2025: Our Biggest Year Yet and Just the Beginning

Hi there,

As we wrap up 2025, it is hard to overstate just how transformative this year has been for BMABA CIC. In every sense, organisationally, operationally, culturally, and technologically; we have grown at a pace few could have predicted.

It has been a year of exponential progress driven by our team, our community, and the thousands of instructors and clubs who continue to trust, support, and shape us.

A Year of Milestones

In less than twelve months, we have:

• Completed our transition to a Community Interest Company, solidifying our mission-led identity.
• Been referenced in Parliament for the first time in our history.
• Gained long-awaited acknowledgement on the Sport England website.
• Launched major national frameworks and CPD programmes including Regulation Ready, Trauma Informed Coaching, Serious Youth Violence, and Mental Health First Aid for Martial Arts.
• Matured significantly as an organisation by strengthening and revalidating all of our governance, safeguarding, and policy frameworks.
• Achieved ISO9001:2015 certification and UKAS accreditation, alongside an extensive list of additional memberships and formal recognitions.
• Appeared across national media including BBC News, ITV News, The Times on Sunday, and several other high-profile outlets.

This year also saw the introduction of the all-new MyBMABA Club Management Platform. This was a landmark addition to our digital ecosystem. Remarkably, we are introducing our third version next week, less than a year after the first launch. The pace of development reflects our commitment to providing clubs with world-class tools at accessible costs.

Perhaps, however, one of the most meaningful achievements of 2025 has been resolving what we often referred to internally as the final gap in our operational model. Customer service response times have been transformed. We now answer 98% of enquiries the same day and, in many cases, within the hour. For an organisation of our size, this has been a huge and long awaited milestone. We want to stress that we have been aware of this shortfall for a number of years, but until now have not been able to manage a big enough internal team to effectively deal with this. The space you have given us, to get this right, has been amazing and we've been running now for a number of months with rapid, up to date support. That will remain a centre-point for BMABA as we go forwards.

Why We Have Been Quiet Since November?

You may have noticed a quieter period from us over recent weeks. This was completely intentional. Behind the scenes we have been focused on a substantial programme of improvements and new releases that will begin rolling out from January. We know for many clubs the run up to Christmas is busy (socially, and away from the club) and that many of you struggle with numbers on the mats in this quarter. To avoid overwhelming you when you are no doubt in need of a much needed break, we've decided to strategically hold back some of our major updates and releases until 2026, when we hope you'll be feeling refreshed and ready to move forward with us.

Here is a preview of some of what is coming:

• A new release of the MyBMABA Club Management Platform before Christmas.
• New CPD programmes and expanded instructor training.
• A full Event Ready suite covering refereeing, grade integrity, event guidance, and club-led competition support.
• A new Cadet Programme for junior assistant instructors.
• Updated training pathways for assistant instructors.
• Strengthened governance, oversight, and internal policy structures.
• New members joining the team to provide specialist expertise.
• A new PA style assistance option for clubs.
• Additional rounds of internal club funding and grant support.
• And much more that will be revealed throughout early 2026.

Updates will be shared across our social channels throughout January, and new features will be highlighted inside MyBMABA as they go live.

We're also going to continue to work on MyBMABA. We know for those who have used MyBMABA for a number of years, no doubt you'll agree it is lightyears ahead of where it was less than twelve months ago. In fact, this time last year, we couldn't even offer the controls around adding on or renewing students and instructors. Everything had to be done via manual links! But the innovation here will continue to make it more user friendly, faster, and more useful.

Christmas Opening Hours and a Thank You

Our office will remain open until Tuesday 23 December and will reopen on 2 January.

If we do not have the opportunity to speak with you before then, thank you. This has been our biggest and most ambitious year so far, and it would not be possible without the instructors, clubs, volunteers, parents, students, partners and supporters who believe in the work BMABA CIC is doing.

We wish you a fantastic Christmas and New Year. Enjoy some well earned rest and we look forward to working with you again in 2026.

-- Giovanni and the team.