From Boxing Club to School: How Paul Gough Is Changing Young Lives in Dudley

In this episode of The Black Country Blokes, Kev and Lee sit down with Paul Gough, the long-standing director and head coach of Priory Park Boxing Club in Dudley, who has spent 30 years using boxing to change lives.

What started as a boxing club on Priory Road has grown into a community hub supporting 300–400 people every week, offering training, mentorship, and opportunities for young people, veterans, emergency services and local families.

The club has produced Schoolboy, Golden Gloves and National Youth champions, but Paul’s proudest achievement might be what’s happening outside the ring.

Paul also founded Priory Park Community School, an alternative provision for young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties, or those at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream education.

Located in the Wren’s Nest area of Dudley, the school offers something unique — combining education with mentoring through sport, boxing, and outdoor learning.

Students benefit from:

🥊 Mentoring through Priory Park Boxing Club

🌿 Outdoor education in Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve — one of Britain’s most important geological sites

🎓 Qualifications including ABA Awards, ASDAN, BTEC and GCSEs

💬 Confidence building, resilience training and life skills

The aim is simple but powerful:

Give young people structure, belief and opportunity — and help them return to education, work, apprenticeships or training.

This episode explores:

• Paul’s 30-year journey running Priory Park Boxing Club
• Why boxing gyms often become lifelines for communities
• The reality of working with young people at risk of exclusion
• How sport can rebuild confidence and discipline
• The mission to reduce permanent exclusions in Dudley

Priory Park isn’t just building fighters —

it’s building futures.

📍 Priory Park Boxing Club

Priory Road, Dudley, West Midlands

DY1 4EU

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