As an expert martial arts association we are able to serve access to specialist events Public Liability insurance for clubs and instructors running martial arts tournaments, seminars, workshops and events.

From non-contact workshops to full contact MMA fight nights, we can provide access to martial arts event public liability cover through your membership at some of the UK’s best prices. What’s more, we’re always focused on absolute quality so we provide a comprehensive set of guidelines, exclusions, limitations and requirements in advance so you can be absolutely sure the event can go to plan.

Clear, Beautiful Certification To Confirm Insurance

We know you need to demonstrate having sufficient cover to venues, service providers and participants. Our BMABA event cover confirmation licence makes it easy to demonstrate sufficient cover for your event or tournament.

Full Contact MMA Inclusive

Provided you follow our safety guidance and the insurer’s requirements, and provided it’s amateur only with no prize money, we can cover full contact MMA from just £199.99 per event.

Free Event Directory Listing & Ticketing Service Worth £50!

Along with every event cover extension added to membership, we’ll provide completely free access to our new event directory platform that allows you to advertise and showcase your event, as well as take and receive payment for ticket sales directly through the website!

What is event insurance, and why is it needed?

Event insurance (as it’s referred to) – or Event Public Liability (PL) Insurance (to be more specific) is designed to provide Public Liability cover (which provides defence and cover in the event of injury or damage to property) to the named event. This is particularly important as it will be protecting not just participants but also spectators, of which there is usually quite a larger number comparatively to a normal session.

If you consider why this is necessary, you need only think of the cost of defending yourself in a court for a claim of compensation if a member of the public were to trip on a mat or speaker stand (for example), break a leg and then be unable to pay their mortgage! With event insurance, it’s important to remember this is specifically for the event organiser and does not provide ‘fighter insurance’.

Can’t my instructor insurance cover this?

No, it can’t. Instructor Insurance (or let’s be specific, and refer specifically to Instructor Public Liability) is designed to provide cover in the event of an injury or damage to property resulting from your instruction.

Events are unique functions, and can often have a number of spectators and competitors in one (or more) locations within a venue at any one time. As an instructor, you can’t possibly be accountable for the supervision of everyone. Even with a very small inter-club event, you will stand have parents or visitors coming into your dojo. If there was to be an injury (for example, a parent of a student slips on a wet floor entering your dojo) this can’t be put down to an instructor fault through instruction, as they were never a part of your class.

For this reason events insurance is an important consideration for anybody hosting an event, regardless of size.

Can I just buy event insurance?

You can purchase an event insurance extension to your membership at any point through our member’s area or the myBMABA app.

What Does It Cost?

For non-contact and semi-contact events with up to 500 spectators, the cost of £2,000,000 Event Public Liability insurance is £139.99. For full contact, it becomes £199.99. We can also provide £5,000,000 Public Liability for a small surcharge.

Will it cover full-contact fighting?

There’s a bit of a misunderstanding within our industry surrounding events insurance and competitors insurance, as they’re not the same. It’s very hard (and expensive) to cover a competitor for injury. This is quite simply because there is a very heightened risk of injury, inherently, because of the nature of sparring or competition.

Public Liability is unlikely to be effective by default too, because of Volenti non fit injuria (a common law doctrine which states that if someone willingly places themselves in a position where harm might result, knowing that some degree of harm might result, they are not able to bring a claim against the other party in tort or delict).

With this in mind, it won’t provide ‘fighter insurance’ and we will go out on the limb and state that no off the shelf event cover policy will provide this cover for less than £1,000. If you can find it elsewhere, your event cover with us is on the house.

IMPORTANT: Please speak with our office before applying to join our association if you’re interested in obtaining events insurance. We have very specific criteria in terms of who and what we provide cover on. You will need to be a registered member to access cover, so before you join us as an instructor (unless you wish to join us for free, which you’re welcome to do) please check with us as to whether or not cover would be available. We provide a full and up to date breakdown of insurer requirements, limitations and conditions from our member’s area.

Join A Different Kind Of Martial Arts Association

Membership And Insurance Combined. One Price Tag, One Renewal.

Access to our specialist event insurance cover is only available to registered and known members. Join an independent, politics free governing body with a charitable foundation that’s changing the industry. Be a part of the change.

Not sure if we're the right fit for you?
We're here to answer any questions with impartial, expert advice.

Multi-Award Winning & As Seen On Various Platforms

Join More Than 6,500 Like-Minded Instructors & Clubs

Representing Over 100,000 Members Across 94 Disciplines

A completely free club management system.

We know. What’s the catch? Well, we’re a trade body for martial arts, not a profit-hungry corporation. We know how important the latest tech is in keeping our clubs kicking and – ultimately – that keeps us going too!

FREE Club Management Software Exclusively Built By Us, Just For Our Clubs

ClubManager by BMABA is our in-house, professionally developed Club Management solution. It’s free for all of our members and comes with a tonne of essential and groundbreaking features as standard.

LEARN MORE >>

  • Attendance & Grade Tracking
  • Student Records Management
  • Class Bookings & Timetables
  • Flexible Payments & Memberships
  • Grading Certificates Generator
  • Licence Slip & Documents Generator
  • Customised Branding & Functionality
  • Data Freedom & Ownership
  • Leads & Prospects Management
  • Online Video Training Library
  • 1to1 Tuition Management & Billing
  • Events Management & Ticketing
  • Secure Safeguarding Case Management
  • Manage Events & Competitions
  • Student Portal & Member's Content
  • Concussion & RtP Management
  • Digital Incident Log Book
  • Digital Risk Assessments
  • Task Management
  • Registrations & Waivers
  • Built-In Club Community & Forums
  • Manual Invoicing
  • Accounting & Budgeting
  • Staff Management & Staffroom
  • Calendar & Scheduling
  • Business Management & Planning
  • Easy To Use Parent Accounts

Membership with BMABA is so much more than just a piece of paper.

From template grading certificates and draft 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 – even club management platforms and web hosting. We can cover it under just one simple, affordable membership.

Founded in 2012 by the now Multi-Award Winning Social Entrepreneur & Life-Long Martial Artist, Giovanni Soffietto.

Frustrated by a governing structure in martial arts that failed to look forward to the future, Giovanni setup BMABA in 2012. Aged just 20 with only £20 of ‘start-up capital’ BMABA comes from humble beginnings.

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. We now turnover more than £1,000,000 and support tens of thousands of martial artists across the UK.

"BMABA give away belts for cash"

"BMABA don't care about safeguarding"

"BMABA are so unprofessional"

Over the past 13+ years we’ve heard so much of this sort of nonsense from the ‘old boys’ associations.

The truth couldn’t be further than their lazy, fear-filled assertions. We’re a disruptor, renowned for our professionalism and governance, but they wouldn’t want you to know that. 

In an industry so full of cowboys, we don’t expect you to take our word for any of this. Dig beneath the surface, and see for yourself.

Membership To BMABA Is So Much More Than Just A Piece Of Paper

We have always been focused on providing clubs with everything they need under a single membership, and our range of resources, tools and features delivers exactly that.

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.

Club Colours Award That Exceeds Sport England’s Safeguarding Standards

Our Club Colours Award process not only issues a ‘school of excellence’ mark to clubs who hold it, but the safeguarding oversight has been mapped against SCiMA and then approved by Sport England which allows us to automatically issue the ‘Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts’ award to every club that holds our ‘tick mark’. We receive zero funding to run this, but we ensure it’s completely free for every single BMABA member to access.

We’re the only independent association who can offer this.

Certification, Insurance & Evidence With You, On The Go.

Tired of waiting weeks for hand-written documents in the post? Access your BMABA instructor’s documentation, student license slips, insurance certification and even your own submitted DBS checks, first aid qualifications and other criteria 24/7.

Our systems provide you with access to all of this documentation on the go. Be it from a mobile, our app or a desktop – so you can access, download and share your certification when you need it most.

BMABA App

Available for free on Android and OS devices, the BMABA app allows instructors, volunteers and assistant instructors to access the latest updates, resources, guidance, community, forums and loads more. Bring your association, along with all your digital certification – with you in your pocket.

Industry Renowned Qualifications & Training

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, Risk Management, Concussion & Head Injury, and so much more. 

All online and accessible 24/7 from any device.

The Ultimate, FREE, Club Management Platform

We provide all members 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 members’ only area and so much more. All completely free of charge.

From SEO, AI and Analytics through to content publishing, class scheduling, online incident log book entries and so, so much more. It’s all inclusive at no extra cost making BMABA the industry leaders in affordable tech solutions for martial arts clubs.

£1,000 Of Tools, Rolled Into One Affordable Membership

From template grading certificates, safeguarding policies and club registration forms to our online logo designer, club accreditation marks and premium club finder listings. BMABA Club Cash Grants and designated safeguarding lead services through to marketing plans, SEO platforms, AI software, Wordpress websites, web hosting and so, so much more. 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 Grant Up To £500 To Help Clubs Make Charitable Impact & Grow

Our BMABA Club Grants Scheme donates up to £500 per grant to clubs up and down the UK of all sizes. It helps to make a difference to clubs who want to make a charitable impact, purchase new kit to offer safer classes, or need emergency support in times of crisis. 

We’ve funded research into safeguarding failures in MMA, classes for women and girls at risk of abuse, scholarships for children living in poverty, new mats and punchbags for clubs wanting to safer classes, and so much more.

All self funded. From our profits, back into our community.

Ready to take your club to new heights?

It's in our slogan; "To High Places By Narrow Roads".

Plus So Much More As Standard Just Some Of The Tools & Resources We Offer

  • Instructor Certification & Licensing
  • Student Insurance & Licensing
  • Free Instructor Qualifications
  • Safeguarding Qualifications
  • Enhanced DBS Checks
  • First Aid Training
  • Free Club Website
  • Club Management Support
  • Instructor Certification & Licensing
  • Logos & Accreditation Marks
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Platform
  • Local & National Networking
  • Stock Grading Certificates
  • Free Instructor Qualifications
  • Template Documents & Forms
  • Printing & Design
  • Safeguarding Code For Martial Arts
  • Best Practice Guidance
  • Wordpress Hosting
  • a.i For Martial Arts
  • Event Management Checklists
  • Safeguarding Model Policies
  • Analytics & Tracking Tools
  • Budgeting Apps
  • Professional Webmail
  • Clothing & Uniform
  • Cyber Toolkit
  • Cash Grants & Funding
  • Risk Management Awards
  • Concussion & Head Injury
  • National Advertising
  • Entrepreneur's Support
  • Plus So Much More

Not entirely convinced?

Try us for free for 12 months, with no obligation.

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 yourself.

Thinking of switching?

We know there’s a lot to think about, and we can help.

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.

We have a real team based out of a real office.

There’s nothing wrong with smaller martial arts associations. In fact, we think it’s good for competition and variety. Unfortunately too many are one-man bands run from kitchen tables, and not professional set ups with staff.

HQ

BMABA. Suite I & K, The Old Bakery, Golden Square, Petworth. GU28 0AP

Registered Office

BMABA, 132 City Road, London. N1 6AD

Servicing Office

BMABA, International House, Woolwich House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ

The UK's Leading and Largest Multi-Style Trade Body For Martial Arts

BMABA Limited T/A British Martial Arts & Boxing Association
Registered Address: Kemp House, 132 City Road. London. EC1V 2NX
HQ: BMABA, The Old Bakery. Golden Square, Petworth. GU28 0AP
Servicing Office: International House, Woolwich House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ
Phone: 0333 335 6032  | EMail: info@bmaba.org.uk

BMABA Limited. Reg. 10676965.
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Emergency Services, Armed Forces and NHS front line staff are all entitled to 10% discounts across all of our memberships for live. This applies to all ex-serving armed forces and emergency workers too.

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