Member's statement: Midland Boxing Club: 50th Anniversary
Member's statement by Mr Phillip Brett on .
- MLA
- Mr Phillip Brett
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 23 September 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Midland Boxing Club: 50th Anniversary
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4543639
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I am delighted to congratulate Midland Boxing Club in my constituency, which marked the 50th anniversary of its operation this year. Midland Boxing Club will be known to many right across Belfast and Northern Ireland. It was formed by the legendary Billy McKee MBE, 50 years ago. Billy formed the club with no money and no premises. His wife and family did not particularly welcome the establishment of the club at the time, but he devoted over 40 years to improving the lives and outcomes of people right across North Belfast. Billy is well known for producing some of the greatest boxers that Northern Ireland has ever seen. Carl Frampton and Paddy Barnes both credit their career and achievements to Billy's work. For many years, Billy rightly campaigned for a new boxing club in the heart of Tiger's Bay. It was with deep sadness that, in February 2021, Billy passed away before he saw his dream of a new fit-for-purpose boxing club for the people of North Belfast delivered.
I am delighted that, just two months ago, that new £1 million boxing club — named, rightly, after Billy McKee — was opened by his wife. It will provide opportunities to the next generation of boxers from all classes, creeds and backgrounds to ensure that they can continue to have the best outcomes imaginable in life. I pay tribute to Sam Cochrane, Mr Craig Frampton and Cooper McClure for working with our party to make that dream a reality. Let it be Billy's epitaph in this fiftieth year that any boy or girl anywhere in Belfast can achieve their dreams, representing their country at the highest level.
276 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- Subject area: Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.09 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.81 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.08 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.05 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.02 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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