Na Fianna hosts Leinster kickboxing championships for first time
A proud moment in the short history of the club, Na Fianna Martial Arts School recently hosted the Leinster Kickboxing Championships in Drum Community Centre.
Established by Athlone native Martin Ward in 2014, the kickboxing focused club continues to thrive from its current base in Summerhill Business Park, with 26 of the club’s 350 members participating in the recent provincial championships.
With competitors from the age of seven to adulthood participating in the championships, Martin spoke proudly of the occasion, his hope being the growth of the competition in future years.
“The competition was the first of its kind to be held in the Midlands and attracted close to 200 participants from martial arts clubs throughout the country,” Martin said.
With a focus on ‘light contact’ impact in the various categories of competition, Martin said feedback from competitors on the day was “extremely positive” an his aim is now to grow the competition to All-Ireland status in due course.
“I would like to see the competition grow and be in a position to host a regular All-Ireland championships in Athlone. This would be a great boost for our club,” Martin said.
Since its establishment 11 years ago, the Na Fianna Martial Arts School continues to attract young and adult members on a regular basis, Martin stating that he takes “great pride” in overseeing the development of children who have chosen kickboxing as a sporting discipline.
“We have approximately 350 members in our club at the moment. Children of various abilities can become members of Na Fianna Martial Arts School. It is very rewarding to see their development through the years and one of the main reasons why I established the club,” Martin said.
The Na Fianna Martial Arts School members who participated in the Leinster Championships were as follows: Aleksander Egan, Rúa Dunning, Igor Gospodarczyk, Alex Fahey, Ben Earley, Bianca Kolcze, Callum Brennan, Cyra Shine, Danny Coffey, Eoghan Berrigan, David Kolzce, Bianca Kolzce, Robert Kolcze, Fionn Eiffe, James Casey, John Boland, Lilly Cunningham, Milan Kapoor, Sophie O’Brien, Teodor Antonio Ion and Tristan Shine.