Higham and Rushden Judo Club are celebrating this week after officially opening their own permanent dojo after months of hard work transforming the former industrial unit.
Originally formed during Covid, husband and wife team, Rob and Anni Price, have steadily grown Higham and Rushden Judo Club over the past four years.
“Our friends at Kettering Premier Judo Club encouraged us to make the step of running our own club in Rushden – there wasn’t a big judo scene in the town, so we thought, why not give it a try!”
“We are absolutely buzzing to have our own facility now. It will make a huge difference to the club and our ability to run more sessions across the week. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, but we would like to thank Vince and Sam Skillcorn, who we have worked closely with to help us grow the club from around 50 members to over 200 members now. It is certainly achievable for a lot of clubs out there.”

It took a team effort to get the project over the line with over seventy volunteers helping transform the former industrial unit into the dojo – from painting to wiring, plumbing to carpentry, it was all hands-on deck to ensure that the dojo was in shape ahead of the official opening.
“We would not have been able to do what we are doing now without the help of volunteers at the club. We had these ideas of “we could do this….” and “we could do that…..” with a bit of DIY, but the truth is, we wouldn’t be where we are without our members. One of the team looked after the electrics, another member helped us with the carpentry side of things – we have been so lucky!”
Team GB judoka Nekoda Smythe-Davis and Mayor & Mayor’s Consort, Cllr David Coleman and Cllr Mrs Melanie Coleman were on hand to officially cut the ribbon for the opening and watched on as 30 excited youngsters began the first session at the club.

The Club are now looking forward to an exciting future in their new home, and they have their eyes on their next target – surpassing 400 members.
“It would be pretty special to pass 400 members – it would roughly equate to 1% of the population in Rushden which is not bad going, and it would maybe allow us to employ a full-time Coach at some stage.”
“We are looking forwards to not having to put the mats out each and every session!”
Higham and Rushden Judo Club’s Top Three Tips for Securing Your Own Dojo:
- Have a comfortable amount of regular members – We ran the numbers numerous times until we got to around 180 members.
- Build a team – We have a lot of members, but they are also very helpful as a group. We have a great setup of Coaches who are all pushing each other to get better.
- Accountability – Once you make the decision to move to your own space, you need to do things when you say you are going to do them, and hold yourself accountable if you don’t make progress.

Judging from the smiling faces on the mat from every session, it is clear to see that the club has a bright future ahead of themselves, and we can’t wait to watch them grow!
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