Hebden Bridge Boxing Club is hoping for a membership boom after showing off the facilities in its new home last Saturday.
The club recently moved to Mount Pleasant Mills, Mytholmroyd after spending the first four years of its existence at Salem Mill in Central Street, Hebden Bridge.
The new more spacious premises on the first floor have two rings, an exercise area, a weights area, changing rooms and an office.
The club was open for four hours and there were demonstrations of sparring, pad work and exercise drills.
Fighters from Gladiator ABC in Huddersfield and Rawtenstall ABC helped out with the sparring and actor Adam Fogerty, a former heavyweight boxer and rugby league player for Halifax and St Helens, was in attendance.
There were refreshments for the visitors and club chief Clayton Varey said the event had been a success.
“A lot of people turned up and it went very well. Our new facilities are a massive improvement,” he said.
The visitors included representatives from local schools and Varey is optimistic of forging links with the likes of Calder High School and possibly also Todmorden High School.
Boxing clubs across the country are getting more and more youngsters through their doors and providing a safe environment for them to let off steam and learn discipline.
The club currently has approaching 50 members with around 15 boxers and others keeping fit.
Bridge’s competitive season was extended slightly when Ben Crouch took a fight in Heywood, Manchester last Friday at short notice.
The 13-year-old 47kg fighter made it two wins out of two when he gained a unanimous decision against Michael Strockton from Tameside BC in Stockport, who was 3kg heavier.
The Bridge youngster used his skills, forcing his opponent to take standing counts in rounds one and two, and Varey said Strockton had been saved by the bell in the third.
Varey has now sent off his fighters’ cards to be stamped by the ABA prior to the resumption of action in September.
He added: “It has been another successful season and we have two national champions in George Standring and Hatty Nyylan.”
Standring, who is a pupil at Calder High, is already part of the England set-up while Nylan will box for Yorkshire next season.