Entry is now open for the National Amateur Boxing Championship (NABC), which returns this season run by the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs (NABGC); with female boxers competing for the first time in the event’s 109 year history.

The competition, which took a break in 2014 for the first time in 50 years, aims to find the best 15-18 year old boxers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It has been known by various different names over the years, but retains a strong reputation for uncovering new talent, with previous recipients including world champions and Olympic medallists. The event’s roll of honour includes the likes of Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Joe Calzaghe, as well as current Rio 2016 contenders Harvey Horn and Joshua Buatsi.

Organiser Afsheen Panjalizadeh, Sports and Events Manager at Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, said: ‘It is great to have the championships back again after a year’s absence. It can be a real stepping stone for teenagers who want to go on to win at national and international level. Hopefully, with the addition of female boxers this year, we will see similar success for our women competitors.’

Entry is open now, and the competition gets underway in October or November (depending on region), with finals taking place during the first week of December.

Age classes for boxers:

Class A – Born in 2000

Class B – Born in 1999

Class C – Born in 1998 or 1997

Male boxers are required to have had at least two bouts prior to the start of the championships, whilst female boxers need only to be registered – competitive experience is not required.

How to enter:

Clubs wishing to enter boxers into the NABGC National Amateur Boxing Championship should:

1. Affiliate to your local NABGC member organisation
Click here to find your local organisation >

2. Complete an entry form and send it to your local NABC contact
Click here to download an entry form – men
Click here to download an entry form – women

3. Send completed entry form(s) to your local NABC contact below:

GROUP	County Rounds to be boxed by 1st  November 2015	Contact for affiliation and championship entries	Email	Phone Number
A	London (Essex to host)	Afsheen Panjalizadeh	afsheenp@essexboysandgirlsclubs.org	01245 264783
B	Essex (to host) Norfolk Suffolk	Afsheen Panjalizadeh	afsheenp@essexboysandgirlsclubs.org	01245 264783
C	Kent Sussex Surrey	Joyce Quinnell	joyce@scyp.co.uk	07824 380121
D	Hampshire Berkshire Oxon (to host)	Joel Stevens	joel.stevens@action4youth.org	07845 333058
E/F	Cornwall Devon Dorset Wiltshire Gloucestershire Bristol (to host) Somerset	Matt Donnelly	md@youngbristol.com	0117 9292513
G	Buckinghamshire Bedfordshire Hertfordshire	Joel Stevens	joel.stevens@action4youth.org	07845 333058
H	Northants Leicestershire Nottinghamshire Lincolnshire Derbyshire Cambridge	Mark Brine	mbrine@btinternet.org	0114 233 0365
I	Birmingham Worcestershire Warwickshire Staffordshire Shropshire Herefordshire	Mark Brine	mbrine@btinternet.org	0114 233 0365
K	Northumberland Durham (to host)	Alan Watson	alan.watson22@btopenworld.com	0191 383 1894 07917 156953
L	North Yorkshire South Yorkshire (to host)	Mark Brine	mbrine@btinternet.org	0114 233 0365
M	Cheshire Merseyside	Andy Hamill	activities@bgcgm.org.uk	0161 477 7735
N	Lancashire Manchester	Adrian French Andy Gunn	adrian@labgc.org.uk andygunn@labgc.org.uk	01524 65106