About Us

May 2010 City of Hull Sport & Community Group was joint founded by friends and long term business associates Mike Gibbons and Robert Beautyman. Together they built one the idea of creating a community hub that will address social and health needs of our local community.

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Working on from the success of the City of Hull Boxing Club (which Mike founded in 2008), the pair had a much bigger vision that just that of a boxing club, by opening up on the service offer the Group could reach further out in the community and unite families with in a sporting or physical setting. Building relationships with Schools and taking boxing out into the community, didn't only encourage potential members to join the boxing club, but it also got the name and brand out there.

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Our base was the 1st Avenue Community Centre, Greenwood Avenue. However it was clear the project was quickly out growing the space so plans were immediately put into place to source a potential new home. 'In Principle' Sport England put an offer to fund the new building to the tune of £249,000 should the group be able to secure some match funding as well as some other legalities.

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The Group needed to find a building and secure a long term lease with the landlord, this is where Hull City Council stepped in and in particularly the councillors of the Orchard and Greenwood ward, with the potential of a quarter of million pound to be invested into the highly deprived area, the local councillors did they could to secure an unused building for the Group.

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With an Architect (Dave Etteridge Architecture) working with the group at risk, a trusted builder (Simpsons Builders) poised to start work and with Sport England ready to financially back the project everything was in place, this all by the way took around 6 years from planning to actual launch, but with the lease agreed, match funding to the tune of £150,000 brought in through Hull City Council the deal was done.

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March 2016 was when the City of Hull Sport & Community Group made the short trip from 1st Avenue to Orchard Park Road where it currently resides.

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Since working out of our new home we have addressed many projects and brought the community together with various projects. From the Police Crime Commissioner fund, the Group has helped intercept young people associated or at risk been involved with Serious Crime Offenses, currently working the VPP to work a similar approach to intercept potential young people that could be involved in Violent Crime.

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Working in partnership with the NHS CCG tackling obesity in the Orchard Park and North Hull area, bringing families together to live a more active healthier lifestyle. 

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The Groups' excellent partnership with Sport England, National Lottery and of course the Two Ridings Community Foundation, for which the Group has a long successful track record of delivering a multitude of programs to benefit young and old and sometimes bring down the age barriers to form a more socially inclusive program.

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The City of Hull Sport & Community Group now heads towards its 14th Birthday is working harder to deliver value to the local community of Hull. A short example of how we are far more than just a boxing club, we are a much needed integral part of close knit community.