We’re proud to have been publishing our accounts and spending habits for our members since 2014, and remain committed to providing this information for the public domain today.
To date, we have not received a penny in funding from any external sources. We’ve never recieved government help or funding, nor have we received any funds or support in anyway from external bodies like the National Lottery.
We are entirely self-sufficient, funding our operations exclusively from our own generated income. We do this through membership subscriptions and merchandise sales.
All of our advice and guidance is offered to members of the public, police, councils, LADOs and clubs free of charge and without any remuneration.
Our Group of Social Enterprises actively seeks sponsorship and other commercial partnerships but receives no funding, grants or donations.
The association remains entirely self-funded and self-sufficient, and without any support or assistance from government, Sport England or the National Lottery.
During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic we applied for emergency funding from Sport England to help the association and it’s attached Foundation to ensure we could continue promoting grass roots martial arts, upholding our safeguarding standards and ensuring access to training for vulnerable students. Unfortunately Sport England declined to provide any support and continues not to engage with us for any funding or grants.
A large proportion of our income is spent on staff and payroll. We have no members of staff on any kind of substantial remuneration packages, but as our organisation has grown rapidly we have had to bring on a staff in operations, strategic ops and administrative duties to help the association run.
The remainder of our spending is committed to key areas of operational importance. We provide a full breakdown of our spending by category for all members of the association.
We are incredibly responsible with our spending, ensuring we remain well positioned to promote our charitable aims. We also ensure we have a suitable reserve to see us through uncertain times, just as we did during Covid-19 when we made more than £100,000 of support and benefits in kind available to our member clubs. We are accountable to our members and open to scrutiny. Whist we may be technically a private company, our trustees and Social Mission, as well as a contractual agreement between our Social Enterprise and Foundation ensures all profits are mandated to go to the Foundation to enable it to run charitabale programmes.
We’re not based from a kitchen worktop, nor do we employ call centres overseas to answer generic FAQs for us. We have three locations throughout the UK including our Headquarters in West Sussex. BMABA boasts over 1,250sqft of newly refurbished top-spec office space for our dedicated staff and everyone you speak with here – be it via email, live chat, Facebook or phone – is part of the team and not an outsourced agent.
From appearing on BBC Radio and national newspapers, to winning industry-specialist awards and working closely with organisations such as the Home Office, we’re one of the most credible names in UK martial arts. Learn More.
We’re a certified social enterprise, which means every penny spent with BMABA not only supports Fighting Chance Foundation, but also helps tackle climate change, plant trees and fund clean water projects around the world. Learn More.
We’re just updating this article, and will re-publish very soon. In the interim, for expert
We have three locations – Manchester, London and West Sussex. Our HQ has over 1,400sqft of dedicated, bespoke office space for our team of staff and volunteers.
Focused on professional standards and ethics rather than belts and titles, BMABA boasts the pedigree of a life-long martial arts expert come award winning social entrepreneur as it’s Chief Executive Officer. It’s fair to say we’re well qualified and backed by an industry giant. He’s also been awarded Men’s Health Coach Of The Year for his work setting up the Fighting Chance Foundation.
From template grading certificates and documents through to a free club website and national club listings. Whether it be advice on club structure and marketing or membership marks and qualifications. DBS checks, first aid qualifications, coaching certificates, instructor licenses, insurance, business plans, equipment, graphics – you named it, we cover it under just one simple, affordable membership.
We receive zero funding to run this, but we ensure it’s completely free for every single BMABA member to access.
From programmes designed to help children in poverty and women & girls at risk of violence through to anti-knife campaigns and disability inclusion work, the Fighting Chance Foundation changes lives through martial arts.
During COVID we provided daily updates, dedicated online training hubs, access to a free COVID instructor qualification, subsidised insurances, a self-funded Covid Recovery Scheme, mediation services with local authorities and interpretations of DCMS policy. We increased our operational hours to ensure a 7 day a week response and invested more than ever in our systems, processes and memberships. This is what an association should be doing for its members we believe. As our slogan goes; “To High Places By Narrow Roads“.
Moving forwards into the ‘cost of living crisis’ we’re continuing to provide an unbelievable level of support to clubs by ring-fencing pricing at 2019 levels, providing additional discounts and funding grants to smaller clubs, introducing new resources, boosting marketing for clubs and so much more.
Split across three systems – MyBMABA, The Instructor Portal and The Help Desk, BMABA boast the industry’s most powerful member’s area. Access communities, forums, resources, tools, insurance, membership records, tickets, web provisions, news and updates across any device – including via our new app – 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Our member’s area ensures you get the most from your membership.
This membership option includes our beautiful and professional instructor certification in printed format as part of your Instructor Pack. You’ll receive all of your documentation on 220gsm woven certificate paper, embossed, foiled and stamped to ensure premium documentation that sets you apart from the competition.
Whether your ambition is to start a small not for profit club or to build up the next national franchise, our range of business support, online courses, resources, tools, template excel spreadsheets, expert articles and more will help your club thrive.
Access your BMABA instructor’s documentation, student license slips, insurance certification and even you’re own submitted DBS checks, first aid qualifications and other criteria. Our systems provide you with access to all of this documentation on the go, 24/7. Be it from a mobile, our app or a desktop – so you can access, download and share your certification when you need it most.
Available on Android and OS devices, the BMABA app allows instructors and clubs – as well as students and parents via a second, separate app – access to the latest updates, resources, guidance, community, forums and loads more. Bring your association, along with all your digital certification – with you in your pocket.
We’re always building on our library of industry-leading awards and qualifications. This includes our Level 1 and Level 2 instructor qualifications, our Safeguarding & Lead Safeguarding qualifications, our First Aid Award, Club Colours Award, Club Management Qualifications and so much more.
We provide you with access to exclusive student management software which will help you track attendance, see student details, show your class schedule, accept online bookings, run a club shop, update your members with club news, run a member’s only area and so much more. All completely free of charge.
Shop St. is a premium app that provides access to huge discounts across hundreds of retailers, restaurants and stockists. It’s usually exclusively for employees of large organisations but we’ve secured access for our members, and we’ll foot the bill for you too.
We know Safeguarding can be a difficult area for smaller clubs to field, and that’s why we’ve stepped up to the plate to offer a completely free designated safeguarding lead service. This allows your club to designated BMABA as the welfare officer, which means we’ll deal with all your safeguarding concerns, questions and referrals.
From template grading certificates, safeguarding policies and club registration forms to our online logo designer, club accreditation marks and premium club finder listings. It’s all inclusive and wrapped up into your membership fee so you can access more services with us than anywhere else without paying a penny more.
We’ve secured an exclusive contract with a national marketing company that means BMABA is the only martial arts association to serve a number of national retailers who reward their customers with free sports lessons. We’ll be fielding referrals from a number of national organisations such as ASDA as the only martial arts provider for their customers when redeeming loyalty points.
Access hundreds of pounds of hosting provisions and tech services as part of your membership. From AWS specialist managed wordpress hosting and free site migrations (if you already have a WordPress website) to a premium drag and drop site builder, all inclusive with your own domain name, email and tech support if you need it.
We’re a social enterprise. This means your fees don’t go into the back pocket of a self-appointed 10th Dan. We plant trees to fight global warming, we fund clean water projects to save lives in developing nations and we make sure your membership to us, and our organisations’ operations are Carbon Neutral. We also donate all of our profits to the Fighting Chance Foundation to help them change lives in the UK through martial arts.
Enjoy open access to our Club Colours Qualification and the associated Award, which makes your club a ‘School of Excellence’. Our Club Colours Award, which looks to ensure clubs are up to date and compliant with best practice and safeguarding is of such a high standard it will automatically entitle clubs to be awarded (or renewed on) the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts on completion.
We’ve invested heavily in software and tech to help clubs perform better online. Included in your membership is access to our flagship and industry-exclusive design and marketing software. Effortlessly create leaflets, business cards, brochures, certificates, banners and so much more with our online editor and software suite.
There’s absolutely no obligation to commit beyond 12 months. You’ll be able to explore what we offer, our member’s area, all of our licensing options and get a better feel for the BMABA’s service without any obligation to become a full member. We genuinely believe the best way to find out if we’re any good is to try us for yourself.
We have absolutely no interest in enticing you to switch to BMABA if we’re not the right fit. We know that won’t last and isn’t good for you or us. Instead, we can offer a confidential switching process to help you price up whether or not it’s worth while, whilst also getting answers to any questions you might have.
