Major Update to BMABA’s Group Cover Insurances

At BMABA, we’ve taken the need to provide robust and affordable insurances seriously since our first Group Cover policy launched in 2014. Since then, we’ve become renowned within the industry as experts in interpreting insurance for martial arts (with thanks to our resident CEO, who ‘in a past life’ was an insurance broker!).

Every April we review our group cover insurances with our brokers to ensure we have the best possible cover in place as an organisation, and to ensure that the cover made available through membership is as good as it can possibly be. We’re really pleased to confirm a range of improvements across the board to BMABA insurances, effective from April 1st 2022.

 

New Cover & Improvements To Cover

Instructors (Improved)

We’ve previously offered cover in increments of £2,000,000, £5,000,000 or £10,000,000 for Public Liability. Effective from 1st April 2022, we begin offering a minimum of £5,000,000 Public Liability at the price of £2,000,000. This is conditional to the instructor completing our completely free online BMABA Level 1 and Level 2 coaching qualifications. For the period at which this is not complete, £2,000,000 Public Liability shall remain effective. This means we’re now providing access to £5,000,000 Public Liability at what is arguably one of the most affordable price points in the UK martial arts sector, undercutting even most standalone insurers (despite offering a far more comprehensive package). We will also be increasing abuse cover from the current £250,000 to £500,000 free of charge.

We’re pleased to confirm there’s no trade off with this new and improved cover either. All of our current industry-first’s – such as maternity cover, free temporary cover for sickness or holiday, cover for birthday parties and so on – it all remains in place. We’re also not moving to an insurance that requires you to specify each venue you teach at. The cover remains tied to your membership, which means you’re insured wherever you teach and under whichever venue or brand.

We’ve also continued to invest in offering the most comprehensive membership available anywhere in martial arts. We know we’re nailing that. There isn’t another martial arts association that can come close – with everything from club management software, national club listings, free clubs websites and marketing material through to safeguarding, first aid, DBS, qualifications, and so much more all available as standard.

 

Clubs (New)

Up until now, we’ve always had to refer clubs (those with a legal entity that ‘trades’ separate to that of an instructor) to the insurer for a direct-to-insurer quote. We’re incredibly pleased to confirm that we can now provide Club Cover directly as part of membership from our group cover policy.

What cover is available?

As standard, our club cover will provide;

• • £5,000,000 Public Liability
  • £1,000,000 Professional Indemnity
  • £10,000,000 Employer’s Liability Insurance
  • £500,000 Abuse Cover

Who’s it for?

If you have any volunteers or instructors teaching with or for you, you’ll need employer’s liability. This is a legal requirement. There’s also many occasions where organised clubs – be them a limited company (ltd), limited liability partnership (llp), unincorporated association or even just a sole trader – might find a legal liability separate to that of an instructor. Under club cover, there is insurance and membership provided that is separate to that of an instructor.

When might I need to claim on this, as opposed to the instructor insurance?

Let’s imagine you’ve done a fantastic job of building up a club which teaches at 6 venues which you rent from the venue provider, and you have a team of three instructors. You pay your other two a share of the profits or a set fee per class. Immediately, there is a requirement to have employer’s liability in place – even though you might not be directly employing the instructors.

Aside from this, if ‘the club’ enters into any sort of contracts with schools, venues or companies to provide teaching, hire venues or teach seminars etc, there becomes a liability on ‘the company’ that is separate to the instructor. The instructor’s public liability will provide cover if someone is injured, or property damaged, during the course of a lesson in martial arts. Anything outside of this session would become a ‘business’ (or club) liability. This is what club cover is designed to pick up.

If you own or lease a property directly, you’ll still need to use our direct to insurer referral but for most clubs, this cover will provide a much needed form of protection. It’s applicable and available for LTDs, LLPs, unincorporated associations, sole traders and so on.

 

Events, Seminars & Competitions (New)

Just like with club cover, until now we’ve had to refer clubs to the insurer for a quote on any event, be it a small inter-club fight or a larger seminar or full contact bout. We’re incredibly pleased to confirm we can now provide direct access to event cover through our group cover policy at a set cost.

As an off the shelf, readily available provision we can now offer;

• £2,000,000 Public Liability Insurance
• £2,000,000 Products Liability Insurance

For any event, fight, seminar or competition. We can offer up to £5,000,000 public liability if it’s requested by a venue also for a small surcharge. There is the option to include cover for full contact events, and provided the number of spectators does not exceed 500, we can provide access to cover immediately and at a fixed cost.

We’re also bolstering this new cover by putting together a brand new events directory website. This will help clubs promote their events and seminars, and even manage direct bookings and ticketing online. This service will be open to non members at a starting price of £29 per year but will be 100% free of charge to all BMABA instructors taking out any competition cover with their membership.

 

Students

We’re really pleased with the student cover we can provide access to in conjunction with their membership and licencing. This remains ‘best in class’ and extremely competitively priced, with an optional personal accident cover available too.

 

Live Blades

We’re finalising some details with the insurer on a streamlined, most cost effective approach to live blade training and teaching. We will shortly have access to live blade cover for instructors and students on a more straight forward basis and will share details the moment this is available.

 

 

New instructors and clubs looking to make use of our superb offerings can continue to register online. Individual instructors can explore instructor insurance here, and clubs can explore what we provide from here. If you’re an existing member, please login to MyBMABA to make the most of the new insurances.