Woking Amateur Boxing Club (WABC) has been in existence for over sixty years. Its origins can be traced back prior to 1937, when at that time the club had a strong affiliation with the armed services.

In the late fifties and early to mid sixties the club was based in the hall which was at the rear of the Courtney Road Free Church in Walton Road. The premises at the time were actually owned by Woking’s largest employer at the time “The Lion Works.” In about 1967 the Free Church took over the hall, WABC having to move out from the premises, forcing the club into a somewhat nomadic existence. During the next ten years the club moved four times into temporary accommodation, which included two rooms over the Red House Public House in Woking and then into the Gymnasium at the Southern Railwayman’s Children’s Home in Woking. In 1983 the club managed to raise sufficient to funds obtain a mortgage, which enabled the building of its current headquarters in Westfield Avenue.

The club is voluntarly run by members, currently having a coaching staff of staff of eight qualified coaches, five qualified Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) officials and a strong committee.

WABC is a member of the National Children and Young’s Persons Clubs and the Police and Community Clubs of Great Britain. The aim of the Police and Community Clubs of Great Britain is to take youngsters of the street and get them a healthy and disciplined pastime to make them good citizens. (See attached Mission Statement). WABC have a child protection policy and all the coaching staff have been checked through the criminal records bureau. WABC has a diversified membership, with members from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds. Over the years the club has had many Southern Counties amateur champions at various different levels. In recent years the following member’s have been national champions and finalist, namely, Mel Thomas, Joe St. John, Andy Ewence, David Candasamy, David McMahon, Alex Dozzini, Daniel Fernandez, Sid Vincent and Matthew Grainger. Matthew having won three national titles at Super Heavyweight and competed for England, Sid Vincent winning a multi-nations championship. Both Andy and Matthew have now hung up their gloves and are now part of the coaching staff. Mention should be made of the large Asian membership the club has had throughout the years.

Perhaps the club’s greatest achievement was back in 1978, when Joe Awome won Commonwealth Gold at the Edmonton Games in Canada, after having won the ABA championships. In 2001, Derek “Bert Sturt,” aged 75 years who has been a coach with the club for forty-one years was awarded the Trotman Trophy for Services to Sport and the Community. Bert is the modern day father of Woking Amateur Boxing club and is responsible for turning out countless young gentlemen in the Woking area. When new junior members join the club, they and their parents are given letters about what the club expect from them, which includes discipline, respect for others. It is emphasised that education comes before attendance and that club will not tolerate bullying in any circumstances.

The new members are also given anti drug/alcohol and smoking booklets, which are supplied by the Police and Community Clubs management committee (see attached). The club has also supplied these booklets to a local school.

The club is currently oversubscribed with local youngsters, there being a waiting list. Subscription is kept low (£2.00 per night for juniors) there being no joining fee. The club supplies all the equipment for its members, this being possible through the hard work of the committee who are engaged in various fund raising activities. The club has had always had very strong ties with the Army at Pribright barracks, John McGonigle a top-class referee who represented Great Britain in the 1968 Olympics.

The club has recently been appointed as an Olympic Training Camp for the 2012 Olympics and it is hoped by that time the proposed new gym adjacent to Westfield Football Club will be built. Have a look at the link on the news and events page.