About
Galway Black Dragon Kickboxing Club
Pete, a former Security Consultant, is a 5th Dan Black Belt in Freestyle Karate, a 7th Dan Black Belt in Freestyle Kickboxing, a certified Boxing Coach and a qualified Personal Fitness Trainer as well as being certified in First Aid and Health & Safety and also by the Irish Sports Council in The Childrens Code of Ethics and he is available by appointment for Seminars, Schools Self Defence/Fitness Programmes or indeed Personal Safety on a one to one basis.
The 27th of March 1996 in St Patrick's Hall saw Pete Foley hit Galway for the first time. Little did the 37 people who took part in that first class realize what a sporting force had begun! The past ten years has seen the club move from one temporary hall to another: from St Patrick's school in Lombard St, to Shantalla community centre, then to the Columban Hall Sea Rd and then to a fully equipped 3,000 square foot gym in Unit No. 7, Glenrock Business park, Ballybane.
However, as the club continues to grow we felt we had to get an even larger premises and we have now aquired a 5000 square feet Supergym in the Riverside Commercial Park over the former Arrowmount Furniture Store just off the busy Tuam Road (Turn in at the Trappers Inn and Expert Electrical Store). First class is on Tuesday 5th January, 2010 @ 8pm.
The new training area is completely covered in interlocking mats and has a full
size professional boxing ring and also a training ring. The facility also sports a full range of training equipment including 16 punch bags, floor to ceiling swing ball, speed balls, skipping ropes, kick shields, focus pads, gym balls and medicine balls, Threadmill, Strider, Multigym, Rowing Machine, Chin-Up Bars, free weights as well as ladies and gents changing rooms complete with toilets and hot showers . Pete runs public and private classes for children and adults alike from complete beginners to the advanced martial artist. He has made sporting heroes out of the likes of ken "the hitman" Horan - World Amatuer middleweight champion, Owen Flatley - Semi Professional World Welterweight champion, Brian Brosnan - WAKO World Junior Welterweight Champion, Sean Collier World Pro-Am Champion and Professional European Champion, Amy "The Animal" Charles - Irish & European Ladies champion, Cathal Manning - European Super Middleweight Champion, Nicola Collins - European Lightweight Champion & World Bantamweight Champion, Donna Larkin and Aidan Brooks who both took Gold at the 2008 WTKA World Championships and of course his own wife Annaghdown woman Clodagh "Dark Angel" Duggan (Foley) - the Ladies Irish & European Champion as well as several more All Ireland Champs both Junior and Senior.
Pete was appointed as the President of the International Kickboxing Federation for Ireland in December 2007 and is working closely with his British and European counterparts to better the sport of Kickboxing both here and abroad .
In 2004 the Galway Club was officially awarded the prestigious "Club of the Year" title by the World Kickboxing Network, the highest recognition in the sport of kickboxing. To date Pete has brought International teams from England, Norway, France, The Isle Of Man, Corsica, Belgium, Scotland, Holland, North Africa, Muldova, the Carribean and the U.S.A. to Galway for some memorable bouts in the "Rumble in the Bay" series of tournaments held in Leisureland in Salthill and Galways Black Box Theatre and he remains the main contact Between Ireland and the UK & more recently the U.S.A. for the sport of Kickboxing.