The Fighting Chance – Women Only
Funded through our Force for Change programme, The Fighting Chance Women Only Boxing Project was a pilot project delivering an introductory boxing training programme for women Veterans with a focus on improving health and wellbeing. The project, which was awarded £10,000 in October 2022, also helped The Fighting Chance develop a better understanding of women Veterans’ post Service needs.
A boxing programme for women Veterans
The project worked with women Veterans who experienced poor mental health, had felt excluded from male-focused or traditional Veterans’ support or just wanted to meet other Veterans as part of a supportive group. It offered participants a structured boxing training programme, suitable for all abilities, and designed to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
The Fighting Chance reached participants through their existing partnerships and networks, and through housing providers. Many participants faced severe isolation and hadn’t accessed support services previously.
Imran Khalil, Founder – The Fighting Chance, said: “We identified that there wasn’t much on offer exclusively for female Veterans and so we thought it’d be a really good idea to have a women Veterans’ boxing programme.
“We had all female boxing coaches, female workers, and a group of female Veterans. The feedback from everyone even surprised us. We know boxing training has an impact, that’s why we use it. But the women had such a good time and really bonded as a group. It was amazing to see.”
Measuring the impact
The project made a significant positive difference to the lives of women Veterans who took part. Individual Veterans experienced an improvement in physical and mental wellbeing from the programme. In addition, participants developed a supportive group where friendships were made. Some participants even reached out to other Veterans and partners of Veterans, encouraging them to join the programme or individual sessions.
At the end of the project, participants took part in a storytelling session, and a videography project demonstrating the impact of the programme. This session captured valuable feedback from those who participated, some of which is included below. You can also view a short film made during this session here.
“When I came out the Army…it wasn’t a pleasant experience particularly, so when I left I just kind of severed all ties. The Fighting Chance has created this community of both men and women. But, the comradeship between the women, it’s been quite phenomenal actually.”
“When I came across The Fighting Chance this year, it was literally what gave me that sort of hope – that life could get better.”
“More than the physical aspect, it’s the encouragement, it’s the warmth, it’s the friendliness, it’s the inspiration, it’s the motivation, it’s everything else that they offer.”
“I arrived in pain and I’ve left with some enthusiasm and hope.”
Developing partnerships and informing future support
The Fighting Chance Developed a partnership with H3O Digital during the project. H3O Digital are committed to supporting vulnerable people as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda and were very keen to support women Veterans.
Liam from H3O Digital explains “The main reason we want to support The Fighting Chance is because we’ve seen how powerful what they do is. Speaking to some of their participants and hearing them say that without these courses they potentially wouldn’t even leave the house for the day… that’s massive. And I think if we can help them change more people’s lives. I think that would be amazing.”
The Women Only boxing project was a pilot project designed to explore the needs of women Veterans; to explore the basis for women only provision and the viability of Veteran-led provision. It has helped The Fighting Chance understand the needs of women Veterans and their families, and this valuable knowledge will help inform their future service provision.
The Fighting Chance has recently been awarded funding through the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme to run a Women and Families project starting in December 2023 – this grew out of their work on, and evaluation from, the Women Only boxing project.