Boxing NT kicked out of the Italian Club after it started charging rent

The Territory’s historic boxing headquarters – which has produced several Olympians – will be shut down permanently after the governing body baulked at paying rent.

BOXING NT will be homeless from the start of next month after being unable to meet a new rental requirement at its 30-year Marrara base.

President Brett Schroeder said the peak body had to vacate the Italian Club by February 1 after being required to pay rent for the first time in over three decades, following a long-term agreement.

There are concerns young boxers, like Issak, Ashleigh and Jesse Schroeder will not have anywhere to train from the end of January. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Until now, Boxing NT had used an open air facility at the rear of the Abala Rd club for training and meetings with bouts held at other locations including the Portuguese and Timorese Social Club.

“Boxing does not have a home,” Schroeder told the NT News.

“It’s not through their fault or our fault. But we have nowhere to go. We need our own place.

“Even table tennis (in the NT) has a home.”

Schroeder said Boxing NT held close to ten meets annually but baulked at paying $250 a week in rent.

“It’s too much, we need something we’re not paying rent on,” he said.

Boxing NT president Brett Schroeder said the organisation would not have permanent training facilities by the end of the month. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson.

However, he was accepting of the club’s decision following the “good gesture” of free rent.

“They’re out of money, they need money to maintain this, they say,” he said.

“We appreciate everything they’ve done and we love them for it, there’s no malice there whatsoever, we’re just on a new journey.”

He said the Italian Club has been an “icon in the Northern Territory” for the sport and NT Olympians James Swan and Henry Collins fought there.

“Everyone that has done boxing in the last many, many years has come through here, fought here,” he said.

“This has been the home for fights, forever.”

However, Italian Club president Eugenio Scaturchio said the time had come for Boxing NT to “pay their due” and it now required more than $11,000 a year in rent and bills.

There are concerns young boxers, like Isaak (left) and Jesse Schroeder, will not have a permanent place to train from the end of January. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson.

He said the club had been supporting boxing at the venue since at least 1988 but it wanted to use the space for profit amid the financial crunch of Covid.

“We’ve got to survive ourselves. We are run by volunteers,” he said.

“It’s not that we don’t want them there.

“We tried to help them but they said they can’t afford (the rent).”

He said Boxing NT appeared to be “all over the place” and did not adequately maintain the “neglected” and “run-down” facilities.

“They’ve got to pay their due,” he said.

“They need to operate right. I can’t help if they don’t want to help themselves.

“They don’t know if they’re coming or going.”

A Northern Territory Government spokesperson said Boxing NT had received more than$70,000 over the past two years and quarterly meetings were held to discuss operations.