5 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 there is one question that keeps nagging at you: what happens if something goes wrong and someone sues?
It is a fair question. Youth sports lawsuits are not rare. Injuries happen, and when they do, parents sometimes look for answers, and sometimes those answers involve attorneys. The good news is that 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 been helping youth sports programs prepare for the unexpected since 1973. Here are five things you can do right now to reduce your legal exposure this summer.
1. Carry the right insurance coverage
This is the most important step. General liability insurance protects your camp against claims for bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury. Excess accident medical coverage helps pay for a participant’s medical bills when they are hurt during a covered activity. Together, these two coverages form the foundation of your protection.
If your camp works with minors, and it almost certainly does, you should also carry sexual abuse and molestation coverage. This protects your organization in the event of allegations or claims.
2. Use written waivers and registration forms
Every participant should have a signed waiver and registration form on file before they step onto the field. These documents set expectations, disclose risks, and create a record that the parent or guardian acknowledged those risks.
A waiver is not a guarantee that you will never be sued. But it is a meaningful layer of protection that demonstrates your organization took reasonable steps to inform families.
3. Run background checks on all staff and volunteers
If someone is going to be supervising children at your camp, you need to know who they are. Background checks are a basic safeguard that every youth sports program should require. This includes coaches, assistant coaches, referees, and any volunteer who will have direct contact with campers.
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.
4. Create and enforce safety protocols
Written safety protocols are your playbook for handling emergencies. This includes heat safety plans, severe weather procedures, injury response steps, and communication plans for reaching parents in an emergency.
Train your staff on every protocol before camp starts. Revisit them halfway through the season. The programs that take safety seriously are the ones that handle emergencies well, and they are also the ones that are harder to sue.
5. Keep detailed records of everything
Documentation is your best friend if a claim ever arises. Keep records of incident reports, attendance, signed waivers, staff training logs, background check results, and any communication with parents about injuries or concerns.
If a lawsuit is filed two years after an incident, you want to be able to pull a complete file, not scramble to remember what happened.
What this looks like in practice
Imagine you are running a summer basketball camp for 80 kids. On the second day, a 10-year-old rolls her ankle during a layup drill. Her father takes her to the doctor and later contacts you asking about medical costs. Because you have excess accident medical coverage, you file a claim and the family’s out-of-pocket expenses are covered. The father is grateful, and there is no dispute.
Now imagine the same scenario without insurance. The father pays $2,000 out of pocket and starts asking questions about your camp’s safety protocols. That conversation can escalate quickly.
As Michael Lanahan, one of our clients, shared, “Bene-Marc President Lisa Hall personally intervened when I had a problem with my recreation department. Without her patience, persistence and diplomatic skills, I would have lost my business.”
At Bene-Marc Youth Sports Insurance, we help camp operators get the coverage they need before the season starts. Our licensed agents have over 150 years of combined experience, and we cover over 75 sports and recreational activities across all 50 states.
Call us at 800-247-1734 or visit bene-marc.com. A real person will answer the phone.
Play hard, rest easy, knowing you are covered.
For abuse prevention training and resources, visit the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
