News
Dream the impossible dream
May 21, 2023
I wake up every morning and have to pinch myself to actually see if what we have achieved since opening our state-of-the-art sports facility in August 2022 is true: Billy Murray
![Official opening, Cutting The Ribbon - Ciaran McGuirk, UV, Mabel Scullion, Community Academy, Lauri McCusker - Fermanagh Trust, Billy Murray, John Walsh, Chief Executive, BCC, Gareth Johnston, Deputy Secretary, NI Executive Office](/imager/images/2022/Events/UVs-Official-Launch/5745/Cutting-the-Ribbon_b5f956014b035797ba614f897e99d813.jpg)
Official opening, Cutting The Ribbon - Ciaran McGuirk, UV, Mabel Scullion, Community Academy, Lauri McCusker - Fermanagh Trust, Billy Murray, John Walsh, Chief Executive, BCC, Gareth Johnston, Deputy Secretary, NI Executive Office
In the space of nine months, we have staged 6 sold out Champions Fight League kickboxing shows, 3 of which have had WKN European titles on the line. We have hosted teams and competitors from Sweden, Switzerland, Iran, Cyprus, Holland, Sardinia, Spain, Scotland, and all parts of the island of Ireland. All of these nations have come to Belfast to take part in top level kickboxing in the last nine months. It’s hard to believe that the whole fight scene was put on hold for nearly two years with the Covid pandemic, but we have definitely come back kicking in our new fight venue. The atmosphere has been electric, the fights have been frantic and the support we have received has been humbling.
Alongside these Champions Fight League shows, we’ve also hosted three spar-a-thons which have given our own team the chance to get valuable experience of life inside the ropes. Champions Kickboxing Club from Larne have travelled to us for a kids spar-a-thon and we’ve hosted a number of community groups and organisations giving them a taste of the ProKick way.
Our dream and desire in moving to a new facility was to widen what we offer to the local community and beyond. Since the move, we are starting new beginners classes on a fortnightly basis with them all filling up within days of going online for registration. They are jam packed with enthusiastic first timers seeking a new fitness experience and that’s what we are giving them. We have had ten new members who never set foot inside the infamous ‘Tin Hut’, go through the ropes and compete in a number of rookie events in the last month. Their only knowledge of ProKick is our modern facility, but our ethos has stayed the same; truth, discipline and respect. This has motivated, encouraged and inspired many over the years and it has continued to do so in our new building and I hope will do for many years to come.
To quote the great entertainer and the King, Elvis:
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear the unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
This is what we have done here in ProKick and I am sincerely grateful for all the help and support that has got us to where we are today. The dream continues next weekend when we see World Championship Kickboxing back in Belfast with Jay Snoddon taking on Richard Homer from Germany for the WKN K1 Featherweight World Title.
This will be the first WKN World Pro-Am kickboxing title contested for in our new facility. We're ready to re-write the history books producing eighteen world champions at ProKick by Billy Murray.
It will all take place under the lights in our fight venue and in front of our loyal fight fans. If you haven’t got your tickets, make sure you get them immediately as there aren’t many left.
"Keep dreaming….because dreams do come true, I am living proof of that"