With plans for a £5m base for Olympic athletes, Dartford Judo Club is set to become the home of British judo. MICHAEL PURTON finds out more.
DARTFORD Judo Club began in school gyms around Dartford in 1962.
Founder Alan Roberts taught youngsters after school.
The 64-year-old visited schools to coach the sport in his spare time while teaching design technology at a school in Essex.
This is a far cry from the club's current base in Cotton Lane, Stone, and its plans to build a £5m extension as a base for Olympic athletes.
But even back in 1962, it was Mr Roberts' plan to eventually establish a quality UK training facility specifically for judo.
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He said: "When I first started coaching, judo was thought to be just for adults.
"I wanted to introduce it to children and increase its popularity, but I also dreamed of giving it a top class home in the UK."
Alan Roberts with the Princess Royal at the opening of Dartford Judo Club in March 2006
In 1962, Mr Roberts was teaching around 30 schoolchildren.
Now the club trains around 400 members of all ages.
And in the mid-1970s, the club got its first permanent base at the Adult Education Centre in Highfield Road, Dartford.
The early 1980s saw the club move to Drill Hall in Dartford town centre so it would have more space to train its increasing number of members.
During the 20-plus years the club was based there, its membership and reputation continued to grow, and in March 2006 it moved to its current site.
This is the first training centre built in the UK to meet Olympic standards since London was chosen to host the 2012 Games.
It cost £4.5m to build, with £3.5m provided by Dartford Council, and regularly hosts coaching sessions for the world's top athletes.
For Mr Roberts, it is a dream come true, and he is "very proud of what has been achieved".
As well as running the club, Mr Roberts still regularly coaches alongside 17 other volunteers, and he has hopes four of his current students will compete for medals at the 2012 Olympics.
He said: "We have lessons for all ages and abilities here, from complete novices to those who we hope will go on to
become some of the sport's top athletes."
One of Mr Roberts' biggest success stories is Katie Howey.
He started coaching her when she was 14 and she went on to become World Champion in 1997 and win Olympic medals - a bronze in 1992 and a silver in 2000.
Should the plans to build the £5m extension be successful, she will be based there as a British Judo Association coach.
The plans to set up the British Judo Performance Institute are a joint effort between the association and Dartford Judo Club.
It would be the first national
facility specifically for judo training and work to provide British successes at the 2012 Olympics and beyond.
The association is currently looking for funding for the institute.
Although Dartford Judo Club and the association will be at the same base, Mr Roberts says his club will remain independent and continue its history of training both judo beginners and champions.
For details about the club, visit its website at dartfordjudoclub.com
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