Sheffield: Aspire Boxing Club's future in doubt after losing home

Dozens of athletes have trained weekly at the gym

A popular boxing club has said it is losing its venue because the special school which owns the building needs the space to help more pupils.

Aspire Boxing Club's current home is on the site of the Sheffield Inclusion Centre in Arbourthorne.

Former boxer Ronny Tucker, who runs the club, said he would have to look for alternative venues.

The school said a record number of children were being excluded and it needed the space.

The club had trained at the local authority site since 2017 and Mr Tucker said the gym kept many young people off the streets.

"They're not involved in crime, they're not in their bedrooms - they're here," he said.

Ronny Tucker said he was now looking for alternatives for his athletes

Charlie Wild, who has been training at the centre for six years said it was a "really special place".

"As a woman in boxing this means everything to me," she said.

"If you're here and want to learn they'll give you everything."

Former professional boxer Johnny Nelson said closing the gym was "detrimental to the community".

"There's no youth clubs left. It's not just a club, it's a community centre. It's a safe place for young people to go," he said.

Charlie Wild praised the club, which she has trained at for six years

A rising number of children, aged five to 16, were being excluded permanently from mainstream schools prompting a need for more teaching space, a spokesperson from The Sheffield Inclusion Centre said.

It agreed with Sheffield City Council to take on 50 extra pupils, bringing the total number of students to 300.

However, many children are being taught at other, privately-owned sites.

"The rates charged for the private bases are often inflated and the children are educated away from the main campus which is far from ideal," a spokesperson said.

The school said the club's contract ending was a solution to that issue and the club had been informed the lease would not be renewed last summer.

Sheffield City Council said while it owned the building day-to-day running of the site was the responsibility of the school's governing body.

A spokesperson added: "Sheffield Inclusion Centre is accommodating a growing number of children with complex needs, and is working with ourselves as the local authority to meet these children's needs."