There can be few more ethnically diverse environments than that of Wolverhampton Wrestling Club. Situated in a Sikh gurdwara, it is melting pot of religions, nationalities, backgrounds, ages and sporting abilities. Once through the door, all are treated as equals.
Not only does the temple act as a training base for wrestlers from international to beginner level, it also hosts grassroots football, tennis, golf, cricket and archery clubs, a wellbeing hub and programmes for gang members and pupils struggling in mainstream education.
“We pride ourselves on how multicultural we are,” says Ranjit Singh, Project Manager at Wolverhampton Wrestling Club.
“There’s a real wow factor to have such diversity in a place of worship. We have Polish, Latvian, Mexican, American and French wrestlers and three female national champions. But nobody is looked upon more favourably than anybody else.”
Not only does the temple act as a training base for wrestlers from international to beginner level, it also hosts grassroots football, tennis, golf, cricket and archery clubs, a wellbeing hub and programmes for gang members and pupils struggling in mainstream education.
“We pride ourselves on how multicultural we are,” says Ranjit Singh, Project Manager at Wolverhampton Wrestling Club.
“There’s a real wow factor to have such diversity in a place of worship. We have Polish, Latvian, Mexican, American and French wrestlers and three female national champions. But nobody is looked upon more favourably than anybody else.”
The scale is also impressive. Pre-Covid, the club was catering for 350 participants per week, with 50 staff and volunteers and 16 coaches trained to Level 2 in multi-sports. Unfortunately, wrestling is just about the least ‘Covid-friendly’ sport going and currently only the elite level wrestlers (including 10 national champions) are able to train in ‘bubbles’.
Sport participation and diversity are only part of its success, though. Other programmes focus on crime prevention, violence reduction, wellbeing, education and training. “It’s like a conveyor belt of people coming in and us moving them on to better things,” Ranjit explains.
Wolverhampton Wrestling Club has joined Levelling the Playing Field as a Local Delivery Partner. They already have close relationships with our other partners in the city, InPower Academy and NPV Football Development and run several programmes focused on crime prevention with local children and young people.
One programme saw the club reach out to a group of 30 pupils in a local school who had disengaged from mainstream education. “They told us they were going to become gang members,” says Ranjit. “They saw that as the only way they could be part of something.”
Sport participation and diversity are only part of its success, though. Other programmes focus on crime prevention, violence reduction, wellbeing, education and training. “It’s like a conveyor belt of people coming in and us moving them on to better things,” Ranjit explains.
Wolverhampton Wrestling Club has joined Levelling the Playing Field as a Local Delivery Partner. They already have close relationships with our other partners in the city, InPower Academy and NPV Football Development and run several programmes focused on crime prevention with local children and young people.
One programme saw the club reach out to a group of 30 pupils in a local school who had disengaged from mainstream education. “They told us they were going to become gang members,” says Ranjit. “They saw that as the only way they could be part of something.”
Every Friday (pre-Covid), they came to the gurdwara for wrestling training and the impact on them was immense. “The change in their attitude was amazing,” says Ranjit. “From having nothing in their lives to look forward to, they got really interested and couldn’t wait for our next sessions.
“They were very rowdy to begin with, but we gave them so much discipline, direction and belief. If those kids got in trouble during the week, they were not allowed to come to the gurdwara to wrestle on the Friday. It totally worked. They behaved themselves. We showed them the effort we were prepared to invest in them, and we got their commitment back in return.”
Former gang members now volunteer at the club and act as mentors to participants on the programme. “They explain that this is not the way to go forward. They can say to them, ‘I’ve been there’ and kids relate to that intensely,” says Ranjit.
“Mentoring is something that we’ve always done but we’re really interested in formalising it. We’re excited about joining Levelling the Playing Field to access the mentoring training and provide that extra support to our young people.”
In the offing is a further project to give current local gang members the responsibility of leading on community projects that are run from the gurdwara. Sport is the key to initial engagement in this process.
“They were very rowdy to begin with, but we gave them so much discipline, direction and belief. If those kids got in trouble during the week, they were not allowed to come to the gurdwara to wrestle on the Friday. It totally worked. They behaved themselves. We showed them the effort we were prepared to invest in them, and we got their commitment back in return.”
Former gang members now volunteer at the club and act as mentors to participants on the programme. “They explain that this is not the way to go forward. They can say to them, ‘I’ve been there’ and kids relate to that intensely,” says Ranjit.
“Mentoring is something that we’ve always done but we’re really interested in formalising it. We’re excited about joining Levelling the Playing Field to access the mentoring training and provide that extra support to our young people.”
In the offing is a further project to give current local gang members the responsibility of leading on community projects that are run from the gurdwara. Sport is the key to initial engagement in this process.
“We might do a bench press competition, for example, to break down barriers. Once they’re here, and we’ve forged relationships with them, they soon get the message that there are other things to do in their community other than causing havoc on the streets and taking part in violence.
“It’s happening because they feel nobody is giving them the chance to do anything positive. Actually, a lot of these guys are very, very respectful. They have started bringing their own kids in, which continues the cycle of improving behaviour and the safety of our community.”
As well as being a place of worship and a community sports centre, the club offers a social ‘safety net’ in other ways. They have partnered with Wolverhampton City Council and the mental health charity Mind to become the first Mind ‘wellbeing hub’ to be based in a faith centre in the UK. It is a wellbeing hub for the whole community, tackling issues such as isolation, mental health and education.
“It’s happening because they feel nobody is giving them the chance to do anything positive. Actually, a lot of these guys are very, very respectful. They have started bringing their own kids in, which continues the cycle of improving behaviour and the safety of our community.”
As well as being a place of worship and a community sports centre, the club offers a social ‘safety net’ in other ways. They have partnered with Wolverhampton City Council and the mental health charity Mind to become the first Mind ‘wellbeing hub’ to be based in a faith centre in the UK. It is a wellbeing hub for the whole community, tackling issues such as isolation, mental health and education.
Ranjit explains: “Sport is essentially a method of engaging in the community. Very few people walk in and say, ‘I’ve got a problem,’ but when you engage and find out a little bit more about them, with forms of mentoring alongside sporting provision, they begin to open up.”
Links with Wolverhampton City College ensure there are education pathways for participants to follow - including what may well be the only wrestling scholarship in the country!
Their work is hugely needed. Research shows that children in Wolverhampton are less active outside of school than the national average. Moreover, white non-British and Asian children - who are heavily represented at the club - are typically less active and have lower confidence in sport and exercise compared to counterparts from other ethnicities.
The huge range of activities has earned the gurdwara a position of authority amongst Sikh faith centres in Britain. They not only breed international-level talent, they have an immensely positive impact on their local community, fostering cohesion, personal development and tackling inequality.
As Ranjit concludes modestly: “It’s more than a wrestling club.”
Follow Wolverhampton Wrestling Club on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
Links with Wolverhampton City College ensure there are education pathways for participants to follow - including what may well be the only wrestling scholarship in the country!
Their work is hugely needed. Research shows that children in Wolverhampton are less active outside of school than the national average. Moreover, white non-British and Asian children - who are heavily represented at the club - are typically less active and have lower confidence in sport and exercise compared to counterparts from other ethnicities.
The huge range of activities has earned the gurdwara a position of authority amongst Sikh faith centres in Britain. They not only breed international-level talent, they have an immensely positive impact on their local community, fostering cohesion, personal development and tackling inequality.
As Ranjit concludes modestly: “It’s more than a wrestling club.”
Follow Wolverhampton Wrestling Club on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook