By Ross Patterson
The English Mixed Martial Arts Association held a significant meeting on Sunday. Board and Committee members travelled from all over the country to discuss the progress the association is making in developing the sport of MMA in England.
EMMAA President and Director of Regulatory Affairs for IMMAF, Marc Goddard, opened the meeting and gave an update on key areas EMMAA is working on, as well as the vision for the organisation going forward.
Paul Reed, EMMAA Vice President followed on from Marc, sharing key objectives, structures and roles, as well as an update on the Four Nations tournament which is taking place in July. he said:
“Sunday was a great day for Team EMMAA where the Board and its sub-committees of Performance, Rules and Regs, Coaching and Media met for their annual meeting. With many new faces on the EMMAA sub-committees, it was a great opportunity to come together as a team and share our current activities and our vision going forward.”
IMMAF President, Kerrith Brown was in attendance and was impressed by the momentum and organisation EMMAA has achieved. IMMAF representatives Gosha Malik, Jorden Curran and Alistair Pettitt also offered advice and insight on how EMMAA can flourish in the IMMAF ecosystem.
Marie Spencer and Leon Roberts presented the progress EMMAA is making toward Sport England recognition. There is still work to be done, but mixed martial arts is closer than it has ever been to an official sport in England.
Coaches Paul Kelly and Mark Spencer delivered updates on the Youth, Junior and Senior squads. The teams are full of young athletes keen to take part in IMMAF competitions.
Charlotte is the EMMAA head of Anti-Doping. Since IMMAF gained WADA signatory status this year, it is vital every federation has a robust anti-doping system in accordance with WADA regulations.
The performance board also shared some of their expertise on weight-cutting, concussion and nutrition.
EMMAA recently formed a media team, which was introduced for the first time. Dana Wotton, Joe Leigh and Ross Patterson shared their work so far on engaging and growing the EMMAA audience. Nick Peet and Dan Hardy were also present and offered their expertise.
Paul Reed:
“The experience across all areas of Sport, Brand and Athlete development within the team is exceptional and it marks another great day for EMMAA on its journey to Sport England recognition.”
