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The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu UK Council

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu UK Council (BJJ UKC) was set up to govern the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the UK.  The principle purpose of the BJJ UKC is to raise the regulation, governance and credibility of BJJ in the UK.

In 2015, the BJJ UKC signed an affiliation agreement with the British Judo Association, the National Governing Body for Judo in the UK. The affiliation demonstrated the commitment of both organisations to the development of BJJ and Judo in the UK.

The affiliation agreement means that the BJA can use the many years of experience it has as a National Governing Body (recognised and supported by Sport England) to provide guidance and advise to the BJJ UKC on areas such as coaching and Academy/Club development.

The agreement means that the BJJ UKC will comply with the rules and ethics of good governance, and administration that Sport England would expect of any independent, nationally recognised Governing Body.

Chairman of the BJJ UKC Ray Stevens (BJJ Black Belt, Judo 6^th Dan and Olympic silver medallist) speaking on the affiliation agreement, said:

“This is something I have wanted to do for a number of years, I very much see Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo as cousins in the world of combat sport.  Both BJJ and Judo can learn from one another by sharing our expertise and knowledge and as such there is a great deal of mutual benefit to be had from the affiliation. With my background in BJJ and Judo I see myself as bridging a gap between the two arts.  I want to bring greater regulation and credibility to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through our affiliation with British Judo.”

The affiliation agreement between the British Judo Association and the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu UK Council was signed by Andrew Scoular (British Judo Chief Executive), Ray Stevens (BJJ UKC Chairman) and Ed Semple (BJJ UKC Board Member) on Wednesday 7 January 2015.

British Judo Chairman, Kerrith Brown, speaking on the affiliation agreement, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu UK Council to the British Judo family. This new affiliation will be important for the development of both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo across the UK. Both sports offer a great training and competing experience and we’re pleased that this affiliation will broaden our ability to cater for different needs. We’re aiming to become a high performing governing body and we’re pleased to be able to share our governance experience and expertise with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu UK Council.”