A Belfast boxing coach has been honoured with an award win marking 40 years of volunteering. Cooper McClure is the head coach at Midland Boxing Club in the Tiger's Bay area of North Belfast.
When he started out as a coach at the club 40 years ago, he worked under Billy McKee, who he took over from in 2019. Over the years, Cooper has shaped countless young lives through sport, and was one of boxing champion Carl Frampton's coaches.
Outside the ring, too, Cooper has changed many lives, with the club focused on an ethos of making great people - not just great champions. His hard work has resulted in him being awarded Volunteer of the Year at the Community Relations Council’s Good Relations Awards 2025.
Read more: Free family fun day taking place in Belfast this weekend
Read more: Sister of Belfast actress on helping young performers in her memory
Speaking to Belfast Live, Cooper said he's honoured to take home the award - but that it has always been a team effort. He said: "When I heard about the award, I was a bit embarrassed because I feel like every coach, coaches because they love it.
"It's nice to be recognised, but you're not doing it to get awards. This is not just about me, it's about every coach we've had, our committee members, and everybody in the club.
"Most amateur coaches are volunteers, so it's a passion rather than a job. I've got a good team behind me - you're only as good as the people behind you."
Cooper coaches three nights a week and every weekend while working full-time as a roofer, but he said being a coach is rewarding and something he is proud to do. As for what he loves about showing up to the club each week, Cooper said: "Every amateur coach is doing it because they love it.
"They're not doing it because it's a chore, it's like everything in life, there's days and weeks, sometimes you get a bit down and you get a wee bit depressed about it. But then something happens in the club and you go - 'this is why I love this game.'
"You see a kid that maybe couldn't throw a jab or a right hand and all of a sudden he gets it, and you just get this big lease of life with it. To me that's what it's all about.
"You don't know who you're going to get walking through the door. With Carl Frampton, we didn't know he was going to be what he was when he walked through the door.
"I coached under Billy McKee who was my mentor and everything I do is to make him proud. He's passed away now, but I still quote him every day, the stuff he told me as I was coming through. He's my big influence and the one I want to be the most proud when I do anything."
Outside of boxing, Midland has a strong focus on making well-rounded people, shown through initatives they run such as nutrition classes, mental health workshops, and tackling anti-social behaviour.
Cooper said: "It's not all about making champions, the ethos of our club is to make good people. We want to make good people so when they walk out of the club, they walk into jobs when they leave school and they sort themselves out, that they're not getting into trouble.
"We've had kids over the years and they've went on, left the club, they've got jobs and done trades and they come back to you and they say, 'oh Cooper I've got a house and a car now.' To me that's what it's all about.
"It's not just about the boxing, we've always been like that at the club. It's always been about making good people, giving pople choices and a tool they can use.
"We teach about nutrition to help people understand their diet, we have mental health workshops, we've done stuff with the PSNI about tackling anti-social behaviour. We've had a lot of agencies on board because we want to outreach outside the boxing.
"Boxing is good for your mental health and you know, fit body, fit mind is a perfect saying, it's very true. But there are other tools you can use to help better yourself and others."
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States) ·