Sponsored by
Rick turns club into business success
A NATIONALLY acc- laimed kickboxing club has expanded into a community sports initiative.
Mavericks Kickboxing Association, set up by Rick Veevers six years ago, has built itself up to be one of the best clubs in the UK.
It has produced several world champions and among its recent success stories is 10-year-old black belt Joshua Parry, a British silver medalist.
Having started out as a sole trader, Rick decided he wanted to make the business even better so he grew the company's MKA Sports division.
He then sold everything from MKA to MKA Sports and made it a voluntary organisation.
"Now I'm working in schools and youth clubs and pupil referral units," he said.
"We built up a plan on how to engage the rest of the community.
"It's changed completely from martial arts to education-based, ball sports, dance and genealogy.
"We know we're not specialists in all these – so we source the experts and find them work as well."
There are now 10 MKA clubs across Yorkshire, having grown from two.
"It gave us the opportunity to get bigger and employ people and vary what we do."
Now MKA Sports employs 10 people full time and around 30 part-time.
From September it plans to increase its work with local schools and voluntary organisations.
Courses are designed to suit different clients.
"We are so diverse and can adapt," said Rick.
"I don't think there is any sector of the community we can't work with.
"It's about boosting self esteem and confidence building."
MKA is also keen to sponsor unemployed people wanting to further themselves in sport.
David Tooth, ball sports director, and rugby league player, said: "It can range from just a one-hour session, to running over six weeks, to one year, and we will cater for any group – the disabled, schools, youth clubs, different genders and backgrounds, young offenders in prisons, colleges, universities, and even corporate events with team- building exercises. You wouldn't think of putting genealogy and kickboxing together but that is the sort of thing we do.
"It's something totally different."
Email to a friend
Print this page- A58 crash UPDATE: road now re-open after man hit by car earlier this morning
- Crash on the A58 in Halifax this morning UPDATE: Man in hospital with several broken bones
- Taxi worker dies aged 35 after finishing his shift
- Man suffers serious injuries in accident on M62
- How the new Halifax Central Library will look
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
