"I didn't know girls could box" - Amanda Coulson

How did you first get in to boxing?

I saw an advert in the paper about two 13-year-old girls who were going to be the first ever females to box in Great Britain and that inspired me to want to give it a go, before that I didn’t know girls could box. But it was more the reactions I got from the coaches that made me want to excel in the sport.

I picked up the yellow pages and got a list of boxing numbers, the first response was a snigger, followed by ‘girls, in my club, you must be joking, love’. This made me more determined than ever to find somewhere that would take me on. The last number I had on my list was for the Hartlepool Boys Boxing Club, I had nothing to lose so I gave them a ring, the guy told me to come down watch a session and see what I thought, but he warned me that there’d be no leniency because I was a girl. I was determined to be successful to prove all these people wrong. 

In a traditionally male dominated sport, did you have any female role models? 

Throughout my career, it was all men; there were hardly any female boxers around, let alone coaches. There’s now Amanda Groake, who’s one of the GB performance coaches with me, she was one of the forerunners for female coaches in this country, and she was the first female coach to get the advanced coaching qualification. I always used to say to her ‘I’m going to be in your shoes one day’. She was definitely a role model, but they’re few and far between in boxing, it takes someone to take that leap of faith and take a step forward to allow more female coaches in. It has improved, there are a few more out there, and it’s certainly on the rise, as is female participation in boxing. 

Why did you become a coach?  

Boxing changed my life completely. With the help and guidance I’ve had from coaches along the way, I thought it would be nice to give something back. After a 16 year career in the sport, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience; it felt only right that I should step into those shoes. Only now that I’ve started coaching have I realised that I’m paving the way for other people and helping to open doors. 

You’ve recently graduated UK Sport’s Athlete to Coach programme, how has that helped you?

The experience of tactics and boxing was already embedded in me, but in terms of actually being a coach and what that means, Athlete to Coach has definitely fast tracked my development. I’ve been able to go back into the boxing world and try out new things and had my eyes opened. People have different learning styles and there’s different ways to get messages across, that kind of learning has really enhanced my ability as a coach and made me more confident.

Is there integration between the male and female programmes at GB Boxing?

When I was a boxer and we first came onto the programme, I think everyone was a bit apprehensive; they’d never had girls in the gym before. Rob [McCracken] came in and said ‘you treat them as boxers, forget if they’re women or men’. From that point on we were all accepted fully into the programme. That is exactly the same for the coaches; you’re not a female coach, you’re not a male coach, you’re a coach. At GB Boxing, regardless of your gender or role, you’re treated as an equal.  

What are your personal ambitions as a coach? 

My ultimate dream was to go to the Olympics, and even though as an athlete I fell short of that, it’s still my goal. I want to become a fulltime coach and get to an Olympics with a boxing team and produce success. I’m just at the start of my coaching career, I’d like to think that after Athlete to Coach I’m one step up the ladder, and with each experience I’ll keep climbing that ladder as far as I can, but I’m certainly determined to realise my potential, whatever that may be.

Amanda was one of nine coaches on UK Sport's Athlete to Coach programme. Find out more about UK Sport's coaching work >