As an association we have grown considerably throughout the UK over the past 8 years. In particular, throughout COVID, our industry leading response and tailored guidance has seen the BMABA expand rapidly.
One area of particular growth is within Wales, where we have seen a flurry of clubs and instructors signing up to join us since June. Our presence in all of the devolved nations has continued to increase over the years and we are keen to ensure a dedicated, tailored response is available to any BMABA clubs in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
As part of our efforts to ensure our growing Welsh membership base receives a slightly less Sport-England centric approach to governance under BMABA, we are very proud to have been accepted as a Full Member to the WSA – The Welsh Sports Association. The WSA are comparable to the Sport & Recreation Alliance (to whom we are also a member) in respect of their role. WSA represent sports throughout Wales directly to Government and Sport Wales. They also provide specialist access to Welsh centric services in areas such as safeguarding, law, regulation, funding and so on.
Our membership to WSA will allow us to source and provide specialist guidance to our Welsh clubs on COVID measures throughout 2020-2021 and beyond. It will also allow us to provide a more nuanced and tailored service to clubs in terms of safeguarding obligations, national guidelines and available funding routes as we will be able to directly lobby Sports Wales through a known industry heavyweight.
As part of ensuring we make a tangible difference to our Welsh members, BMABA will be on three-weekly national Phased Return to Sport planning group calls to ensure we are fully up to date on Welsh law and regulation concerning Coronavirus, and so we can ensure our Welsh clubs voices are heard at the highest possible level alongside other national NGBs.
We are very excited about the impact this will have for our clubs ‘across the border’ and will be bolstering this with a Welsh Committee Representative to ensure BMABA’s national committee has a firm voice for Welsh matters. Applications for this role will be opening in January 2021 from our Welsh instructor base with more information to follow in due course.
We’re mid-process in providing a similar service to our Scottish and Northern Irish clubs too, so clubs in these regions can expect a comparative service in the coming months.
You can learn more about our awards and accreditation from here.
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“What help can BMABA provide my club over the coming months?”
We can confidently say there is no other martial arts association in the UK that has done anywhere near as much as BMABA in supporting, guiding and protecting our clubs during lockdown. Naturally, this proactive and industry-first approach will continue throughout recovery through to the end of next year when we anticipate the potential of martial arts being back to pre-Covid conditions.
Everything from a free Covid-Aware martial arts instructor qualification and Covid-Policy through to marketing material, council liaison services, risk assessments, covid and hygiene equipment, club communications, subsidised insurances, free qualifications and courses, business support, covid-recovery toolkits and so, so much more. Our guidance on evolving regulation and easing of lockdown measures is properly curated and managed for accuracy, and we’re working across our extensive group of not for profit organisations to make it easier and more affordable than ever to keep your club alive during lockdown, and thriving when you can safely re-open.
