Trident Gym opens England Boxing floor in Longbridge with Matchroom-funded apprenticeships

A fast-growing gym group is opening a dedicated England Boxing floor at its Longbridge site, with a focus on bringing young people into the sport, including those who have struggled in mainstream education or with their mental health.

Trident Gym will launch the new facility on Saturday 28 November, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce reported on 11 November. Former world champions Nigel Benn and James DeGale and Olympic boxer Delicious Orie are expected to attend.

From a warehouse to nine gyms

Trident began in a converted warehouse unit in Bridgwater, Somerset, in 2019, and has grown to nine gyms nationwide since lockdown, with more sites in development. The company expects to double the size of its estate by this time next year.

Founder Craig Stephens said: "I started Trident in a warehouse unit with my brother and my eldest son, after years working as a builder."

"Opening a dedicated England Boxing floor in Birmingham, with apprenticeships backed by Matchroom, shows how far we've come," he said. "But this floor is really about the young people around Longbridge. Boxing can give them fun, freedom, discipline and purpose, and that's what we want this space to be."

Four announcements in one

The Longbridge launch brings together several announcements:

A dedicated England Boxing floor, a new investment at the Birmingham site designed to bring local people, primarily young people, into the sport.

Two coaching apprenticeships, funded by Matchroom Boxing, giving two young people a route into a career in boxing and fitness.

Trident Supplements, the group's first move into nutrition.

A patent-approved innovation which the company describes as the first of its kind in the fitness and leisure sector, to be unveiled on the day.

Why boxing works for young people

Boxing gyms have a long record of working with young people who find school difficult, offering structure, fitness and mentors who keep them on track. England Boxing affiliation means members can train and compete within the sport's official amateur pathway, with qualified coaches and proper safety standards.

Longbridge has changed dramatically since the closure of the car plant two decades ago, with new homes, shops and a college now on the site. A new boxing floor adds another reason for local young people to get active close to home.

Come along

The launch takes place from 10.30am to 12 noon on Saturday 28 November at Trident Gym, 1375 Bristol Road South, Longbridge. For anyone who has thought about putting on a pair of gloves, it is a chance to meet some of the sport's biggest names and see the new facility for themselves.