Core Judo Academy were celebrating this week following the successful news of receiving planning permission for their own permanent dojo – the Core Judo Academy Dojo.

It was a process that first started to take shape over two and a half years ago for Jonathan Purssey and his team and the dream is starting to become a reality.

Purssey was understandably delighted with the news and laid out his strategy for the club: “We are really excited to start building our club and realise the dream of having a home for our Core judoka and parents. It is going to make a huge difference to the players to be able to have a home where the doors are open 7 days per week.”

“The players have done so well without having a proper club dojo so this an opportunity to really excel and leave a legacy beyond my coaching days. The future is very bright for the club and I can’t wait to get started.”

The hard work starts now for the club now though as the team will need to generate a substantial amount of fundraising to progress through the project.

Starting in December, work will begin on clearing the previous site and groundworks where the club have been training over the past few months whilst social distancing measures are in place.

The team hope to raise at least £40,000 from fundraising for the state-of-the-art dojo. The new club will be home to their thriving membership base, players and parents alike and a hub for the local community including:

Sprung dojo,
Strength and Conditioning gym,
Outdoor fitness space,
Cafe area.

If all plans go according to schedule, the club will be looking to open it’s doors for the first time in the summer of 2021.

“We hope it will become one of the top centres in the South East and boost participation in the local community.”

“We want to continue to drive elite development from our club, who won 6 national medals at the 2019 British Championships for cadets and pre-cadets.”

They are calling on the judo community to help raise money for the fantastic facility through their Crowdfunding page.