Ringside Revival: A Fresh Start for Maidstone Amateur Boxing Club

Maidstone Amateur Boxing Club is celebrating a knockout transformation thanks to a helping hand from Golding Homes and developer, Skillcrown.

The much-loved club, now based at St Hillary’s Hall in Mangravet, has long been a lifeline for young people in the area, a place to get active, grow in confidence and stay on the right path. But with more and more new faces walking through the doors and rising costs to contend with, the club had started to feel the strain. Some boxers were even sharing essentials like mouthguards to keep sessions going.

That’s when Golding Homes and Skillcrown stepped in with a plan they called ‘Ringside Revival: a community fightback’. Since the summer, the pair have been rallying support and resources to give the club the facilities its boxers deserve, including a brand-new ring, essential kit, repairs and a full refresh of the space.

Maidstone ABC recently cut the ribbon on its new-look home, marking an exciting new chapter for the club.

Speaking on the opening, Head Coach Joe Smith said: “After securing a new long-term venue with the help of Maidstone Borough Council, we’re still pinching ourselves with what came next after being awarded Golding Homes’ social value project fund. We’d like to thank every individual, company and contractor who’s been involved, it really has been an amazing journey from where we were to where we are now. We’re so grateful for everything and we can now continue our amateur boxing programme and thrive as a club for the community in this great town for many years to come.”

Lucy Older, Regeneration Advisor at Golding Homes, added: “From the moment I first visited Maidstone ABC, it was clear this was so much more than a boxing club — it’s a safe space where people can belong, build confidence and feel part of something positive. Hearing the stories from Joe and the young people made it an easy decision for us to invest our social value project fund here. It’s been fantastic to see how the improvements will help the club continue making a real difference in the community.”

For Matt Arnold from Skillcrown, the project showed the power of teamwork: “We’ve been blown away by the generosity and commitment shown by our subcontractors and supporters throughout the Ringside Revival project, with so many willing to contribute materials, funding and expertise to help bring this project to life. It’s a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when the industry comes together. It quickly became clear that Maidstone ABC is far more than just a place to train – it’s a vital community hub with the ability to change lives and we’re incredibly proud to have played a part in helping to secure its future.”

With the renovations complete and the doors wide open, Maidstone ABC is ready to welcome the next generation of young boxers and continue throwing punches for its community long into the future.