My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Denys
Last Name
Bil
Pronouns
He/Him
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
0
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
Lineage Community CIC
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2025
Initiative Title
Boxing Without Walls
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://lineageboxing.co.uk
Initiative Stage
Pilot-Stage (The first activities have happened, and you have proof of concept)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Boxing Without Walls by Lineage unlocks underused school and community spaces to deliver inclusive, non-contact boxing that builds confidence, movement skills and mental wellbeing for young people facing social and economic barriers.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Access to boxing has become increasingly restricted. The sport has historically been one of the most accessible for young people from low-income and marginalised backgrounds, requiring minimal space and equipment to deliver meaningful physical, mental, and social benefits. Rising facility costs, insurance pressures, and the expectation that provision must take place in dedicated, fully equipped clubs have contributed to boxing facility availability declining rapidly. At the same time, many existing spaces (e.g. school sports halls, basketball courts, multi-use indoor areas) remain underused or locked into single-sport use, despite being ideal for non-contact boxing activities. This problem is a paradox: young people most likely to benefit from boxing are excluded not by lack of interest, but by unnecessary structural and spatial barriers. This problem is especially pronounced for girls and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, for whom traditional competitive sports environments and hard-surface, fenced facilities can feel intimidating, unsafe, or inaccessible.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Lineage reimagines space usage, design and how young people (YP) experience them. We do not build facilities to unlock access, we activate existing ones. Sports halls, courts, youth centres and other spaces sit idle outside school time. If used, it is often traditional, competitive, male-dominated formats that may exclude girls and YP with SEND. We transform these into structured, low cost, inclusive non-contact environments. Non-contact boxing does not need specialist equipment, so space becomes flexible, focusing on movement and coordination, making spaces more welcoming, particularly for girls and YP who avoid traditional sport. We are already in talks with partners showing demand: • Shooters Hill College (female-only) • Barking Abbey School & Sixth Form • Spotlight (Poplar HARCA youth centres) Landowners and institutions (education and youth centres) with suitable space are vital to our model. We work in partnerships where: • Partner provides space and safeguarding • We deliver qualified coaching and programme structure • Both parties review participation and impact We also work with England Boxing to ensure credible onward routes where talent and interest emerge. The idea emerged directly from Denys Bil’s (TBA Head Coach) frontline educational experience working with YP excluded from mainstream settings. Many were disengaged from traditional sport, but when boxing was delivered in a structured, non-contact, psychologically safe format, participation increased dramatically. Several progressed into leadership, qualifications, and England Boxing pathways. He also saw many schools had suitable space, but delivery format determined whether YP felt welcome. Lineage realised the barrier was not money: underused space + right structure = access.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Young people closest to the problem actively shape how Lineage operates. Delivery runs in 6–8 week blocks of 15–20 young people per cohort. At the end of each session, coaches facilitate a structured 5-minute debrief where participants reflect on what worked, what felt challenging, and what they would change. This feedback directly informs the following week’s session design. At weeks 1 and 6, participants complete a short confidence and engagement survey, tracking comfort using the space, sense of safety, and likelihood to return. This allows us to measure change over time and identify barriers early. As well as in-session mechanisms, Lineage adopts Empire Fighting Chance’s established tracking and feedback protocol, recognised as one of the UK’s leading structured boxing programme monitoring systems . This provides transparent data collection on attendance, engagement, wellbeing, and progression. Using this framework ensures that young people’s voices are systematically recorded and acted upon, not informally noted and forgotten. Young people also co-create through leadership pathways. Each cohort identifies 2–3 participants to take on assistant roles, supporting warm-ups and welcoming new joiners. Several current coaches are former participants, including young people who progressed from SEND backgrounds into national pathways and now deliver sessions as paid staff. Recruitment is embedded within partner institutions. Shooters Hill College refers female students for girls-only sessions; Spotlight youth workers nominate disengaged young people; schools promote sessions through assemblies and enrichment briefings. This creates a visible cycle: participant → contributor → leader → coach. Lineage is built with young people, measured with them, and sustained by them.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
We make a difference by unlocking existing school and community spaces, making them usable for young people who avoid traditional sport. Key barriers we address are fear of peer judgement (particularly from dominant male groups in competitive settings) and lack of access to affordable, appropriate facilities. Non-contact boxing in these familiar environments reduces performance and social pressure . There is no team selection, public competition, nor need to enter a male-dominated gym, significantly lowering anxiety for girls and young people with SEND. Each site runs 6–8 week blocks of 15–20 participants. With 3 active sites, Lineage can reach approximately 150–200 young people a year in Phase One. If expanded across Spotlight’s eight centres, annual reach could exceed 400 participants. In previous leadership at The Boxing Academy, structured programmes supported students from MPs into accredited Boxing Leader qualifications and progression into England Boxing’s pathway. This demonstrates a credible progression model that remains relevant in a post-Covid context where young people may increasingly disengage from physical activity. Impact is measured using Empire Fighting Chance’s recognised tracking framework, alongside attendance, retention (4+ session return), participant confidence surveys, and progression tracking. Short-term impact: increased participation in previously underused spaces and improved confidence using them. Medium-term impact: sustained weekly engagement and leadership progression. Long-term impact: embedded, repeatable activation of school and community spaces as inclusive sport environments. Lineage demonstrates that unlocking space—not building new facilities—can rapidly expand access to physical activity where it is most needed
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
The dominant model of London boxing provision remains purpose-built Amateur Boxing Clubs: fixed facilities, ring-based, membership-driven, and mainly competitive. While effective for those who access it, this model needs dedicated infrastructure, overheads, and young people travelling to them. Lineage inverts that structure. Instead of asking young people to come to boxing, we embed it within spaces they already use—schools, sixth forms, youth centres—without needing a ring or permanent gym conversion. By making non-contact delivery the entry point rather than contact competition, we remove infrastructure, cost, and confidence barriers in one go. This is innovative structural repositioning, not simply outreach.. When we pitched girls-only non-contact model to Shooters Hill College , interest was immediate as it needs no capital works and aligns with student wellbeing priorities. Discussions with Barking Abbey School (with four sports academies) centre on integrating boxing into existing sports infrastructure without displacing other provision. Spotlight youth centres see the model as a way to activate multi-use halls with minimal risk. While school boxing programmes exist in alternative provision settings, there is no widely embedded, scalable, non-contact-first model across mainstream London schools and youth centres as a space-activation strategy. Lineage tackles the root issues identified by England Boxing and local partners: sustainability and access. By reducing dependency on specialist facilities and embedding delivery within institutional partnerships, we expand the base of participation while complementing—not competing with—traditional clubs. Our innovation is about shifting where power, space, and access sit within the system, not inventing a new sport.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
Lineage is viable and scalable as it removes the biggest delivery cost barrier : infrastructure. Our core model is non-contact and space-agnostic, meaning delivery can begin immediately in existing school sports halls, community centres and youth hubs without capital outlay, significantly reducing financial risk and allowing rapid piloting and iteration. Sustainability is built through partnership not space hire dependency. Collaborations with Shooters Hill College, Barking Abbey School, and Spotlight (Poplar HARCA) show a venue pipeline where we can be embedded within existing safeguarding, referral and timetable structures strengthening long-term continuity. Quality and impact sustainability are supported through partnership with Empire Fighting Chance, whose framework and monitoring systems provide a structured, evidence-aligned foundation, ensuring consistency as delivery expands. Scalability is designed in layers. Stage 1: pilots in 2–3 sites, generating attendance, retention and wellbeing data. Stage 2: replication across more schools and youth centres within existing partner networks (e.g. other Spotlight sites). One trained coach can activate multiple venues weekly, allowing efficient expansion with continued safeguarding. Stage 3: optional progression pathways where demand exists, including England Boxing qualifications, leadership roles and paid coaching opportunities. This creates a self-reinforcing ecosystem: participants become leaders, leaders become paid staff. For young people where competition pathways are not appropriate, it remains a non-contact, wellbeing-focused offer. Our long-term vision is to embed Lineage across multiple boroughs as a repeatable model, with potential development into a community-based Amateur Boxing Club where demand exists.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Lineage Community CIC provides overall governance, safeguarding oversight and strategic coordination of the initiative. Denys Bil – Project Lead & Founder England Boxing Level 2 Coach; Grade C Judge & Timekeeper; Active IQ Level 3 Personal Trainer; safeguarding and first aid trained. Former Head of Boxing at The Boxing Academy and coach at Left Hook ABC. Participant in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Boxing. Responsible for strategic leadership, partnership development, safeguarding compliance, programme design, and monitoring & evaluation (including integration of Empire Fighting Chance’s tracking framework). Jay Dujon – Lead Coach (Female Provision) 3× National Champion; England Elite Champion; London Elite Champion; Haringey Box Cup Champion; Golden Girl Champion ×2. Club Welfare Officer; Level 4 Artistic Gymnastics Coach; Certified Personal Trainer. Leads girls-only sessions, ensures culturally safe delivery environments, and mentors female participants into leadership pathways. Daniel Mendes – Operations & Mentoring Lead Head of Operations at The Boxing Academy; England Boxing Level 1 Coach; former 2× Southern Area Champion; ABA London Elite Finalist. Qualified in Sports Science, Personal Training and Sports Nutrition. Supports operational systems, mentor supervision, behaviour frameworks and quality assurance. Micah Rodney & Adem Wakefield – Assistant Coaches Former participants who progressed from non-contact boxing into college and DiSE-aligned pathways. Now transitioning into paid coaching roles, supporting delivery and acting as relatable role models for current cohorts. Institutional & Sector Partners Shooters Hill College Primary contact: Vivien Barrett, Director of Pastoral, Enrichment and Community. Written confirmation of interest in a female-only boxing programme, with discussions around DiSE-aligned progression and enrichment integration. Spotlight (Poplar HARCA Youth Centres) Engagement discussions with Mark Collings, DiSE Coach and Head Coach at Limehouse Boxing Academy. Exploring delivery across multiple youth centre sites. Barking Abbey School (2,500 students across two sites) Initial engagement via SENCO, with proposal referred to Head of PE. Decision currently under review regarding integration into existing sports infrastructure. Partner schools and youth centres provide access to underused indoor facilities, safeguarding alignment, referrals and local coordination. Responsibilities are formalised through delivery agreements and regular review meetings to ensure safe and sustainable activation of community spaces.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
September 2026 – Award & Mobilisation Funding confirmed. Finalise delivery agreements with initial partner sites: • 1 youth centre • 1 mainstream secondary school • 1 college (including female-only provision) October–December 2026: Setup & Activation • Formalise site agreements and delivery schedules • Complete safeguarding alignment and risk assessments • Train coaching team (including Box Therapy-informed framework) • Establish monitoring systems (Empire Fighting Chance tracking integration) • Launch first 6–8 week pilot cohorts (approx. 15–20 young people per site) Target: 45–60 young people engaged across 3 sites by December 2026. January–July 2027: Pilot Delivery & Evidence Building • Deliver 2–3 cohort cycles per site • Reach approximately 150–180 young people across the 3 initial venues • Track attendance, 4+ session retention, confidence indicators and progression • Identify 6–9 young people for leadership pathway opportunities • Formalise at least 2 additional education or youth centre partners September 2027–August 2028: Scaling Phase • Expand delivery to up to 8 youth centres and 8 education settings across partner networks • Reach 400–500 young people annually across all sites • Embed girls-only provision in multiple settings • Introduce optional progression routes (leadership, qualifications where appropriate) • Develop repeatable Lineage “Space Activation Toolkit” for borough-level replication By 24 months, Lineage will move from activating 3 pilot sites to a scalable, borough-spanning model operating across up to 16 venues, demonstrating that underused school and community spaces can be systematically unlocked for inclusive physical activity.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
Participation in the 8-week capacity-building programme will require dedicated leadership time and organisational development capacity. As a small delivery-led CIC with limited unrestricted funding, partial support would ensure meaningful engagement without disrupting frontline provision. We anticipate requiring up to £8,750 to cover the following: 1. Project Lead Backfill – £4,000 Approx. 2 days per week over 8 weeks (16 days total) to allow Denys Bil to participate fully in workshops, mentoring and programme requirements while maintaining operational oversight across delivery sites. 2. Governance & Policy Development – £1,500 External advisory or specialist support to refine safeguarding policy, partnership agreements, risk management frameworks and board governance processes. 3. Monitoring, Evaluation & Systems Strengthening – £1,500 Development and refinement of impact tracking processes (integrating Empire Fighting Chance’s reporting framework), data systems, and outcome dashboards aligned to funder expectations. 4. Partnership Formalisation & Scaling Framework – £1,000 Time and consultancy support to formalise agreements with pipeline schools and youth centres and develop a scalable delivery toolkit. 5. Travel & Participation Costs – £750 Travel, materials and any in-person attendance costs directly linked to the capacity-building programme. Total estimated requirement: £8,750 This investment would strengthen Lineage’s governance, systems and partnership infrastructure, ensuring that future growth is sustainable, accountable and not reliant on short-term delivery income.
