Women’s Coach Development Programme Spotlight: Carly Attridge

The Dennis and Dyer coach found her way into the sport during a difficult period in her life, but after a ‘see and you can do it moment’, Attridge retrained and is now head coach of the club’s amateur squad.

How did you first get involved in boxing?

I first got involved in boxing after a friend took me to a free ‘boxfit’ class during a tough time in my life. I was unfit, overweight, burnt out and lacking in confidence. At the time a friend was receiving end-of-life care in a hospice in Wales, and I was going backwards and forwards to be with her. I wasn’t coping very well and knew that something needed to change but I didn’t feel like exercise spaces were for me and I had a lot of anxiety about it.

The coach at boxfit was lovely and as my fitness improved, my friends stopped coming but I continued. I ended up getting a personal trainer who happened to be a boxer, and I slowly fell in love with the sport. I’d never felt stronger and more empowered. Eventually, I moved areas and asked a local boxing academy if I could volunteer with them as I was interested in coaching, sharing my passion and being involved somehow. A few years later I’m now the head coach of our amateurs, a level two coach and I’m continuing to learn and develop to be the best coach I can be.

I love learning and I’ve learnt so much since focusing on changing my career and my life.

How pleased are you to be involved in a programme that is actively bidding to push women’s and girls’ boxing forward?

It has been amazing! There are so many positive changes happening in the sport but at grassroots levels, it can sometimes be hard to engage women and girls. The number of female coaches continues to grow, but there’s still more to be done. It’s been incredible to connect and learn from the other coaches and it makes you feel less alone. It’s an amazing experience.

What do you hope to get out of the Women’s Coach Development Programme that can improve you as a coach?

Practically I’m hoping to improve my padding skills and work on cornering my boxers. Outside of the ring, I’m aiming to improve my season planning and develop my understanding of tactics. I’m also just really looking forward to connecting with the other women and feeling more confident!

How much will attending the Women’s Coach Development Programme help you in your club environment?

My club has been very supportive, but the WCDP has definitely helped me to feel more confident. It often gets too busy to have learning time with the other coaches at my club, so the programme has been great to have that dedicated time.

Who are your biggest boxing inspirations?

Inside the ring, I like Caroline Dubois, Nina Hughes, Jane Couch and Lille Winch, who is our up-and-coming boxer who has recently turned professional. I’m also inspired by Rachel Bower who I originally saw on the BBC programme Fight School with Idris Elba.

I was thinking about re-training to be a coach, and I reached out to Rachel for advice, at this point, I had no idea about amateur boxing or even where to start! I felt inspired to take this next step, but at that time there were no other obvious female coaches so I wasn’t sure if it was something I could even do!

But Rachel recommended I reach out to a local club and volunteer, so I took the plunge and now I’m head coach of the amateurs at our club. I’m really grateful to Rachel for taking the time and for now being my mentor.