Monkstown Boxing Club members have been locked out of their facilities again with no advance notice.
Coaches previously spoke out when the club building was closed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the midterm break in October, forcing its members to train outside on the streets. Boxers say that although the facility was also shut over the Christmas break, access in recent months has improved until the recent incident.
Boxers Jack Marley and Sean Mari, who are training in advance of the Olympic qualifiers this June, turned up at the facility for a recovery session this morning - but were met with cordoned off doors. Monkstown boxing coaches James Doyle and Donal Fitzgerald say that the facility has reopened since Monday.
READ MORE: Dublin Fire Brigade deliver healthy baby girl after mum goes into labour at home
James told Dublin Live: "We've met with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council over this. It's exhausting, we all work full time with young families, so to be met with this news is scandalous."
However, coaches report they were given reassurances that this would not happen again at the facility. Donal claims that the council acknowledged the closure was wrong and shouldn't have taken place.
The padlocked door itself could also be a potential health and safety issue, Donal alleges. He says that the cordoned off door operates as a disabled refuge, granting wheelchair users easier access to the building in the case of an emergency.
The two coaches also wants better conditions in the facility for its 100 plus members. Members currently do not have access to changing rooms and are forced to change out in the hallway.
James added: "There are seven men going to the Olympic qualifiers for Ireland, and two of them are members of Monkstown BC. It seems like they are trying to commercialise this centre, when they should be celebrating this success with us."
Coaches claim they were given no prior warning that the centre would shut. Politicians such as Richard Boyd Barrett have previously voiced their support over the unwelcome closures faced by its members.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council declined to comment when contacted by Dublin Live.
READ MORE
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news.
