Amir Wrestling Club was only founded in January 2022 but is already making headlines in Kingston.
It was voted as Club of the Year in the Kingston Borough Sport Awards for 2024, and two years previously, founder and head coach Amir Kamali won the Eileen Gray Award, which is given to those who inspire others.
Having been a professional wrestler for many years, Kamali seeks to pass his knowledge and mentality to his students.
“Wrestling for me is a religion, we have big respect for it in my country (Iran),” he said.
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports still practised, tracing back to the ancient Olympic games.
In October 2023, training matts were purchased and the club found a home at Tolworth Recreation Centre, providing classes to those aged 12 and above.
“Wrestling is about how you use your body parts to gain an advantage from your opponent and how you move around and find angles to defend yourself. It is one of the toughest sports,” said club secretary Mansour Khan.
Kamali said that his main idea is to change the mentality of students and help them to realise who they are and what they want to achieve.
The 2024 Club of the Year award showed the impact of their work and commitment towards developing their members.
“I think we deserved this award, we showed good teamwork and respect to each other,” Kamali said.
The significance of the head coach’s work has been praised by members of the club.
Member, Aidan Biancheri, who is also a student, said: “His discipline is great. I have been to a lot of classes and even in crutches he would be there, he has the determination that inspires me, and he is a real role-model to look up to.”
The club members talked about how close they are with each other and the importance of improving themselves both in wrestling and in their mindsets.
“Each of us regularly see growth in ourselves in many ways, in fitness, in flexibility, being confident and having a personal growth on and off the matts, so we are always encouraged to look after ourselves,” said Khan.
Meanwhile, Biancheri said: “”The people that come here every week form a family. I have seen my confidence grow, I want to take something from the coach and give it to other students as well.”
Kamali, Khan and Biancheri all highlighted the three key components needed to achieve at Amir Wrestling Club – discipline, determination and the right mentality to work.
“For me, if they don’t have the right mentality and discipline, they are not fit for my class,” Khan said regarding his students. “I want everyone to enjoy it.”
Kamali is focused on both setting an example for young athletes and seeing his students improve in competitions.
“All the parents are happy, some of them mention how their kids’ lives have improved,” Kamali said. “The parents and people from the council are pleased with the environment we have in the class.”
Despite the club’s success, there are worries that there has not been enough funding for the club to continue to do their job at a high level.
“We cannot do this without funding,” Khan said. “It would be good to get help from the council.”
Training with the club involves a small fee paid by the students which helps the club pay for their training hall and collect enough money to purchase the equipment needed.
The club secretary said they want to provide free memberships and include more students coming from lower income backgrounds, but without sufficient funding, they are not able to do so.
“We have won two awards but unfortunately so far we have not received enough funding,” Kamali said. “We need to get equipment which can make classes more fun, especially for the kids.”
He revealed that one of the main targets of the club for 2025 is to get more support from Kingston council.
This will help them maintain high training standards and get the equipment they need.
“My aim is to help students understand who they are and what they can do regardless of age and size,” Kamali said.