The Free, Award-Winning Club Management Platform For Martial Arts
Built by martial artists, for martial artists, and powered by BMABA CIC, a not-for-profit certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation. Students, attendance, grading, payments, safeguarding, comms and finances in one place, with every feature unlocked from your first free login. The software is free; if you take digital payments, a small transaction charge applies, and that’s the whole model.
Everything Your Club Runs On, In One System
We built this for one simple reason: we back our clubs. Grassroots martial arts needs more technology at less cost, and nobody else was going to do it, so we did. It’s engineered and operated under our ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certified management systems, UKAS-accredited, and we’re Cyber Essentials certified, because free should never mean flimsy.
Every module below is included and unlocked with membership. No add-ons, no per-student fees, no paywalled features.
Student Management & CRM
Complete records: contact details, payments, medical, SEND, safeguarding notes, consents and next of kin in one secure profile.
Attendance Tracking
Log sessions in seconds; attendance feeds automatically into grading readiness. No double entry, ever.
Grades, Belts & Progression
Visual belt displays with split colours and stripes, custom systems, readiness tags and one-click certificates.
Payments, Optional & Flexible
Stripe cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, GoCardless Direct Debit mandates, manual logging, or no payments at all.
Grading Management
Schedule gradings, enrol students, set criteria and score consistently across examiners with a full audit trail.
Calendar, Scheduler & Tasks
Classes, gradings, events, tasks and appointments in month, week, day and agenda views, shared across your team.
Safeguarding, Incidents & Risk
NSPCC-process-based reports, digital risk assessments, incident logs, concussion and Return-to-Play tools.
Certificate Designer
Smart placeholders merge student data into polished certificates in seconds, as PDF or JPG.
Accounting & Modelling
A bookkeeping ledger, budgets, forecasts and a business modelling suite that finds your break-even.
Members’ Portal
Every student and parent gets their own login: attendance, belt journey, invoices, news and family profiles.
The Staffroom
Role-based access for instructors and assistants, real-time team chat, shared files, calendars and tasks.
Contents, Documents & Blog
Publish syllabus to students, share policies with acknowledgement tracking, and run a club blog and community.
Shipping Relentlessly Since 2023
Nine major releases across two generations in under four years, with point releases landing constantly in between. So many platforms end up stale, old-fashioned and outdated; ours never will. With in-house developers, ISO 27001-certified operations and a community we actively listen to, we keep building the latest developments, tech, tweaks and fixes to make this the best club platform it can possibly be.
- Mar 2023WordPress v1First generation launches
- Sep 2023v2Six months in
- May 2024v3Feature expansion
- Oct 2024v4Maturity release
- Jan 2025v5Final first-gen build
- Apr 2025Unified BetaNew platform announced & launched
- Sep 2025Unified v2Payments & portal deepen
- Feb 2026Unified v3Bulk editing & smart tools
- Sep 2026Unified v4GoCardless Direct Debit
Every Student, One Clear, Centralised Record
From personal details and payments to compliance and next of kin, you’ll never miss an important update.
Student Management
Record key details such as name, date of birth, contact information, licence numbers and club-specific references. Upload files, update profiles, and maintain a full onboarding checklist so every member is properly registered from day one.
Payments & Memberships
Integrated payment tracking, manual or automated, for subscriptions, one-off fees and arrears, with a clear view of every student’s payment history.
Compliance
Log and track medical conditions, SEND support details, safeguarding information, consents and waivers, securely stored against each student record with instant tags and hover-to-view summaries.
Next Of Kin
Emergency contacts captured quickly within each profile, with family memberships automatically tied to the registered next of kin for simple billing.
And when something changes for twenty students at once, bulk editing tools introduced in Unified v3 let you update whole groups in one pass: tags, classes, statuses and more, without opening a single profile.
Student Database Management, Built Your Way
Beneath every register and belt chart sits a genuine CRM. Oversee each student’s complete profile: contact information, next of kin, safeguarding, medical, assumption of risk, payments and history, and let students and parents see their own record through the portal. Then make it yours: a customisable, bespoke setup where you introduce your own fields, checkboxes, permissions and everything else your club needs to track.
Clever Features Built By Martial Artists, For Martial Artists
We’re not a faceless software company. From simple progress bars and belt-linked grading records to centralised compliance tracking and SEND tags, every detail is designed with instructors in mind.
Progression, Tracked The Way Martial Arts Actually Works
Visual belt displays including split colours and stripes, completely customised grading structures, your own custom tags, and readiness indicators driven by real attendance data. Nothing ever auto-progresses: the system shows you at a glance where every student is, and the grading decision stays exactly where it belongs, with you.
Attendance Tracking Without The Admin
Log sessions in seconds and instantly see who’s training regularly, with data feeding straight into grading readiness. Records link directly with belts and grading, and all student flags, medical, SEND, safeguarding, sit right on the register.
Payments, Your Way. Or Not At All.
Payments are a big part of the platform, and completely optional. Run with payments switched off entirely, record manual payments taken by cash, BACS or any gateway, or automate everything.
Use the whole platform freely without financial admin. Zero cost, zero tracking, your choice.
Log cash, BACS or third-party gateway payments against memberships, invoices and reconciliations. Zero fees.
Stripe for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay; GoCardless for Direct Debit. Ask clients to set up a mandate once, then recurring fees collect themselves each month: no invoices, no emails, no chasing, nothing to send. One-off charges are just as easy.
Clean, Accessible Email Invoices
For one-off charges and clubs who prefer invoicing, parents receive a clean, easy invoice by email and pay without creating any account. Direct Debit collections need none of this: once the mandate is set, payment is entirely automatic.
Smooth, Trusted Checkouts
Secure Stripe checkout with cards, Direct Debit, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Link, auto-remembered details, instant confirmation on screen and by email.
The Software Is Free. Digital Payments Carry A Small Charge.
Careful wording, on purpose: every module, tool and feature is free with membership, forever. The only cost anywhere in the system is when you choose to take a digital payment.
£0 For The Software
Full access to every module. Student capacity scales with membership: Affiliate 10 students, Bronze 50, Silver 250, Gold unlimited, combinable across instructors, so two Silver instructors share 500. Manual payment logging and invoicing for offsite payments carry no fees at all.
Join For Free1% BMABA Charge Per Transaction
Take a payment through Stripe or GoCardless and BMABA CIC charges 1% of the transaction, collected automatically and reinvested in the platform. The processor’s own standard fees apply on top: Stripe typically around 1.5% plus 20p, GoCardless typically around 1% plus 20p. Fees apply only when you get paid; no subscription, no contracts, no minimums.
Join For FreeIn Most Cases, You’ll Save So Much It Can Pay Your Insurance Bill In Full
Swap a percentage-of-revenue or per-student platform for ours and, for a typical club, the difference alone covers your membership and insurance, with change. That’s the maths behind cost neutral membership. Run your own numbers below.
What Would This Cost You Elsewhere?
Tell us about your club and compare a year with us against two common market pricing models. We won’t name names.
Not clearly cheaper for your setup? That’s rare, and worth a second pair of eyes. Hop onto chat and we’ll double-check the maths with you, honestly.
Even with 1,000 students, the platform itself still costs nothing extra: no per-student fees, no tiers, no surprises. And savings like these are exactly how membership becomes cost neutral.
And While You’re Comparing, Ask About These
| Us | Typical Providers | |
|---|---|---|
| Not-for-profit, asset-locked operator | Yes, CIC by law | For-profit companies |
| ISO 9001:2015 quality management | Certified, UKAS-accredited | Ask your provider |
| ISO 27001:2022 information security | Certified, UKAS-accredited | Ask your provider |
| Cyber Essentials | Certified | Ask your provider |
We looked, and we couldn’t find another club platform publishing this combination of credentials. Your students’ data deserves the question, so ask it of anyone who wants to hold it.
Illustrative comparison. Model A reflects a well-known percentage-of-revenue model at 6% plus VAT; Model B reflects a typical per-student platform at £1 per student per month plus processing around 2.9% plus 30p. Processor rates are typical published rates and may vary; always check current pricing.
Martial Arts Grading Management
Schedule gradings, enrol students, and set the exact scoring criteria for your style. Instructors add scores across multiple criteria during the grading, with outcomes documented for every student, consistent across examiners, benchmarked to recognised standards, and stored as a clear, auditable record.
Simple, Structured Grading Setup
Set up a grading event in a few clicks, add your criteria and scoring system, select who’s grading, and the system makes everything accessible to instructors and examiners, properly documented and easy to review afterwards.
Calendar & Scheduler
Every class, grading and one-off event lands automatically in an integrated calendar. Add tasks, deadlines and appointments, private lessons, school meetings, seminars, with everything linked and visible at a glance.
Multiple Views For Smarter Time Management
Switch seamlessly between month, week, day and agenda views, from long-term planning to micromanaging the day, and share the whole thing with colleagues so the team runs one timetable.
Task Management For Real Teams
Create, assign and track tasks with deadlines, notes, attachments and priorities, delegated across your team through the Staffroom’s role-based access, with real-time team chat and shared files alongside. Clubs tell us the game-changer is throwing tasks in mid-class from a phone, then sorting them properly in admin windows, all in one secure, GDPR-compliant workspace.
A Certificate Designer That Does The Admin For You
Design from scratch or start from free professional templates. Smart placeholders pull each student’s name, grade, date and instructor signature automatically, with instant PDF or JPG export for print or email.
Safeguarding, Incidents, Risk & Concussion, Handled Properly
Standardised safeguarding reports built on the NSPCC-approved process, secure and tied to your register, with traffic-light concern levels. Digital risk assessments with review reminders, a guided incident logbook that works mid-class on a phone, and concussion tools with a 60-second on-scene assessment and managed Return-to-Play with medical tags on registers.
Accounting & Budgeting
A clear bookkeeping-style ledger tracks every transaction: categorise payments, record opening balances, manage transfers, mass-import transactions and export cleanly for your accountant, with budgets and real-time spending progress alongside.
Business Management & Club Modelling
Model revenue streams, staffing, overheads and what-if scenarios: adjust fees, add classes, factor staff changes and instantly see the impact on your break-even and growth, strategy on data, not guesswork.
A Full Members’ Portal, For Every Student & Parent
Most club software stops at the instructor’s dashboard. Ours gives every student and parent their own secure portal, cutting admin questions off at the source.
- Their own attendance history and class schedule
- Belt journey and progression, visible and motivating
- Invoices, memberships and payments, self-served
- Club blog, news and announcements
- Syllabus and learning contents you choose to share
- A club community space for discussion
- Policy documents with acknowledgement tracking
- Family profiles connecting parents to their children
When parents can answer “what do I owe?”, “when’s the next grading?” and “where’s that policy?” themselves, your inbox gets quieter.
Exclusive Software. Totally Free, Forever.
Join on free affiliate membership and try the real thing, every feature unlocked, including payments, for up to 10 students. Stick to manual payments and this entire platform costs precisely nothing: not today, not next year, not ever. No card details, no trial clock, no crippled demo, no pressure, and nobody will ring you. Bring your real club, and if it doesn’t earn its place, walk away having spent £0.
The Membership That Can Pay For Itself
Here’s the honest version. You might not want to change the providers you already use, and that’s completely okay. Many are excellent, and we’d never ask you to cancel anything. But your club has to have insurance anyway, and ours is priced like an insurer’s while including everything below. Use what you want, when you want. If you don’t, no pressure. If you do, the savings add up fast.
Tick the things your club is already paying for, and watch them become free.
Coaching Levels 1 and 2, SEND Level 1 and concussion (CHIMA) training are included as standard. The wider CPD library needs Silver membership or above.
Tick what you already pay for elsewhere, and watch it become free.
About these estimates*
These prices are estimates based on middle-of-the-road paid providers, and your numbers will vary. We’re not suggesting we’re the best at every one of these. Plenty of specialist tools are excellent, and you’re welcome to keep using them. We just think we’ve built a bloody good system, and everything above is included with membership. Per-person training costs are counted once here, the wider CPD library needs Silver membership or above, and exact membership pricing is always shown in the signup builder.
And the core compliance stack lives here too. One login, one renewal.
- First Aid Training
- Safeguarding Qualifications
- DBS & PVG Checks
- Coaching Qualifications
- Concussion & Head Injury (CHIMA)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised
Ministerial Commendation And Parliamentary Recognition
“Organisations such as the British Martial Arts and Boxing Association support unaffiliated martial arts providers to adopt the safeguarding code… Providers with recognition under the code can display a logo on their promotional materials to show participants that their safety measures have been vetted.”
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.
“I appreciate your ongoing efforts to make martial arts safer for children.”
What Do Our Members Say?
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Matthew Johnson Can't Rate Them Highly EnoughHaving left my previous association in November, and being very daunted by the prospect of being responsible for all my own compliance and everything else I can honestly say BMABA have made the whole thing possible and even pleasant. The training resources are great, it's been fantastic for me to be able to quickly up skill my team, the insurance is really easy to sort out, the team are super friendly and helpful, the perks on Gold membership are also fantastic.
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John Tomsett Outstanding Club Association and Insurance ProviderI have been a customer of BMABA for two years now, and I am extremely impressed with their services. First and foremost, the customer service provided by BMABA is exceptional. Their team is responsive, professional, and genuinely dedicated to ensuring that our needs are met. Whenever we had a query or require assistance, they responded rapidly and effectively.
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Georgina E Really impressive, 21st century MA organisation. 10/10Found these guys in Martial Arts Illustrated doing a piece on professionalism in martial arts and thought, as an instructor, they might be worth looking at further. Really impressed from the moment I hit their website through to now, 3 months on as a member. Great staff, Giovanni is rediculously knowledgable and our club is now growing under the banner of what has got to be the best martial arts org in the UK.
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Michael Willington Definately recommended. Unbelievable Association.The BMABA are unlike any other org I've come across in this industry. Their honest, professional, politics free and most importantly, they know what they're doing. Website is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest, insurance is comprehensive and their overall customer service is just unlike anything else I've had in 25 years of martial arts. Amazing through and through. Would definitely recommend.
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Jonathan D BMABA – the Martial Arts Association you NEEDI joined the BMABA right in its infancy (I believe I was their second member!). Giovanni is the most helpful, respectful and genuine person who has turned the possibility of a non-political, highly respected and supportive Martial Arts Association into a reality. I could bang on for hours about the BMABA but don't take my word for it – go and visit the BMABA website and see for yourself.
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Fabian Burdett 2020 This team deserves a MedalAs we all know 2020 has been the year from hell for martial arts. One thing that has come out of that is BMABA have done everything in their power to keep clubs like mine up to date with what's happening and tried to push the government to notice us. Couldn't wish for a better association to be a part of. Once again big THANK YOU to you guys for all the help. 💙🐺👊
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Matthew Robert Cooling-Stones These guys are the real dealAs i'm heading into the brave world of starting up my own small self defence club in our village, i can say with complete honesty and satisfaction that BMABA have been the most supportive and upfront association i have come across. i have seen and had first hand experience with the Mcdojo's offering you the greatest adventures of a life time. but these guys are the real deal… i hold my head high, and say with great pride "i am a BMABA member"
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Anna Martensson Highly IMPRESSED by the BMABAAs someone with 22 years of experience in martial arts, who saw enough big egos and leaders who only look after their own benefits… I am highly IMPRESSED by the BMABA. I wanted to make sure they don't just promise the world but actually deliver. They support us all the way and constantly look for new ways of making our whole industry better for ALL of us. THANK YOU!!
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Adrian Jackson Always quick to respond and thoughtfulAlways quick to respond and thoughtful. Great service delivered at a very reasonable price and very supportive of the community. Been a member for a couple of years now and recommend highly
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Daniel Leaver Simply the best organisation I have ever worked withSimply the best organisation I have ever worked with. Everything is so stress free and I am definitely sticking with them for the rest of my career.
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From A £20 Start-Up To A Nationally Recognised Powerhouse. Built From Scratch, Driven By Purpose. That’s BMABA CIC.
We’re not here because of government grants, NGB status, or Sport England funding. We’re here because thousands of instructors and clubs believed in a better way. BMABA CIC is entirely independent, self-funded, and not-for-profit. We have never taken shortcuts or silver spoons, but we have earned recognition at the highest levels of UK sport, including Sport England, DCMS, and national media, purely on merit. More than £2.4 million generated to date, reinvested into the UK martial arts community.
No gimmicks. No politics. No hidden shareholders.
We built one of the UK’s most trusted martial arts ecosystems from the ground up. A comprehensive, style-agnostic governance system. Sector-leading safeguarding and compliance. Affordable insurance. Free club management software. Dozens of tools, licences, guidance, and expert support, all included, all in one place.
We didn’t inherit a legacy. We forged one.
Whether you’re stepping out for the first time or have always been proudly independent, this is your home. To high places by narrow roads isn’t just a slogan. It’s how we got here.
Powered By Purpose, Not Profit
Every tool we build serves the martial arts community, not shareholders. Join free and see for yourself.
- Free software, all features unlocked
- 10 students free on affiliate membership
- Stripe, GoCardless & manual payments
- Full members’ portal & the Staffroom
- Safeguarding built on the NSPCC-approved process
- ISO 9001 & 27001 certified operator
