BMABA CIC

The UK's Most Decorated Independent Martial Arts Governing Body

From national awards to sector-leading accreditations, our achievements speak for themselves, and for the thousands of clubs who trust us.

Built On Credibility , Backed By Governance

At BMABA CIC, our awards, certifications, and affiliations are not just for show. They are a reflection of our commitment to doing things properly. In an industry where standards can vary wildly, we have made it our mission to lead with integrity, transparency, and accountability. From our ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications, held under UKAS accreditation as a UK first for martial arts, and our authority to issue the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts, to our partnership with CIMSPA as a recognised Training Provider Partner of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, and our work with safeguarding bodies, child protection networks, and nationally recognised sports groups, we have earned our place as one of the most respected governing bodies in UK martial arts. For prospective clubs, this means you can trust the structure supporting your membership. For our existing members, it is reassurance that your association is actively influencing change, not just within martial arts but across the wider sport and physical activity sector.

Certified To ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 27001:2022. Audited by UKAS-Accredited British Assessment Bureau

ISO 9001:2015 is the world’s most recognised standard for quality management, and ISO 27001:2022 is its counterpart for information security. BMABA CIC is proud to hold both, making us the first, and to date the only, UK martial arts association certified to both standards under UKAS accreditation. Together they mean every part of our organisation operates within a structured, externally audited framework: from safeguarding, insurance, instructor vetting and governance under ISO 9001, to the protection of your club’s data, your members’ details and our digital infrastructure under ISO 27001. It reflects not only what we do, but how we do it, with clear processes, evidence-led decision making, and accountability at every level.

What makes our certification especially significant is that it is issued by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation, the UK’s national accreditation body. UKAS accreditation ensures our auditors are held to the highest possible standards, providing independent, nationally recognised validation of our management systems. The same gold-standard framework is used to assess hospitals, universities, and global corporations, and we are audited against it every year. In a sector often plagued by unregulated claims and inconsistency, holding both certifications is a rare and powerful signal of credibility, trust, and serious governance.

Setting The Standard For Martial Arts Governance In The UK

In a sector often lacking external accountability, BMABA CIC leads by example. We’re not just promising high standards. We’re independently audited and certified to prove it. From internationally recognised quality and information security management (ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022) to data protection (ICO), cyber security (Cyber Essentials), and professional education aligned with the chartered body for our sector (CIMSPA), our governance stands up to scrutiny from the same frameworks that assess hospitals, schools, and national institutions. It means our members can rely on a governing body that’s not only professional, but held to it.

ISO 9001:2015 Certified

The world's most recognised quality management standard. Our processes, governance and conduct are independently audited every year under UKAS accreditation, the same benchmark used for hospitals, universities, and major corporations.
ISO 27001:2022 Certified

The international standard for information security, held alongside ISO 9001 as a UK martial arts first. Your club's data, your members' details and our digital infrastructure sit inside an independently audited security management system.
Regulated Community Interest Company

We're overseen by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, with a legal asset lock that means our income must serve our community purpose forever. Not-for-profit as a legal structure, not a slogan.
Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts

The Sport England-approved national safeguarding standard. We hold organisational certification and are the only independent martial arts body authorised to issue SCiMA certification to clubs in-house, through our free Club Colours programme.
CIMSPA Training Provider Partner

Recognised by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity. Our CPD and qualifications are developed to CIMSPA's national professional standards, with programmes submitted for formal endorsement, confirmed course by course.
Cyber Essentials Certified

A UK Government-backed scheme confirming we hold essential security controls to protect our systems, data, and users from common cyber threats. A key mark of trust when handling sensitive safeguarding and membership data.
Certified Social Enterprise

Independently certified by Social Enterprise UK as a genuine business for good. Our income is reinvested into grassroots martial arts, youth projects, and instructor support, not shareholders or private interests.
UK Register of Learning Providers

A recognised organisation on the UK Government's official Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP), affirming our legitimacy as an education and training provider able to work credibly with funding bodies, employers, and public agencies.
Registered With The ICO

Legally registered under UK data protection law, meeting our obligations under the Data Protection Act and UK GDPR. Together with ISO 27001, it protects the personal data of every member, club, and partner we work with.

True To Our Word. For The Right Reasons.

In March 2025, Giovanni Soffietto, who founded BMABA with just £20 and a mission to change martial arts for the better, voluntarily signed over 100% of his shareholding in what was then a privately owned limited company. There was no requirement to do so. By converting BMABA into a regulated Community Interest Company (CIC), Giovanni permanently surrendered nearly £2 million in self-generated private value, placing the organisation and everything it had built under a legal asset lock, for public benefit, forever. That means BMABA is now legally locked into operating for the benefit of our clubs and communities, not shareholders or private profit. It’s not just words or promises. It’s independently verifiable, legally enforceable, and built into the very fabric of how we operate.

AWARDS

Awards That Reflect Our Impact, Not Just Our Ambition

We’re proud to have received some of the most respected accolades in UK sport, governance, and business. Not as vanity badges, but as proof of the genuine impact we’re having on the martial arts sector. From national governing body awards to entrepreneurial leadership and digital excellence, our recognition speaks to the depth, integrity, and innovation we bring to the table. These awards affirm that we’re not just talking about change. We’re delivering it, at scale, for the benefit of our members and the wider community.

Memberships, Commitments & Sector Alignment

Martial Arts Safeguarding Group (MASG)
Members
The cross-sector body for martial arts safeguarding in the UK, with engagement from DCMS and Sport England. Our membership means we contribute to national safeguarding standards, helping shape best practice across the industry.
CIMSPA
Training Provider Partner
The professional development body for the UK's sport and physical activity sector, incorporated by Royal Charter. As a recognised Training Provider Partner, we develop professional education mapped to CIMSPA's national workforce standards.
Armed Forces Covenant
Signatories
Our pledge to the forces community: lifetime membership discounts for serving and ex-serving personnel, active support through our REBOOT programme, and a commitment to ensuring those who serve are never disadvantaged.
British Assessment Bureau
Certified Organisation
Our ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications are issued and audited annually by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation, the UK's national accreditation body. External audit is the backbone of everything on this page.
Sport & Recreation Alliance
Members
The SRA unites more than 300 governing bodies and sports organisations. Our membership ensures BMABA has a voice in national policy and access to resources supporting good governance, inclusion, and community sport.
Welsh Sports Association (WSA)
Members
The WSA represents the interests of sport and recreation in Wales. As members, we ensure our Welsh clubs are represented in national policy conversations and benefit from devolved sports support frameworks.
Scottish Sports Association (SSA)
Members
The SSA advocates for sport and recreation in Scotland. Our membership helps ensure Scottish martial arts clubs have a voice and a support structure aligned with national priorities.
Association of Child Protection Professionals
Members
The respected professional body for experts in child safeguarding. Our membership helps align BMABA's safeguarding policies with leading-edge thinking in child protection across sectors.
Children's Rights Alliance
Members
A coalition promoting the rights and wellbeing of children in the UK. Our membership reflects our commitment to children's rights, reinforcing our policies on inclusion, safety, and empowerment.
Anti-Bullying Alliance
Full Members
The ABA leads national anti-bullying efforts across schools, sport, and youth services. As full members, we reinforce our zero-tolerance stance and equip clubs with the tools to tackle bullying effectively.
Sported
Members
Sported supports community sport organisations delivering social impact. As members, we're part of a UK-wide network focused on grassroots change, funding access, and capacity building.
Social Enterprise UK
Certified Members
The national body for businesses that trade for social and community benefit. Our certified membership formally recognises BMABA as an organisation that reinvests its income into positive social impact.
End Child Poverty Coalition
Members
A nationwide coalition addressing the root causes of child poverty. Our involvement reflects our social mission to make martial arts accessible and inclusive for children from all backgrounds.
Disability Confident
Committed Employer
A UK Government scheme supporting employers to recruit and retain disabled people. Our commitment covers how we hire and how we work, reflecting the same inclusion we champion on the mats.
Ecologi
Climate Partners
Through our environmental partnership we fund tree planting and carbon reduction projects, part of our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our organisation and our sector.

Approved by the Safeguarding Code. Commended by Government.

Our Club Colours standard, built upon the RegulationReady framework, is formally approved by the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts (SCiMA). By direct extension, this places BMABA on Sport England’s own safeguarding pages, which publicly reference our Club Colours programme as meeting the Code’s requirements.

This recognition affirms that BMABA clubs adhering to Club Colours are operating at the highest safeguarding standards expected across the martial arts sector. Further to this, we’ve also received acknowledgment from Government.

In August 2025, the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, Stephanie Peacock MP, wrote directly to BMABA to commend the “hard work that is taking place” to ensure safeguarding standards and procedures are met across the independent martial arts sector. She described BMABA’s role in “ensuring strong standards are met” as “extremely useful” to DCMS as they consider improvements across martial arts safety.

Together, these public and parliamentary endorsements demonstrate not only that our safeguarding frameworks meet national standards, but that BMABA is actively helping to shape the future of safe practice across the wider sector. BMABA is also certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation via the British Assessment Bureau, audited annually, and our Club Colours framework sits at the core of that certified quality management system.

Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts (SCiMA)

BMABA has supported the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts since its inception in 2018. As one of the first associations to adopt and champion the Code, we’ve proudly held organisational certification since the scheme expanded to governing bodies, and we continue to work closely with the SCiMA team to uphold and advance safeguarding standards across the sector. In fact, we’re currently the only association in the UK empowered to issue SCiMA certification automatically to clubs that complete our free Club Colours Award: a testament to the rigour and credibility of our internal safeguarding policies and governance.

"The Black Belt Mentor" & Media Expert

Giovanni Soffietto, our founder and CEO, was named a “Black Belt Mentor” by Men’s Health for his work supporting instructors across the UK. When national broadcasters and press need an authoritative voice on martial arts, safeguarding, or youth engagement, Giovanni is a trusted, go-to expert. As the figurehead of BMABA CIC, he’s represented the organisation across major channels. Not for self-promotion, but to advocate for higher standards, better protection, and grassroots reform in martial arts.

As Seen In National Media

BMABA and its leadership have been featured across leading national outlets, including BBC News, BBC Radio 4, ITV News, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, and Men’s Health. Our media presence isn’t built on controversy or sensationalism. It’s the result of years of credible, meaningful impact in the sector, providing journalists and policymakers with a reliable, professional voice on the complex issues facing modern martial arts clubs.

Ministerial Commendation and Parliamentary Recognition

BMABA CIC has been recognised at the highest levels of Government for our commitment to safeguarding in martial arts. During a House of Commons debate on combat sport safety, the Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock MP, highlighted the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association by name for our work in supporting independent and unaffiliated clubs to adopt the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts. This direct mention in Parliament demonstrates that our efforts to raise standards and protect participants are shaping the national conversation on safety in combat sports.

Following that debate, the Minister for Sport wrote formally to commend BMABA’s work, praising our role in raising safeguarding standards across the independent martial arts sector. She described our contribution as “extremely useful” to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s ongoing policy development, and thanked us for our ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children. This recognition reflects the trust placed in BMABA to help Government address urgent safeguarding challenges highlighted by recent tragedies within combat sports.

For our members and the wider martial arts community, this recognition underlines BMABA’s credibility as a leading voice for independent martial arts in the UK. It demonstrates that our grassroots-driven mission, to promote safe, inclusive, and properly governed martial arts for all, is influencing national policy and gaining ministerial support. Being referenced in Parliament and commended in writing by the Minister for Sport reinforces that BMABA is not just a governing body, but a sector-shaping organisation working to protect participants and secure the future of martial arts.

BMABA is the only organisation able to issue the Sport England funded Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts Award directly from our member’s area on receipt of our Club Colours Award. Our Colour’s award is free.

Radical Transparency

Don’t Take Our Word For Any Of It.

Every credential on this page can be checked without asking us. Here’s each one, its registration, and the independent public register where you can verify it yourself, in about thirty seconds.

ISO 9001:2015 Certification Issued by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation. Verify us directly on UKAS CertCheck, the national accreditation body's own public register.
Certificate 267261 Verify on UKAS CertCheck
ISO 27001:2022 Certification Issued by the British Assessment Bureau under UKAS accreditation following our July 2026 audit. Listed on the same UKAS CertCheck entry as our ISO 9001.
Certified July 2026 Verify on UKAS CertCheck
Companies House & CIC Status Our full filing history as a Community Interest Company, including our annual CIC community interest reports, is public at Companies House.
Reg. 10676965 View our filings
ICO Data Protection Registration Our registration under UK data protection law, on the Information Commissioner's Office public register.
ZA241917 View the register
Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts Sport England's own safeguarding pages publicly reference our Club Colours provision under the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts. Read it on their site, not ours.
Club Colours Approved Read it on Sport England
UK Register of Learning Providers Our listing on the UK Government's official register of learning providers, under provider reference 10098149.
UKPRN 10098149 View our listing
Social Enterprise UK Our listing in Social Enterprise UK's public member directory, certifying BMABA as a business trading for social and community good.
Certified Member View our listing
FCA Register (Insurance Introductions) We act as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Pulse Insurance Limited (FCA Registration 308626). View Pulse's entry, and its representatives, on the public Financial Services Register.
IAR of Pulse Insurance, Reg. 308626 View the FS Register

And While We’re Being Transparent: What We Don’t Claim

Credibility cuts both ways. These are the things you won’t hear us say, because they wouldn’t be true.

We are not a Sport England-recognised National Governing Body, and we don't pretend to be. As a multi-style organisation we're broadly ineligible, and we're honest about what NGB recognition does and doesn't mean.
Our Cyber Essentials certification is the standard tier. We don't claim Cyber Essentials Plus, and we won't until we hold it.
We're a CIMSPA Training Provider Partner. Individual courses are submitted for formal CIMSPA endorsement and we confirm endorsed status course by course, never wholesale.
Every award we display was genuinely entered, judged and awarded. Finalist means finalist, winner means winner, and we label each one accordingly.