Grappling Bros is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo academy founded by Diego Barreto. The business started around eight years ago with a single location in Wollongong and has since grown into a multi-location martial arts brand with gyms across New South Wales and the ACT.

What makes Grappling Bros different is their strong focus on youth development. Diego began training in Brazil as a child and built the academy around the belief that martial arts helps children develop discipline, confidence and strong character both on and off the mats.

While the academy runs programs for adults, the kids’ program is a major focus of the business, supported by a growing team of instructors and a strong community culture across all locations.

Where are you located?

Grappling Bros operates across multiple locations in Australia including:

• Wollongong
• Canberra
• Rydalmere
• Arncliffe
• Penrith
• Plumpton
• Stanmore

The business has grown from a single academy to seven locations, including several franchise gyms, with plans to continue expanding.

Have you used other software before?

Before implementing Clubworx, Grappling Bros relied mainly on direct debit payments and paper membership forms.

Student details and bank information were stored manually on paper, which made it difficult to track members, manage records and stay organised as the gym grew.

What made you look for new member management software?

As the gym grew past around 100 students, the manual system became too difficult to manage.

Paper membership forms had to be stored for years, and payments were being entered manually into the direct debit system. It became clear the business needed a more professional and scalable solution.

The turning point came when Diego’s operations manager Deb noticed he was manually entering bank details from paper forms into his phone.

That moment made it clear the business needed a proper system.

What features or functionality were you looking for?

Grappling Bros needed a system that could:

• Manage memberships and payments automatically
• Store student records digitally
• Track attendance across multiple locations
• Provide visibility over student numbers and revenue
• Automise communications and onboarding
• Support a growing multi-location business

The system also needed to be easy to use and flexible enough to grow with the business.

How does Clubworx meet these needs?

Clubworx gave Grappling Bros full visibility and control over their business operations.

The platform allows the team to manage memberships, track payments, store student profiles and run reports across all locations from one central system.

Clubworx also enables online trial bookings through their website, automated emails for new members and centralised administration for all gyms.

This has made it much easier to scale the business and support new franchise locations.

What is your favourite Clubworx feature?

One of the favourite features is automation.

For example, when a new member joins the gym, Clubworx automatically assigns them a white belt for Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. This saves time and keeps student records consistent.

The reporting tools are also a major benefit, allowing the team to quickly generate customised reports on students, attendance and payments.

How has using Clubworx made your life easier?

Clubworx has significantly reduced manual work and paperwork for the Grappling Bros team.

Membership payments are automated, student records are stored digitally and the operations team can manage all locations from a single system.

This allows instructors to focus on coaching and running classes while the administration is handled centrally.

For Diego and the team, Clubworx has helped streamline operations and made it much easier to grow the business across multiple locations.