Is There Insurance for Sports Clinics?

Running a sports clinic can be a lot of fun, but it comes with its own perils. If you’re running a clinic for youths, it can be especially dangerous, as accidents are bound to happen. Although you and your team take as many precautions as you can to make sure your participants are safe, injuries occur constantly in sports, especially when young athletes are involved. The good news is that you can purchase insurance to cover your sports clinic in case of an accident.

Do I Need Sports Clinic Insurance?

In most places, the only insurance your sports clinic requires is liability insurance. This insurance provides coverage in case of a claim filed against your clinic for bodily injury or property damage. However, it’s crucial to not only be able to pay for liability and medical expenses, but also protect your clinic from the unexpected. Optional but important coverage to consider includes:

• Sexual Abuse and Molestation: Covers your clinic in case of a sexual abuse or molestation claim.
• Excess Accident Insurance: This covers medical expenses for extreme injuries so that no one must pay out of pocket.
• Sports Equipment Insurance: Provides coverage for sports equipment such as tennis rackets.
• TRIA (Certified Acts of Terrorism): Covers losses incurred from an act of terrorism.

When Do I Need Sports Clinic Insurance?

You can either set your sports clinic insurance to kick in the first day the clinic opens, or you can get ahead by making it effective as soon as you start operations to set up. This is entirely dependent on you and your clinic’s needs. But you need to have sports clinics insurance sometime before the clinic begins.

What Does General Liability for Sports Clinics Cover?

Like most general liability coverage, liability policies for sports clinics may cover:

• Bodily injury: This coverage helps cover medical costs when a participant is injured during the sports clinic.
• Legal costs: In case of a lawsuit, liability insurance may provide coverage for legal defense fees.
• Property damage: This provides coverage for if your sports clinic becomes responsible for third-party property damage.

General liability does not, however, cover the conduct of your staff or volunteers. In the sports world, is a rampant problem. As many as 100,000 children may be victims of sexual abuse while participating in youth sports. In most sports-related sexual abuse cases, perpetrators tend to be coaches, teachers or instructors. Although you vet your coaches and instructors as much as you can, it’s important to make sure the children and the sports clinic is safe no matter what. Sexual abuse and molestation insurance can help protect your clinic’s assets in the case of a lawsuit against one of your employees. Depending on how much coverage you purchase, this insurance can extend to volunteers, as well.

Can I Get Insurance for My Specialty Sports Clinic?

There are certain sports that are and aren’t eligible for sports clinic insurance, and the risk of the sport can affect your premiums. Sports that are eligible for sports clinic insurance include:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bowling
• Dance
• Golf
• Fencing
• Racquetball
• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis

Sports that may not be eligible include rock climbing, horse riding, and gymnastics. Speak with your agent about whether your sport is eligible for sports camp insurance. Sports clinics should be a fun time for everyone involved. To keep things running smoothly, make sure every aspect of your clinic is insured so that the participants, employees, and volunteers are safe and happy. Talk to an agent at Bene-Marc, Inc. today at (800) 247-1734 to discuss your sports clinic needs.