The Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty — One Student at a Time
Born From Experience. Built for Impact.
The Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme is BMABA’s flagship legacy initiative — a national movement aimed at tackling childhood poverty through the transformative power of martial arts.
For us, this isn’t just a project — it’s personal. Our founder and CEO, Giovanni, grew up in poverty. He knows firsthand the weight of food insecurity, housing stress, and the invisible burden of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). It’s this lived experience that fuels our mission: to ensure no child is excluded from martial arts because of their financial circumstances.
As members of the End Child Poverty Group, we stand with the thousands of organisations fighting to change a sobering reality — that 1 in 3 children in parts of the UK are growing up in poverty. It’s a crisis that shapes health, opportunity, and identity. Children raised in poverty are significantly more likely to experience poor mental health, physical illness, exclusion from enrichment activities, and long-term disadvantage.
Our national survey supports this: those who grew up in poverty are disproportionately more likely to report struggles with mental wellbeing, isolation, and lack of access to sport. Yet many also credit martial arts with offering structure, purpose, and healing.
That’s where Fighting Chance steps in.
No Child Should Miss Out On Martial Arts Because of Cost
The BMABA Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme exists to ensure that every child — regardless of background, hardship, or circumstance — has the opportunity to benefit from the structure, confidence, and connection that martial arts can provide.
Through our national network of regulated, trauma-informed clubs, we remove financial barriers by funding the full cost of training, equipment, insurance, and support. In return, clubs give their time freely — and young people gain life-changing access to mentorship, movement, and meaning.
- Fully funded places for eligible children
- Uniforms, insurance, and club fees covered
- Long-term support through to adulthood
- Trusted, verified clubs with trauma-informed coaches
HOW IT WORKS
Creating A Pathway From Crisis to Confidence — Through Martial Arts
At the heart of our Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme is a simple but powerful belief:
every child deserves access to opportunity — regardless of what life has thrown at them.
Many of our affiliated clubs are already quietly living this mission — welcoming children from difficult backgrounds, waiving fees, and offering stability through martial arts. Our role is to support, structure, and expand that generosity — helping ensure no young person is turned away because of cost, while maintaining the highest possible standards of care and safeguarding.
The BMABA Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme exists to ensure that young people from disadvantaged or vulnerable backgrounds can access the life-changing benefits of martial arts — regardless of their ability to pay. We work nationally to break down financial barriers by supporting placements with the essentials required to get started and stay engaged, such as uniforms, equipment, insurance, and registration. Importantly, participating clubs generously waive all training fees at their own expense, reflecting a deep commitment to their communities and to the young people they serve.
We accept referrals from a wide range of sources, including parents, carers, schools, youth workers, social services, GPs, and early help professionals. Crucially, we also welcome referrals directly from martial arts clubs. Many instructors already identify young people in their classes or wider communities who would benefit from structured support — and we’re here to formalise that instinctive generosity into a safe, sustainable, and high-quality programme. Once a child is accepted, we work to match them with a verified BMABA-affiliated club, or support the club that referred them in delivering the placement to our recognised standards.
All clubs involved in the programme must meet strict compliance thresholds, including a minimum Bronze Regulation Ready rating, current DBS and safeguarding qualifications, and completion of our trauma-informed coaching training. This ensures every child is placed into a safe, inclusive, and supportive training environment. Where possible, we also work to build a three-way relationship between the club, the home, and the school — encouraging regular attendance, communication, and a shared sense of responsibility for the student’s progress both inside and outside the dojo.
Our support continues for as long as the student remains eligible and actively engaged, often right through to their 18th birthday. As they grow, we encourage scholarship recipients to give back to their clubs by volunteering or assisting with younger students. We fund the necessary volunteer, assistant, or instructor memberships and insurances to make this possible. For those who show true potential, BMABA will fully cover three years of professional licensing and insurance upon turning 18 — enabling them to start their own club or expand an existing one. This ensures the next generation of martial arts leaders come from within the communities they serve, carrying forward the values and transformation they’ve personally experienced.
Alongside martial arts access, the programme also provides holistic wraparound support. Where needed, we help families access counselling, mentoring, or safeguarding assistance — addressing the broader impact of trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The scholarship remains a self-funded, grassroots-led initiative built on collaboration, not charity. Every placement reflects a shared effort between club, family, and BMABA to give a young person the fighting chance they deserve — and the structure, purpose, and support to thrive.
Get Involved
If you’re a martial arts club that believes in the power of sport to change lives, we invite you to join BMABA and become part of the Fighting Chance Scholarship Programme. By becoming a verified member, you’ll gain access to the support, tools, and safeguards needed to welcome scholarship students into your club with confidence — helping ensure that no child is excluded from martial arts due to cost.
For individuals, organisations, or funders who share our vision, we’re always grateful for donations or sponsorship that can help us expand the programme, provide more equipment and insurance, and reach even more young people in need.
Every placement is a team effort — and with your help, we can continue building a future where martial arts is a force for good in every community.
