247 Group Pledges £100,000 to Help Young North East Athletes
The fund will cover kit, training and competition costs through local sports clubs, with the first grants expected as early as December.
- Grants will be given from as early as December 2026 until the end of 2027.
- Most of the money will go to local sports clubs, starting with boxing gyms.
- Clubs in any sport across the North East can get in touch.
247 Group, which was founded in the North East and still has its largest office in the region, has pledged £100,000 to help young athletes across the North East who might otherwise be priced out of sport.
The 247 Young Athletes Fund will be paid out mainly through local sports clubs, with the first grants expected as early as December and the fund running until the end of 2027.
Founder Jordan Thexton, who started boxing at six, said the cause was a personal one.
Where the money will go
Clubs can use the funding for kit and equipment, from gloves and pads to mats and safety gear, and for repairs and improvements to training spaces.
It will also cover competition entry fees, travel and accommodation, coaching qualifications for club coaches, and memberships or subs for young people who could not otherwise afford to train.
Clubs can also nominate an individual athlete who needs help to take the next step, from a first competition to a place at national level. Support could include specialist coaching, training camps or travel.
Boxing gyms are expected to be among the first to benefit, but clubs in any sport across the North East can get in touch.
A personal commitment
Thexton, the group’s founder and chairman, competed in amateur boxing events throughout his childhood and teenage years. He still trains in his spare time, and boxing runs in his family.
“Boxing has been part of my life since I was six. It taught me discipline and determination long before I went into business,” he said.
Thexton, who was born and raised in the North East and still has family in the region, now lives mainly in Dubai. He said the fund was close to home.
“I know what local clubs do for young people and I want to make sure cost never stops anyone getting the chance,” he said.
Wider community investment
247 Group says the fund builds on more than £1.6m it has already invested in grassroots community projects across the region, including youth sport, alongside its backing of padel in the North East.
The privately owned company invests in brands, property, sport, hospitality and tech in the UK, the United Arab Emirates and the US. Each business in the group trades under its own name.
How clubs can get in touch
Clubs can email youngathletes@the247.group with a short note on who they are, what they need and the difference the money would make.
