Roman Boxing has been serving Bath since 2018, building a strong reputation as an inclusive, community-focused boxing club that combines sporting opportunity with personal development, wellbeing and long-term community impact.

Now based at Bellotts Road in Bath, the club currently runs sessions six days per week, a mix of weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. Demand for training has grown continuously throughout the club’s history and the team continues working to expand its capacity and timetable. The new premises provide the opportunity to grow significantly beyond the current schedule, creating more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate regularly.

All coaches at Roman Boxing are England Boxing qualified and hold safeguarding, enhanced DBS and first aid certifications as standard. Many also bring additional professional skills and experience from their own careers and backgrounds. The coaching team reflects the local community itself, made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, united by a love of boxing and a shared commitment to helping others. Several coaches originally boxed under Darren before returning to support the next generation as volunteers themselves, helping create a strong culture of mentorship and continuity within the club.

While Roman Boxing has produced successful competitive boxers at regional and national level, the overwhelming majority of members train for fitness, confidence, wellbeing and community rather than competition. Around 90% of members do not compete, only a small proportion actively spar or box competitively. This reflects the club’s wider philosophy: boxing should be accessible to everyone regardless of age, background, ability or ambition.

At the competitive end of the sport, Roman Boxing has already established itself in the region despite its relatively short history. Club boxers regularly feature in regional finals, including events hosted in Bath itself, and winners progress to national competition where Roman Boxing athletes have achieved national titles and runner-up finishes. These results place the club alongside some of the most established boxing organisations in the country and demonstrate the quality of coaching and support available within the gym.

Importantly, local young people now have access to a genuine pathway from beginner level through to elite competition without needing to leave the city. Through England Boxing structures, there is a clear route from community boxing all the way to Olympic representation for talented athletes willing to dedicate themselves to the sport. However, Roman Boxing’s impact goes far beyond competition and medals.

The club actively uses boxing as a gateway to education, mentoring and life skills development. We have previously worked with programmes such as Boxwise and Boxing Awards, which use boxing to help young people build confidence, communication skills, discipline and employability. With a permanent home and secure timetable, we intend to expand these activities significantly and deliver them consistently throughout the year.

We are also developing mentoring opportunities alongside organisations including Avon and Somerset Police, Sporting Family Change and Mentoring Plus. These partnerships have enormous long-term potential but require the stability of a permanent venue in order to develop properly and operate consistently.

The club is increasingly building links with education providers across the city. We are currently delivering enrichment week boxing activities for Hayesfield School and have previously run after-school sessions with local schools. We have supported Duke of Edinburgh participants, helped students use boxing as part of GCSE studies and are exploring closer relationships with Bath College and both local universities. We continue to work closely with England Boxing and learn from the extensive experience developed by established clubs nationwide in using boxing as a tool for education, engagement and social development.

Roman Boxing also occupies a unique position within the local sporting landscape. While there are many fitness providers, martial arts clubs and a commercial boxing-style training business, very few organisations can offer what Roman Boxing provides: year-round coaching in a dedicated amateur boxing gym, delivered by an experienced volunteer coaching team under England Boxing, regional and national competition pathways and wider community programmes.

The club remains deliberately affordable and accessible without compromising on quality, equipment or opportunities, helping ensure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to participation or progression. All members train using the same facilities, techniques and coaching methods as competitive athletes, creating an environment where people at every level can learn and develop together. Through the club’s strong reputation and connections within amateur boxing, members have also had opportunities to travel, taking part in training and competition in Europe and gaining experiences far beyond what many would normally expect from a local community sports club.

Most importantly, Roman Boxing is not asking supporters to fund an organisation that depends indefinitely on donations to survive. This campaign exists to solve the underlying issue that has historically prevented boxing from becoming permanently established in Bath: long-term premises security. Once secured, the club is financially sustainable through its existing activities and membership income.

Supporting Roman Boxing is therefore not simply supporting another sports club. It is helping secure a permanent, self-sustaining community asset that already delivers measurable benefits across health, education, wellbeing and opportunity within Bath.