Interview: Mark Fricker on Simplifying Club Admin — and Getting Back to What Matters
The GB international and World Masters medallist talks honestly about how Pembee streamlined his bookings, payments, and parent communication — and why he wishes he'd found it years ago.
In this post, I want to spotlight Mark Fricker — a great friend of mine and one of my role models growing up on the mat at Pinewood, under the guidance of our Sensei Don Werner.
Mark was someone we all looked up to: a black belt, GB International and World Masters medallist, with a love of judo that inspired us all. A fine technician, with the ability to teach technique — it was no surprise he turned to coaching. First in schools, then when Don died, he took over as head coach at Pinewood, continuing the legacy of one of the most successful clubs in the country.
But this post isn’t about that.
This is about finding out how Mark has been using Pembee, and getting his honest feedback — how it has helped his own school judo business, and how it might help yours.
For those who don’t know: Pembee is an online platform that handles class bookings, registers, payments, and parent communication. It is now an official sponsor of Koka Kids. Over the next year, Pembee will be supporting Koka Kids in a year-long partnership to help grassroots judo grow.
Long before Pembee partnered with Koka Kids, Mark was already using it to simplify the daily hassle of running Judo School UK - his judo business.
He wishes he had found it years ago:
“Looking back to my time at Pinewood, I wish I had been using Pembee then. Whilst it works perfectly well on a small scale, I think it would be a game changer for a larger club.”
“It simplifies the daily hassle of keeping registers, putting together competition entries, membership subs. These tasks, whilst necessary, were always a distraction from what I considered to be my key responsibility, which was coaching judo.”
So without further ado, here’s Mark’s thoughts on using Pembee, and his advice for any clubs thinking about giving it a go.
Mark Fricker Interview: How Pembee has helped simplify running his dojo
Now that you’re focusing on your school business, can you tell us a bit about what made you decide to try Pembee?
After handing over as head coach of Pinewood — and getting back to first-name terms with my family — I was able to give more time to my school judo business, and decided to start a small club of my own.
Without the backup I had enjoyed at Pinewood, I was keen to find a way of streamlining my admin. Finding Pembee via a personal recommendation was a fantastic jump forward for me, and left me wondering why it had taken me so long.
I started initially using it to set up subscriptions for my judo club. As the classes grew, it became more and more important. It enables me to track membership, and its link to Stripe makes monthly payments direct into my bank account very simple.
How long did it take to get Pembee set up and running?
I am at an age where I might be expected to stand at bus stops moaning about young people, but despite my lack of digital expertise the Pembee platform was simple to set up and very straightforward to use.
Ed was endlessly helpful and patient with me as I set things up, always available to answer my generally dim questions. Their customer service is fantastic.
How do you use Pembee to handle bookings and payments?
After adopting Pembee to set up subscriptions at my club, I’ve now widened it to include my various schools. I email a link to parents at the start of each term, and they are able to see and block-book the sessions for the upcoming term and pay online.
Has it actually reduced the amount of time you spend chasing outstanding fees? Or anything else it's made better/easier?
One key benefit is that I can now see at a glance who has paid — and who hasn’t. It automatically generates reminders to parents, saving me the embarrassment of chasing payment myself. This was something I always found uncomfortable when meeting parents at drop-off.
How did parents react to the online booking method?
Most people — myself included — are very used to buying goods and services online. I have only had positive feedback from parents about this system.
What’s your next step?
My next step will be to start using it for my judo camps, as it will make another chunk of scribbled notes, WhatsApps, and Messenger messages redundant.
Your advice for other judo coaches?
Looking back to my time at Pinewood, I wish I had been using Pembee then. Whilst it works perfectly well on a small scale, I think it would be a game changer for a larger club. I would recommend any coach who has considered simplifying their life give Pembee a try.
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If Mark’s experience resonates, here’s the good news: as part of the Pembee + Koka Kids partnership, every reader of Koka Kids Judo Coaches Newsletter can get a free trial of Pembee. And if you choose to continue, you’ll receive 25% off your first three months. The 25% off is exclusive to Koka Kids readers — only available through the link below.
Start your free trial here: https://www.pembee.app/partners/koka-kids
Thanks Mark! I hope this interview gives coaches an insight into what they might expect from using an online platform like Pembee to deal with admin. I guess the best way to see if it works for you is to give the trial a go. When you sign up, Jack will reach out to arrange a 1:1 setup call - you’ll be running classes on Pembee the same day.
If you have any questions, then I’d be delighted to answer them and if you prefer I can put you in contact directly with Pembee.
Just email me and I’ll handle it personally: nicola@kokakids.co.uk
— Nik
P.S. The 25% off is exclusive to Koka Kids readers - only available through the link above.
Nicola Fairbrother MBE, 8th Dan
- 1992 Olympic Silver Medallist
- 1993 World Champion
- Publisher of Koka Kids children’s judo books