We are proud to announce that as of February 2025, England Boxing will be making the Fight for Peace Life Champions online course a compulsory training opportunity for all 50 of their Performance Pathway coaches as part of their performance programme.
The England Boxing Performance Pathway programme aims to help boxers reach their full potential by delivering an inclusive talent system that develops high-quality athletes at all levels. It identifies, selects, and supports top boxers for major competitions, including the Olympics.
England Boxing’s decision to adopt Fight for Peace’s Life Champions approach underlines the growing recognition of sport as a powerful tool for youth development. This initiative emphasises the importance of equipping coaches to nurture not only athletic talent but also positive life skills in young people.
Designed by Fight for Peace, the Life Champions course helps coaches explore and learn innovative ways to use their sport as a platform for creating meaningful, lasting impacts beyond the sporting arena.
In September last year Fight for Peace adapted the course in collaboration with UK Coaching for online delivery in order to increase accessibility to sports clubs and coaches nationwide.
“At England Boxing, we are committed to developing not just skilled coaches but well-rounded mentors who can positively influence young people in and out of the ring. Many of the athletes we tend to work with can come from challenging backgrounds and our coaches sometimes serve as key role models in their lives,” explained England Boxing’s National Coach, Mick Maguire.
“Following the course, we hope to see our coaches come away with practical strategies for creating an inclusive environment, fostering relationships and being fully equipped with the knowledge to support young people holistically,” he added.
“We encourage other sports and NGB’s to see the value in integrating life skills and mentorship into their training and development. If we truly want to build the next generation of athletes and leaders, we must support the people who guide them. Coaching is about more than just technique—it’s about making a difference.”
This difference has already been apparent through our work with young people from our Academy in Newham and beyond. We have already extended the Life Champions offer to our wide network of Alliance partners, and as the power of sport for development becomes a central message within the sporting world, we can’t wait to see how this holistic approach to coaching grows as more professionals begin to implement it in their work.
We are proud to have England Boxing on board with this initiative, and we wish all the best of luck to all of the pathway coaches embarking on this new journey. In doing so, they are contributing to a movement that inspires and influences the next generation of athletes to become champions in sport, and champions in life.
Big thank you to England Boxing for backing this important initiative and having belief in our approach to coaching. We are very pleased to be working with England Boxing in this way and are wishing all of the pathway coaches the best of luck with their Life Champions journeys!
The Life Champions course is hosted on UK Coaching’s online portal, where coaches will find many other resources to support their professional development, including an accompanying workbook and resource pack. On completing the course, coaches receive a certificate of completion along with an accreditation badge. To find out more and to enrol, visit the UK Coaching website.
