A brand-new Judo academy has been opened in Irlam and Cadishead by a Paralympic Bronze medalist, offering opportunities for all ages.
The new Irlam and Cadishead Judo academy has had a successful five weeks since opening, as they continue to fill classes quickly.
Quilter Judo Academy is ran by Ben Quilter and his wife Francesca Quilter, who started the academy six months before the COVID-19 pandemic, but were forced to close down for the foreseeable future.
And since the reopening, it has a great response, as owner Ben spoke about the previous closure, he said: “Reopening back then wasn’t possible, but a change in circumstances and the opportunity arose to go again and despite how much effort we knew it would be.
“We decided the effort was worth it, and we thought we would kick it back off to try and create a judo hub in Irlam and Cadishead.
“We had a slight change of name and yeah, we’ve just changed it to Quilter Judo Academy after my wife and I, are the two people running the club.”
Ben, originally from Brighton, and Francesca from Sidcup have both competed at the very top level, Ben competed at London 2012 becoming a Paralympic bronze medallist, despite suffering a significant knee injury weeks before competing.
Throughout his Judo career, Ben has also been able to become a double World Champion and European Champion.
Francesca narrowly missed out on selection for the Olympics in London, but she has been a British champion and proudly represented Great Britain at the Junior European Championships.
Ben added: “It was one of the sports that really struggled coming out the other side of COVID so it’s great to be able to start a club again and offer something a bit different from the mainstream sports.
“Obviously I got a lot from the sport myself personally, having been to two Paralympic games and had the privilege to travel the world.”
And with rise in sports other than Football and Rugby in the UK, it has allowed it to become a driving force in the local community – and the new sports hubs in Salford are continuously looking for young people to get involved.
Ben continued: “It’s great to give back to the local community. And I’ve got three kids, all of whom come to the club, there wasn’t a club that was too close to us.
“Obviously I don’t drive being visually impaired, so it just felt like the right solution.
“There’s a lot of time and effort goes into running a voluntary club. But I’m proud to have got it to where it is and I’m enjoying it four weeks in, so hopefully it carries on.”
With a rise in Judo participants once again in the UK two years after COVID the sport is reaching similar numbers to 2017, where it peaked at 35,800 where it sits since 2023 at 32,800.
And this recent upsurge in interest new members and a new community is brewing in the Quilter Judo Academy.
“It’s not your mainstream option, but for younger children, I think it’s so beneficial for confidence, physical literacy and for friendship.
“There’s so much going for the sport that I just like to know that those values are being passed onto local people and children, adults, and families enjoy it.”
The academy offers classes for ages 5-7, 8-15, and 16+ the classes are run every Monday and Thursday covering the three age groups, giving everyone the opportunity to join.
The academy has been open for five weeks and has continued to pull new members in, with Ben’s son making it into the British School Championship competing at a national level and representing the academy.
And with the quick success in the club, it will certainly be a place with a lot of potential for future champions – for more information check – here
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