UKTA

What UKTA does

The United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA) is a UK-registered nonprofit martial arts organization founded in 1967 by First Grand Master Rhee Ki Ha, marketed as 'The UK's Original Taekwon-Do Association.' It serves as the national member association of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and a founding member of the British Taekwon-Do Council (BTC, recognized by UK Sport) and the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation (EITF). The organization delivers ITF Taekwon-Do instruction, certification, and competition infrastructure to a network of affiliated schools, instructors, students, and competitive athletes across Great Britain.

UKTA's core offering is a membership-based service portfolio built on the standardized ITF curriculum — 24 patterns (Tul), fundamental movements, sparring, self-defence, power, and flying techniques. The product surface includes annual membership subscriptions (processed via justgo.com), National Seminars and Black Belt Gradings, Instructor Training Programs at multiple Dan levels, National Umpire and Umpire Refresher Courses, International Instructor Courses and International Technical Seminars, regional/national competition events (English, Scottish, London Open, Welsh Open, UK Open, BTC Championships), National Squad training for ITF England/Scotland/Wales, WADA-aligned Anti-Doping Education, and Safeguarding/Child Protection training (DBS/PVG). Delivery is decentralized through an affiliated school network (Find a School locator), with Grand Masters and Masters acting as credentialed technical authorities.

The business model combines recurring membership fees, transactional course/seminar fees (£20 Umpire course, £75–£100 Safeguarding/DBS fees), competition entry fees (via tkdcompetitions.co.uk), and event-based sponsorship/donation flows. Customer segments are split between general-public students seeking fitness and self-defence, instructors seeking internationally recognized progression, and competitive athletes pursuing international selection. The association employs 5 staff and is governed by a four-Grand Master Executive Council; ownership and control rest entirely within the elected leadership lineage rather than external capital.

Name

UKTA

Legal name

United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association

Website

https://ukta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UKTA is a UK nonprofit martial arts association, founded 1967, that delivers ITF Taekwon-Do membership subscriptions, gradings, instructor certification, umpire training, national competitions, and squad selection to affiliated schools, instructors, students, and competitive athletes across Great Britain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Association Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)

Keywords

• Martial arts association
• Taekwon-Do training
• Martial arts certification
• Membership association
• Martial arts competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Crawley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees for students and instructors, managed through an online membership system (justgo.com).
2. Course and Seminar Fees: Fees charged for National Seminars, Black Belt Gradings, Instructor Courses, and Umpire Training Courses.
3. Competition Entry Fees: Entry fees for tournaments including UK Open, Welsh Open, Scottish Open, London Open, and BTC Championships, managed via tkdcompetitions.co.uk.
4. Event Sponsorships and Donations: Charitable donations such as the £1000 donated to MND Association from the 2024 London Open Championships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UKTA operates as a membership-based martial arts association delivering ITF Taekwon-Do training, grading, certification, competitions, and instructor development to students and instructors across the UK. Services are delivered through an affiliated school network and include annual memberships, national seminars, black belt gradings, instructor and umpire training courses, and organized competitive events such as the UK Open, Welsh Open, Scottish Open, London Open, and BTC Championships.

Product overview

The UK Taekwon-Do Association (UKTA) is the UK's Original Taekwon-Do Association, founded in 1967, and operates as a membership-based martial arts organization affiliated with the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). UKTA's service portfolio consists of ITF Taekwon-Do training and certification programs, including membership services with nationally and internationally recognised grades and qualifications; National Seminars and Black Belt Grading events; Instructor Training Programs; National Umpire Courses; International Instructor Courses (IIC) and International Technical Seminars (ITS); UKTA Competition Events including English Championships, Scottish Championships, London Open, Welsh Open, and UK Open; Safeguarding and Child Protection training; Anti-Doping Education aligned with WADA standards; BTC Championships; and National Squad Training for England, Scotland, and Wales. These services are interconnected as a unified system supporting practitioners from beginner through to international competition level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UKTA Membership
• National Seminar and Black Belt Grading
• Instructor Training Program
• National Umpire Course
• Umpire Refresher Course
• International Instructor Course (IIC)
• International Technical Seminar (ITS)
• UKTA Competition Events
• BTC Championships
• National Squad Training
• UKTA Safeguarding and Child Protection
• Anti-Doping Education

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 students trained by single instructor with over 100 achieving Black Belt
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MND AssociationminorOthers · 1 January 2024UKTA donated £1,000 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association from proceeds of the 2024 London Open Taekwon-Do Championships.
• All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation / Europe International Taekwon-Do Federation (EITF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1979UKTA is a founding member of the All Europe Taekwon-Do Federation (now EITF). EITF organizes European competitions and provides regional governance for ITF Taekwon-Do across Europe.
• International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967UKTA is a full member of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. The ITF was founded on 22nd March 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi and has expanded to include practitioners in 128 countries. ITF sets the international standards for Taekwon-Do instruction, grading, and competition.
• British Taekwon-Do Council (BTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKTA is a founding member of the British Taekwon-Do Council, which is recognized by UK Sport as the governing body for non-Olympic Taekwon-Do in the UK.
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKTA works with WADA for anti-doping education and compliance. The ITF introduced anti-doping rules for the Taekwon-Do World Championship in 2023. UKTA provides online courses and resources through the ADEL platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• British Karate Federation (BKF): UK National Governing Body for karate with comparable member-services, grading, and event-based revenue model; competes for the same pool of UK martial arts students and instructor talent.
• England Boxing: The NGB for amateur boxing in England, providing a structural peer for UKTA's governance, safeguarding, and competition operations within the UK combat sports ecosystem recognized by Sport England/UK Sport.
• British Judo Association: UK National Governing Body for judo with similar membership, grading, and competition structure; comparable as a sport-governance peer in terms of how UK Sport recognizes the body and how it operates nationally.

Direct peers

• United States Taekwon-Do Association (USTA): A national ITF TKD association in the US with a similar member-and-instructor-driven model, national events, and grading system; directly comparable in operating model and serves as a useful reference for UKTA's potential scale and program structure.
• Korea Taekwon-Do Association: The historical home country association for ITF Taekwon-Do with comparable governance, grading, and event structures; a reference peer for understanding the international standards UKTA aligns with.
• British Taekwondo: The UK National Governing Body for World Taekwondo (WT/olympic-style) and the direct rival to UKTA in the broader UK Taekwon-Do market; comparable in governance, competition organization, and membership structure but operates a different technical curriculum.
• Tae Kwon-Do Association of Great Britain (TAGB): One of the largest UK TKD associations, directly comparable to UKTA in offering membership, gradings, and competitions, though TAGB operates a different organizational lineage; the two compete for the same pool of UK students and instructors.

Broad incumbents

• International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF): UKTA's parent global federation, founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi; ITF sets international standards, curriculum, and competition rules that UKTA implements domestically, making ITF the broader incumbent whose strategic decisions directly shape UKTA's positioning.
• World Taekwondo (WT): The Olympic-recognized international TKD governing body; not a direct competitor to UKTA's ITF curriculum but defines the broader UK TKD market in which UKTA competes for athletes and recognition.

Others

• British Taekwon-Do Council (BTC): An umbrella council that UKTA co-founded and which is recognized by UK Sport as the governing body for non-Olympic Taekwon-Do in the UK; comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, and operates the BTC Championships that UKTA participates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UKTaekwondoAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/uktataekwondo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukta

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UKTA