The movie Rocky is widely regarded as being the greatest underdog story ever told.

A boxer from the wrong side of the tracks in Philadelphia defies the odds to become champion of the world.

In the coaching arena, the ascension of Jay Plimmer and his Ozzy Wheels BMX club is a real-life underdog story.

Like Rocky Balboa, Jay has made a name for himself in his disadvantaged community through the application of steely determination, enterprise and endurance in trying times, combined with a capacity to roll with the punches when setbacks arise and an instinct to capitalise on moments of unexpected good luck.

Jay may not have enjoyed an astronomical rise to become heavyweight champion of the world – although he is a former amateur boxer and a Level 1 boxing coach – but in Osmaston, Derby, he is the undisputed community champion.

Stimulus package to boost coaching and communities

This is the uplifting story of how Jay acquired £50,000 in funding to build a new BMX track at Osmaston Park and launch a popular cycling club that has helped to improve community cohesion, supported people to adopt healthier lifestyles and acted as a balm for pandemic-weary residents.

His tale is testimony to the sustainable impact that funding from public sector grants, businesses, social enterprises, charitable trusts, and foundations can have on transforming individuals and communities, by harnessing the power of sport and physical activity as a force for positive change.

Jay says such initiatives are pivotal to helping coaches, clubs and participants revive and thrive following the last two years of disruption.

“I have seen the negative impact of Covid close up. It stalled my progress as a coach, hampered my efforts to put those riders who expressed an interest in becoming a coach through their qualifications, and participation levels fell away.

“Some riders naturally ebbed away and the momentum we had disappeared overnight. Fortunately, post-lockdowns, we’ve gained quite a few new faces. They’ve started to get the buzz again after going around the new track. But recovering from the impact of the pandemic is a long process.”

Jay’s story is proof of what can be achieved when coaches are given access to creative models of support and investment.

From small acorns do large oak trees grow

I agreed to meet Jay in the Holiday Inn reception, just a few hours before the start of the UK Coaching Awards. Jay was attending as a special guest to discuss the importance of embracing diversity in coaching, having featured in our Coaching For All video series.

Unbeknown to me, he was directly ahead of me in the check-in queue. Face masks have reduced our ability to recognise people, but Jay’s broad Derbyshire accent, not to mention the BMX bike in the corner of reception, quickly gave him away.

I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to speak to people who ooze passion and purpose. Jay emitted an energy when he talked about the monumental influence of Sporting Communities and Derby City Council in changing the trajectory of his life.

“The BMX track was falling apart. So, a few of us went down with some hand tools, defining the jumps and making the road,” begins Jay, as he explains how Ozzy Wheels came into existence – the club deriving its name from Osmaston Park, or Ozzy Park as everybody in the area calls it.

The videos were passed on to Move More Derby – a partnership involving the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Active Derbyshire that aims to increase participation in physical activity across the city.

“We got a meeting together between ourselves, Move More and representatives of the Council. What we wanted and what could be feasibly done to Osmaston Park were two different things. So, we had to compromise on the designs, but it all came together really well. We’ve ended up with a track that is part dirt, part clay, and part tarmac.”

Derby City Council allocated nearly £25,000 for the project through its Housing Revenue Account (Estates Pride Budget), managed by Derby Homes, which was then match-funded by British Cycling – through their Places to Ride capital grants programme.

But that’s only half the story.

‘Over time it has turned more into coaching’

Seeing the dreams of himself and his fellow riders reach fruition was “the proudest moment of my life”, says Jay.

Jay has grown up with generations of Osmaston and Allenton residents who use the BMX track and can vouch for the critical role that sport and physical activity plays in reducing anti-social behaviour in disadvantaged areas where opportunities are restricted, and boredom abounds.

“In my family when I was growing up, my mum and dad always made sure that there was at least one hobby that we had. For me it was either skateboarding, BMX or racing radio-controlled cars.

“Some of the people I've grown up with didn’t have any hobbies or interests. And that's why they found themselves hanging around on street corners.  

“I guess over time it has turned more into coaching.”

Jay adds: “I am a firm believer in the power of sport to help build community cohesion and if people can relate to me, then I will use that to make sure, if they're not boxing [Jay has been a volunteer coach at Allenton Boxing Club for eight years] then they are at the BMX track, so that most evenings a week, they have got something to do.”

The snowball effect

Impressed by his resourceful approach to the BMX project, Jay was asked to become an Ambassador for Move More Derby. Whilst attending a function, Sporting Communities CIC Development Officer Ed Chrayah handed him a leaflet promoting opportunities for coaches to get into full-time paid work, as part of the social enterprise’s Coaching for All programme.

“They accepted me for it. I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”

Jay says he will forever be indebted to Sporting Communities, whose raison d’etre is to support people on their journey to becoming a better, more employable version of themselves.

“They paid for all my coaching qualifications: my Level 2 BMX qualification, Level 2 Award in Coaching Cycling, and my safeguarding and health and safety certificates.”

Jay was also offered a place on Life Cycle UK’s Level 2 Bike Maintenance course.

Jay plans to use his qualifications as a springboard to launch a full-time career in coaching.

“I've only ever volunteered but I started to realise that there were opportunities for me to make a paid career out of it.

“I'm now organising contracts with schools in Derby to put on Learn to Ride sessions. I’ve got 10 bikes coming my way so I can coach ten children at a time. I can now run private coaching sessions too and have just applied for a job at Sporting Communities, who were advertising for coaches, youth workers, play workers and mentors.

Creating a climate of possibilities

I offered an alternative viewpoint when Jay said he had been in the right place at the right time and had benefited from a stroke of luck.

I submit he had, in fact, benefited from creating a climate of possibilities for himself, by being proactive and curious, channelling his passion into positive energy and creating valuable local connections.

For example, through collaborating with local schools and youth projects on a spray-painting design competition – which saw the winning designs replicated onto equipment at the BMX park – the connections he established directly led to him securing contracts with schools to lead their Learn to Ride sessions.

There is a quote that perfectly sums up the climate of possibilities concept: “Find your strengths and act on them and the world will beat a path to you.”

So, what does the immediate future hold, I ask Jay?

“Some of my riders want to take their coaching badges. I want to help them with that. One is a 46-year-old woman."

The pandemic has had a detrimental impact on both physical activity levels in our communities and on many of the coaches who lead these activities.

Furthermore, the barriers to specific population groups getting active – including disabled people, the elderly, ethnically diverse communities, and those living in marginalised and disadvantaged communities – have only been reinforced by the pandemic, disproportionately impacting on the most vulnerable sections of our population.

Using the vehicle of sport and physical activity, Jay is helping to break down social differences by helping people form friendships, which in turn fosters a sense of community belonging.

“I don’t have to go round and pick up after them anymore. If they see somebody dropping litter, they will tell them where the nearest bin is.”

Jay is many things to many people: sports coach and life coach; clubmate and confidant; mentor and role model.

The country desperately needs to retain coaches like Jay, and train others like him so that they can follow in his footsteps.

UK Coaching aims to galvanise coaches to commit to creating diverse and inclusive environments so that people from across all communities can thrive – creating a level playing field by removing the barriers to accessing great coaching.

If you have been inspired by Jay’s accomplishments, then be the hero of your own underdog story. The lead role in Rocky II is waiting to be filled!