Disclosure and Barring Service checks, with regulated activity definitions that determine who needs an enhanced check with a barred list check. Welsh clubs also work within Welsh Government sport and safeguarding structures, and we are members of the Welsh Sports Association.
How We Help / Legal Standards
Most clubs think they are compliant. Right up until something goes wrong.
Not because instructors do not care. Because nobody ever sat them down and told them what is actually required, how to achieve it, and how to prove it afterwards. That is the gap we close.
ISO 9001 & 27001Our own compliance externally audited
4 nationsGuidance for each legal landscape
70+Editable policy templates
14 yearsDoing this for independent clubs
01 /
Six questions. If you cannot answer one of them in under a minute, that is the gap.
None of these are trick questions, and none of them require a solicitor. They are simply the things you would be asked in the days after an incident, by an insurer, a hall owner, a parent’s solicitor or a local authority.
- 01
Which people on your mat are currently DBS or PVG checked, and when does each one expire?
- 02
Where is the risk assessment for the venue you teach in on a Wednesday, and when was it last reviewed?
- 03
If a parent asked today what personal data you hold about their child and why, could you answer within a month, as UK GDPR requires?
- 04
Who is your designated safeguarding lead, and what happens if a disclosure is made while they are on holiday?
- 05
Does your insurance actually cover the discipline, the age group and the contact level you are teaching this term?
- 06
Can you produce a written record of the last head injury in your club, and the decision that let that student train again?
Most clubs can answer two or three. That is normal, and it is not a moral failing. It is what happens when compliance is nobody’s job and there is no system holding it.
02 /
The ground a martial arts club actually has to cover
Set out plainly, because most clubs have never seen it written down in one place. We provide guidance, templates, training and tooling across all of it.
Duty of care & safety
- Risk assessment
- Supervision ratios
- Premises & equipment
- Incident recording
- Concussion & head injury
- First aid provision
Child protection
- Safeguarding policy
- Designated lead role
- Reporting & escalation
- Photography & media
- Changing & transport
- Low-level concerns
People & vetting
- DBS (England & Wales)
- PVG (Scotland)
- AccessNI
- Right to work
- Volunteer status
- Assistant instructor licensing
Insurance & liability
- Public liability
- Professional indemnity
- Personal accident
- Student licensing
- Event cover
- Premises requirements
Data & records
- UK GDPR basics
- Lawful basis
- Retention periods
- Consent & parental consent
- Subject access requests
- Breach response
Running the organisation
- Club constitution
- Trading status
- Financial records
- Complaints & appeals
- Codes of conduct
- Disciplinary process
We are a governing body rather than a firm of solicitors, and we say so plainly. What we provide is sector-specific guidance, frameworks and tooling built on more than a decade of practice, plus the sense to tell you when something needs a professional adviser rather than us.
Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised
03 /
The legal landscape is not one size fits all
A great deal of martial arts guidance quietly assumes England. If you teach in Glasgow or Belfast, that guidance is wrong in ways that matter.
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme, which works on membership rather than one-off certificates, with its own rules on updating and retention. We run PVG alongside membership of the Scottish Sports Association.
A separate disclosure regime with its own enhanced check and its own definitions of regulated activity. Clubs teaching across the border need to understand both frameworks rather than assuming one covers the other.
04 /
RegulationReady
A compliance system that checks itself, rather than a folder that does not.
Policy packs age badly. A club that downloaded a safeguarding policy in 2021 usually still has it, unchanged, alongside three coaches whose checks lapsed and an assistant nobody registered. Nothing about a document tells you any of that.
RegulationReady assesses your club continuously against your own live data and puts the position on one screen. Where you fall short, it names what is missing and how to fix it. Where you meet the standard, the mark issues automatically, and eligible clubs earn full Safeguarding Code recognition directly through MyBMABA at no cost.
05 /
Doing It, Not Just Knowing It
Seventy plus policy templates, and the tools to keep them alive
Our policy generator builds professional, club-specific documents from more than seventy pre-approved templates in minutes, with your details, your disciplines and your structure written in rather than left as square brackets. Then the rest of the toolkit keeps them from going stale.
- Editable registers, risk assessments and safeguarding logs
- Digital incident log and concussion tools
- Instructor verification and evidence checking
06 /
Being compliant is one thing. Being able to prove it in ten seconds is another.
Increasingly it is not a regulator asking. It is a primary school before a taster session, a leisure centre before renewing your hire, or a parent who has read something in the news and wants to check.
A live public registerAnyone can verify that your club and your instructors are vetted, insured and qualified, in seconds, without ringing us.
We check, we do not just believe youEvidence is validated rather than taken on trust. That is precisely what makes the register worth anything to the person reading it.
Evidence on demandProduce your compliance position for an insurer, hall owner or local authority the moment they ask for it.
Marks that mean somethingClub Colours and SCiMA recognition are awarded on assessment, so displaying them is a claim you can stand behind.
07 /
Read more member reviewsHaving 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.
Matt J, club instructor
08 /
Why take compliance advice from us
Because we submit to the same scrutiny we ask of you, and because we are in the rooms where this is decided.
i
Our own compliance is externally audited
ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 under UKAS accreditation, assessed by the British Assessment Bureau, plus Cyber Essentials and ICO registration. Most associations manage compliance from an inbox and a folder of PDFs.
ii
We are regulated ourselves
BMABA CIC is overseen by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies with a legal asset lock, and holds FCA Introducer Appointed Representative registration for insurance introductions.
iii
Government asks our opinion
Named in the House of Commons by the Minister for Sport, commended in writing, and contributing to DCMS policy development on safety in martial arts. We represent independent clubs at that level rather than only serving them.
iv
Expert advice, on tap and from people
Insurance, first aid, DBS, concussion and safeguarding questions answered by a full-time UK team who deal with them daily, and who will tell you when a question genuinely needs a solicitor instead.
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.”
Multi-Award Winning & Nationally Recognised
Testimonials
What Do Our Members Say?
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Matt J 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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Close The Gap
You will never regret sorting this out. You might very much regret not having.
Affiliate membership is free, with no card and nothing to cancel. Join, run RegulationReady against your club, and see the honest position in an afternoon rather than finding out the hard way.
