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Last month, England Boxing announced the transition from the Vault to the Locker (view here), which is a long overdue change that we expect will reduce the use of paper, increase visibility and effectiveness, and enhance the safety and transparency of the sport, bringing it into the present age of technology.

As with the introduction of any new system, challenges and uncertainties are inevitable. We acknowledge that several concerns have been raised, and to address these, we have prepared a comprehensive FAQ document that delves into each potential issue in detail. Please refer to it for any questions or uncertainties you may have.

Who has EB spoken to? What was the process?

Feedback from a wide range of members in recent years – both in the lead-up to and after the publication of our Strategy in 2022 – has led to the creation of the Locker as a system that could provide them with a vast majority of what they were asking for.

The main features being requested were: to embrace technological advancements to upgrade the way we deliver key support services; address issues around white collar boxing; and to review the Vault to ensure it provides clubs with added value.

Outside of membership feedback, England Boxing has published an updated Rule Book and independent reports in recent years including the Charles Thomas Report and the East Midlands Region Report.

These reports and updates were triggered due to the untimely death of Ed Bilbey (a young boxer who died at the end of an EB contest in 2017) and several core governance issues highlighted within the EM Regional Association.

Findings and recommendations within these reports have indicated several key changes that are urgently needed to ensure the safety of boxers, members, clubs and regions alike.

These recommendations include the introduction of defibrillators at all clubs and shows, greater oversight and improvements of gym inspections by EB, and an overhaul of the Vault to include updated / modern approaches of recording boxer’s medical information.

Several concerning cases of fraud, safeguarding and governance issues have been reported to and dealt with by EB in recent years that have highlighted the need for updates and changes to reduce the burden of responsibility currently placed on volunteers within Regional Associations. There is an urgent need to update existing systems and processes for the protection of all EB members.

As a result, the Locker has been designed to safeguarding the sport and its members by achieving the recommendations outlined in these reports and others.

Additionally, several deaths and serious injuries in unregulated/unlicensed boxing in recent years have led to an increased level of concern and desire from several government departments to engage with EB, other home nations and the British Boxing Board of Control with a view to removing the ability for all forms of unlicensed boxing to continue by updating relevant legislation (Listen HERE).

As a result, the updates and changes taking place as part of the roll-out of the Locker are essential to remove the threats posed by unlicensed boxing in its current range of formats, and to safeguard participant’s wellbeing.

How would this work at a show?

  • Supervisors and Doctors will be given access to the Locker to view all boxer’s bout history, medical assessments, previous combat experience and any active suspensions.
  • Coaches and boxers will be able to view their own records / those of boxers in their club – these can be saved to the boxer’s and coaches’ mobile phone and shared with other club coaches in advance or on the day of an event in a very similar way to that of a current BCR1.
  • Supervisors and Doctors can check boxer’s records either in the days leading-up to an event, or on the day of any event using their mobile phone or laptop.
  • By checking in advance, supervisors can streamline weigh-in’s and save significant time for themselves and clubs.
  • Coaches and boxers can also access the Locker to show supervisors their records on the day of an event, or if internet access is limited, they can take screenshots of their records and BCR1’s the day before an event to share with them and coaches from other clubs.
  • Supervisors can input bout records to the Locker either during an event at ringside using their mobile phone or laptop, or shortly afterwards if internet is limited. The time required to do this is approximately 30 seconds per boxer.
  • If there are any medical suspensions issued during a bout, Doctors can add a suspension to a boxer’s record using their mobile phone or laptop either at ringside, or shortly after the event.
  • If for any reason a Supervisor or Doctor is unable to input a result or suspension, Regional Registrars and Head Office will be on-hand to support.
  • In case a dispute should arise for the result of a bout, Supervisors may wish to appoint a recorder to fill out a T6 form as supportive evidence of bout results to reflect the results on the Locker.

What happens if…

  1. The supervisor isn’t that computer literate?  Online and face-to-face workshops/surgeries, video tutorials, pilot events in June & July and guidance for supervisors will be provided.

The system is very user-friendly and even those with a very basic mobile phone / IT awareness should be able to get to grips with the Locker very quickly.

If supervisors are really stuck though, they can record bout results on a T6 and submit these to their Regional Registrar shortly after the event so that they can be input within 48 hours of an event.

  1. Their laptop crashes? As above, records can be checked, saved, and shared by coaches, boxers, supervisors and Doctors in advance and during an event. Results can also be added to the system shortly after an event if there is no laptop, mobile phone, or internet available during a show.
  2. They can’t connect to the venues wifi? – As above.
  3. The venue doesn’t have wifi (shows are held in small community centres/church halls etc)? As above.
  4. They don’t know how to set-up a ‘hotspot’ if the wifi goes down? As above.
  5. How are supervisors going to access information at shows and who is going to update it at shows? – As above.

What happens if a boxer receives a lay off? Will it be updated online or will they have to wait until it has been updated to box again?

Medical suspensions can be added to a boxer’s record on The Locker for set periods of time (i.e. 14 days, 30 days, 90 days, etc.). When a suspension is added, this will freeze their BCR1 and show on the Locker as having an active suspension which Supervisors, Doctors and Coaches will be able to view.

Is the new BCR1 format going to be viewable for all clubs or only certain officials? Will it be used like Warrior for clubs to check boxer’s records…therefore used for matchmaking?

Supervisors & Doctors will be able to view all club records. For the first 12 months, coaches and boxers will only be able to view their club boxer’s records, but these can easily be shared and shown to other clubs on a mobile phone. By June 2025, a matchmaking and ranking system will be developed on the Locker in a similar format to Warrior as an added benefit for clubs to use.

Can you register boxers/coaches on the same email address? Currently have to log 3 different email addresses and passwords for 2 boxers and a coach.

Current National Governing Body sport’s membership systems are built in-mind for member / end-user accounts. The Locker has been built in the same way and is a requirement outlined within the Thomas Report to ensure the safety of boxers.

Are EB going to provide laptops or equipment needed for this new change?

Mobile phones, laptops and other smart devices with an internet connection can be used to access the Locker. As mentioned above, those struggling to get an internet connection can still record bouts using a T6 and by requesting support from Regional Registrars or EB. England Boxing will continue to provide equipment for specific volunteer roles that require it.

Why has the permit fee increased by 100%?

Permit fees have not been set at this time. EB is in active consultation with Regional Associations to help determine an appropriate fee for permits and will continue this consultation between now and January 2025 to ensure that clubs and region’s voices are heard.

Will opponent’s records be available to be checked at shows as they are now, using the BCR1?

Opponent’ records can be shared in a very similar way to the current paper system i.e. they can be checked by an opponent’s club at an event by looking on the coach or boxer’s mobile phone as opposed to a paper BCR1 book.

This has the added security feature / clarification possible that supervisor’s and Doctor’s at an event can also check the live account and record of a boxer on the Locker, and remove the possibility of BCR1 tampering that is currently possible on a paper system.

In other words, there are now several different ways of checking a boxer’s record for peace of mind in the lead-up to and during a show, compared to the current system that only has one form of check available.

What is the role of regions in this structure now that they aren’t organising a lot?

Regional Associations remain an integral part of EB’s governance and will continue to operate the same functions and processes but with much less administration and burden required on their volunteers.

Regions will still approve and oversee the issuing of permits, club affiliations, BCR1 updates, registrations, regional championship rounds, and compliance & safeguarding provision within the region. Funding will also continue to be issued to regions to support them in these functions.

With Courses, once completed – will that automatically get added so licenses can be updated or do we still need to wait for certificates to arrive?

Course certificates can be uploaded to the Locker directly by the coach. As soon as they are uploaded and a Coaching Lanyard / License application has been submitted, EB can check and verify your application and approve your lanyard to be posted out.

How will medical records be updated, as doctors previously filled in the book? Some boxers go to a private doctor if no medical is available before it’s needed.

Medical records can be updated by Doctors who are registered/have an active account on the Locker with EB. If a boxer cannot obtain a medical with an EB registered Doctor, their own GP can complete a medical assessment for them using an ME1 form, and sending it by email to the Reigonal Registrar or EB from the Doctor’s Surgery.

 

Concerns:

  • Clubs already aren’t able to pay £3 fees for membership and Coaches are thinking they will struggle to deal with increase – EB has launched several new initiatives to help clubs raise funds including the GRAB Lottery, which is available free of charge to EB members. EB has a cohort of 9 Club Support Officers throughout the country who are available to clubs to help access funding, reduce costs and raise funds.
  • For the next 12 months and starting this month (April 2024), EB CSO’s will be hitting the road with the offer to visit every club in the country. This will be to provide a health check and vital support to ensure clubs are given the best help possible to secure their future.
  • Clubs feel like they are being dictated to by EB and its business model (referred to as a dictatorship and talk of clubs taking a stand – not signing up) – EB has and will continue to consult with members at all levels, including surveys, FAQ forms, working parties, sub-committees, Regional Associations and focus groups to mention a few.
  • As a membership organisation consisting of 30,000 registered and 150,000 unregistered individuals, it will always be a challenge to balance member’s opinions.
  • As a risk to life combat sport in receipt of public sector funding, amateur boxing is under constant observation from external organisations, many of which would seek to ban the sport if it were to be seen as out-of-date or potentially unsafe. As such, decisions will need to be taken by democratically appointed individuals to represent the best interests of amateur boxing in-line with the governance structure that our members subscribe to
  • Expecting registrars to input information for every single boxer is unrealistic – For peace of mind, this task will only need to be completed in the first year during the transition from paper to digital.
  • After calculating the total number of boxers and their average bout history, we are confident that Regional Registrars will have their voluntary workload reduced to an average of 5 hours per week during this transitional year, and it should reduce even further than that thereafter.
  • The printing of lanyards and other administrative tasks for BCR1’s have also been alleviated of Registrars in order to reduce the impact and workload on them.
  • Calculation: Most active competitive boxers have between 2-10 bouts in their competitive history / BCR1’s at present. With the average bout record entry taking 30-60 seconds to input on the Locker and an average of 1,800 competitive boxers per region, this works out to an average of 225 hours per year / 5 hours a week if it is assumed that every boxer has competed in 10 bouts each.
  • Talk of joining another organisation – Clubs are democratically run organisations with the power to decide for themselves which organisations they would like to affiliate and register to. We support the democratic running of clubs and their decision-making processes.
  • In light of recent deaths and serious injuries within the world of unregulated and unlicensed boxing, clubs should be aware that there is mounting pressure from public campaigners, several government departments and academic research due for publication that could likely see the end of boxing outside of the recognised governing bodies (namely, England Boxing, Welsh Boxing, Boxing Scotland, Boxing NI and the British Boxing Board of Control) by mid-2025. Further updates will follow in the coming months. For more on this, please listen here.
  • A lot more work for officials – The workload and responsibility of officials and supervisors will remain the same, though they will have added protection and time-saving measures available to them now under the Locker.
  • Doctor prices increasing due to change – they already charge quite a bit – EB will continue to campaign in support of clubs and members to reduce costs wherever possible, and to help apply for / raise funds to cover these as benefits of their membership.
  • As with various suppliers within the sport (i.e. ring suppliers, venue providers, security, trophy producers, boxing equipment providers etc), EB works closely with various organisations and companies to provide benefits to our members (see example here).
  • For further information of benefits and support available, please contact your local Club Support Officer.
  • Volunteers (coaches/officials) deserve a free membership rather than it going up to £24 – This fee has remained the same as it was last season, having gone up from £22 in 2023 – which was the first membership fee increase seen in many years
  • Won’t be any supervisors left to volunteer because of changes – The workload of supervisors remains the same, just that it will now be administered online rather than in a purely paper-based system. There will be extensive training, guidance and support available to all volunteers needing to understand the new system.
  • More money to England Boxing by making refresher courses mandatory – eventually there will be no one licenced to run shows or teach the sport – The roll-out of the EB Refresher course are not due for a further 12 months. Further updates will follow in due course.
  • People want to keep their paper BCR1’s as a keepsake for the future – If boxer’s wish to keep their BCR1’s as a memento of their boxing record, please include a request to your Regional Registrar to return the invalid paper BCR1’s when submitting them for bout record entry to the Locker.
  • Can any club apply for permit? – Clubs will still need to follow regional systems and processes before applying for a show permit via the Locker.
  • Regional Associations will continue to oversee and approve permits, and England Boxing will continue to finance the resources, guidance system, and insurance required to license and deliver those events.
  • Why does England Boxing want my club bank account details? – EB will not be requesting club bank account details as part of the roll-out of the Locker.
  • New and existing EB clubs have long been required to have a bank account in the name of the club as outlined in the Club Membership Policy. A feature that exists on the Locker is the opportunity for clubs to upload a letter addressed to the name of the club from their bank as evidence of meeting this requirement.
  • Existing clubs will not be asked to provide any detailed bank account information (i.e. sort code, account number, transaction details etc…) to EB as part of the roll-out of the Locker.
  • Clubs will have the option to upload this information should they wish to apply for grant funding.