful, incorporating a range of activities such as pad work, shadow boxing drills, punchbag workouts, circuit training, and skipping.

Read more about the power of boxing. 

WHO WE SUPPORT

Poverty and inequality pack a powerful punch. We fight for young people aged 8 to 25 who have been hit by their effects. 

The young people we work with are often experiencing poor physical and mental health as the result of trauma and toxic conditions. Many display destructive or risky behaviours, such as criminality, gang membership, unemployment, substance misuse, or are at risk of exclusion from school. These young people face powerful barriers to accessing mainstream support, which can lead to their issues escalating until they reach a point of personal crisis.

Despite the challenging world that they have been born into, we have yet to meet a young person without talents to draw upon to change their life. We have an open door policy and we have never had a young person come to us that we couldn't work with.

We take referrals to our programmes from parents, schools, NHS mental health services, youth workers, social workers, the police, and young people themselves.

Our impact

Our work gives young people the skills, knowledge and inspiration they need to make positive changes to how they think and behave and to improve their lives.

We know we cannot change young people’s challenging life circumstances. Instead, our work equips young people to cope with the difficulties and crises they will face during childhood and their transition into adulthood. 

With our team of mentors, coaches and therapists, young people improve their mental health, exit gangs, return to school, get jobs and go on to realise their unique potential.

Read more about our impact.