National Sporting Club

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National Sporting Club

The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
than any other organisation.

club was founded in March 5, 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at 43 King Street, Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden....
, London. The founders were John Fleming and A.F. “Peggy” Bettinson, and Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

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Encyclopedia

The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London

London

Great Britain

Origins

The club was founded in March 5, 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at 43 King Street, Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order was an England nobleman. The second son of the Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the St George Lowther, 4th Earl of Lonsdale, in 1882....
was its first president.

The club was run under very strict rules regarding both the boxers and the members. Bouts would take place after dinner, before about 1,300 members and guests. The bouts would be fought in silence as no talking was permitted during the rounds. The club built up a great tradition of sportsmanship and fair play.

In 1909, the club’s president introduced the Lonsdale Belt

Lonsdale belt

The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today....
as a prize to be awarded to the British champion at each weight. The belts were made from porcelain and twenty-two carat gold.

Demise

In the 1920s boxing became a sport with mass appeal. Boxers could appear at large venues and earn more money than at the N.S.C. As a result the club was forced to open its doors to the public in October 1928. However in 1929, it was forced to close its premises in Covent Garden and move for a while to the Stadium Club, Holborn

Holborn

Holborn is an area of Central London, England. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running from St Giles's High Street as High Holborn to Gray's Inn Road to Holborn Viaduct, crossing the borders of the City of Westminster, London Borough of Camden and the City of London....
before finally moving to 21 Soho Square

Soho Square

Soho Square is a square in Soho, London, England, with a park and garden area at its centre that dates back to 1681. It was originally called King Square after Charles II of England, whose statue stands in the square....
in January 1930.

A new company was formed in 1930 to try and revive the club’s fortunes, and there were ambitious plans to build new headquarters but these came to nothing. In 1936, an enthusiast, John Harding, set up a new committee, which took over the Empress Hall and put on boxing shows there.

In 1938 the club moved to the Hotel Splendide, Picadilly, but the war came and the club went into voluntary liquidation.

In 1929, a new organisation, the British Boxing Board of Control

British Boxing Board of Control

The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff....
, was formed to control the sport. Most of the board of the new organisation were senior members of the N.S.C. The N.S.C. was given a permanent seat on the new Board of Control and retained this privilege until 1937. After this time it became regarded as a promoter of boxing contests.

New club formed

In 1947 a new club was formed with the same name, but no connection with the old club. It took over the Empress Club in Berkley Street in 1951. In 1951 the club moved to the Café Royal

Café Royal

The Caf? Royal was a restaurant and meeting place on 68 Regent Street in London's Piccadilly.The establishment was originally conceived and set up by Daniel Nicholas Th?venon, who was a French wine merchant....
, Regent Street

Regent Street

Regent Street is one of the major high street in London's West End of London, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations....
. In 1982 the club moved to Grosvenor House

Grosvenor House

Grosvenor House was one of the largest private houses situated on London's exclusive Park Lane in the district of Mayfair. The house was the home of the Grosvenor family - for more than a century....
, Park Lane

Park Lane

Park Lane may refer to:*Park Lane , a road in London, UK*Park Lane , a shopping mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia*Park Lane , a rugby stadium in Greater Manchester, UK...
, but has since moved back to the Café Royal where it still holds sporting events.

Sources

Maurice Golesworthy, Encyclopaedia of Boxing (Eighth Edition) (1988), Robert Hale Limited, ISBN 0-7090-3323-0