5 Proven Ways to Protect Your Camp from Lawsuits

You have put months of work into planning your summer sports camp. The schedule is set, the coaches are ready, and registrations are coming in. But one question keeps nagging at you. What happens if something goes wrong and someone sues? The smartest move is to protect your camp before that day ever comes.

It is a fair worry. Youth sports lawsuits are not rare. Injuries happen, and when they do, parents sometimes look for answers. Sometimes those answers involve attorneys. However, most lawsuits are preventable, or at least manageable, if you take the right steps before camp starts.

At Bene-Marc Youth Sports Insurance, we have helped youth sports programs prepare for the unexpected since 1973. So here are five ways to protect your camp and reduce your legal exposure this summer.

First, and most important, carry the right coverage. General liability insurance protects your camp against claims for bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury. Excess accident medical coverage helps pay a participant’s medical bills when they get hurt during a covered activity. Together, these two coverages form the foundation of your protection.

Moreover, if your camp works with minors, and it almost certainly does, you should also carry sexual abuse and molestation coverage. It protects your organization if allegations or claims arise. New to coverage? Our guide on how to insure a youth sports team walks through the basics.

Next, collect a signed waiver and registration form before any child steps onto the field. These documents set expectations, disclose risks, and create a record that the parent or guardian acknowledged those risks.

Of course, a waiver does not guarantee you will never face a suit. Still, it is a meaningful layer of protection. It shows your organization took reasonable steps to inform families, which helps protect your camp.

If someone will supervise children at your camp, you need to know who they are. Therefore, make background checks a basic requirement for every youth sports program. That includes coaches, assistant coaches, referees, and any volunteer with direct contact with campers.

For example, the U.S. Center for SafeSport offers training and resources for abuse prevention in youth athletics. Pairing background checks with formal training sends a clear message that your camp takes child safety seriously.

Written safety protocols are your playbook for emergencies. They should cover heat safety plans, severe weather steps, injury response, and how to reach parents fast. When an injury does happen, our guide on what to do when a player gets hurt shows the response in action.

Then train your staff on every protocol before camp starts. Revisit them midseason. After all, strong protocols protect your camp: the programs that take safety seriously handle emergencies well and are the hardest to sue.

Finally, document everything. Good records are your best friend if a claim ever arises. Keep incident reports, attendance, signed waivers, staff training logs, background check results, and any parent communication about injuries or concerns.

For instance, if someone files a lawsuit two years after an incident, you want to pull a complete file, not scramble to remember what happened.