'Changed my life for the better': The gym offering free training

Danny Corr founded the gym in 1998

A mixed martial arts gym in Glengormley is offering young people the chance to train for free – not just for a few months, but for life.

ZKJ MMA has started a programme that gives teenagers the opportunity to commit to training, gain coaching qualifications, and in return, never have to pay membership fees again.

Head coach Danny Corr, who founded the gym in 1998, said the idea was born out of a desire to give young people structure, opportunity and a sense of belonging.

"We've guys here now who are in their 30s who came through the youth programme, who are now coaches and competitors as well."

Mr Corr said they were offering about 20 free places at the moment.

"Likely there will be more kids come and we will not turn any away," he added.

"The idea is if they come and commit to the gym, they train, we'll get them a coaching qualification and they can train for free. If they commit to that, they can train for free for life."

MMA, or mixed martial arts, is a full-contact combat sport which draws on various disciplines

Mr Corr said the roots of the project stretched back to an experience abroad.

"About 15 years ago, I went over to the favelas in Rio to coach and they ran a similar programme with young people to get them off the streets," he said.

"I saw the benefits of that and thought, what could we bring here to this country? That started it. The motivation now is seeing what the young kids do and the success they have, both in the gym and outside it."

More than 100 people attend MMA classes at the gym some nights

ZKJ's support for young people has not stopped at fitness.

During the Covid pandemic, the club ran an academic programme to help students catch up on missed education.

"We were able to get the kids their maths and English GCSEs and over 120 kids went through that," said Mr Corr.

"The benefits of that are untold.

"We've had kids who have gone on to further education, and some who have gone on to bigger and better things – for instance, one lad went on to become a fireman."

Mr Corr believes the gym gives young people a safe haven as much as a sporting opportunity.

"There's so many benefits," he said. "They get friendship here, they become part of a whole family. They train every night of the week, so they're not out on the streets doing things they shouldn't be doing."

Leonardo Mereles says discipline is everything in MMA

For many of the young athletes, the programme has been life-changing.

Leonardo Mereles, one of the teenagers who has previously taken part, said the discipline of training had reshaped his outlook on life.

"The dieting and stuff keeping me healthy really changed my lifestyle," he said.

"It made me believe I need to put hard work into everything I do if I want to achieve results.

"That's one of the main things I've learned – discipline is everything. Whatever you want to do, if you put 100% into it, you'll achieve it."

Ruairi O'Kane says MMA has changed his life for the better

Another young member, Ruairi O'Kane, who is currently studying economics at Queen's University Belfast, said the gym kept him focused during a crucial period of his education.

"All my friends would go out partying while they were studying for their A-levels and obviously didn't do as well as they'd hoped," he said.

"While they were out partying, I was just here five or six nights a week training instead.

"This definitely changed my life for the better. I got so many friends out of this. It's always a place to go, and if you have any problems outside the gym you can always talk to someone here."

Mr Corr insists the free membership initiative is about much more than producing champions inside the cage.

"This is about giving kids an outlet, a family and a future," he said.

"We've seen it work over the last two decades, and if a young person is willing to commit to the gym, we'll commit to them for life."