Why do sports coaches need insurance?
A sports coach faces many risks in their business activities. As a sports coach, you work with clients and students who push themselves physically, and they rely on you to increase their performance. Personal goals and competitive nature can take over, and your charges might get injured or injure someone else due to your instructions. That kind of situation could very quickly turn against you.
Your instructions lead to an injury
As a sports coach, you face potential lawsuits brought against you by players, clients, or parents if your instructions lead to an accident.
Accidents during training
During sports, people constantly move about, and sometimes equipment is lying around. Accidents can happen, and you may be asked for compensation if the accident is severe.
Failing duty of care
Maybe you look away or take an urgent phone call; your reputation and bank balance could be on the line if something happens in your absence.
Your comments are taken out of context
During competitive sports, emotions run high, and something you might shout out or say something to a participant that gets misinterpreted.
Public liability insurance for sports coaches
Public liability insurance shields sports coaches from claims of injuries or property damage.
Sports coaches often find themselves in situations with many people around them (e.g., gyms, parks, sports events); this makes it easy for someone to slip and fall without realising who’s responsible for their injuries. Public liability is an inexpensive protection against these types of unfortunate incidents.
What does sports coach public liability insurance cover?
Public liability insurance is valuable when faced with injury claims and compensation demands.
Cover includes:
- accidental injury or death
- accidental property damage
For example:
- A broken windscreen on an expensive car by a rugby ball or a tennis ball in someone’s face causing an eye injury - you could be expected to compensate for the damage.
- Your equipment, lying on the ground or while used by your clients, could cause an injury. If it does, you could be required to pick up the medical expenses.
Sports coach public liability insurance - a case study
A tennis coach was giving a lesson to an elderly couple at a West London sports centre.
When preparing the court, the coach removed two netball poles, but instead of taking them outside, he pushed them to one side.
An accident occurred when, during play, one of the players stepped back and tripped over the pole, sustaining an ankle injury and a light concussion.
The injured player first claimed against the sports centre, but the claim landed with the coach because he was responsible for seeing the court was clear of obstacles.
Luckily for the coach, the sports centre insisted their contract coaches maintain public liability insurance. The coach’s insurer accepted the claim and paid compensation.
The downside for the coach was the policy had £1,500 excess, and the coach had to pay the first £1,500 of the claim.
Professional indemnity insurance for sports coaches
When shopping for sports coaching insurance, coaches often stop at public liability cover and don’t consider situations where their professionalism might be questioned.
Professional indemnity insurance is a critical cover that protects sports coaches from accusations of professional mistakes, negligence or failing duty.
Given the potential exposures sports coaches can face, professional indemnity insurance can be very affordable compared to the possible costs if you need to defend yourself.
What does sports coach professional indemnity insurance cover?
Professional indemnity insurance protects sports coaches from claims or accusations of wrongdoing from their professional advice.
Cover includes:
- Failing your duty of care
- Making a mistake
- Acting negligently
- Giving the wrong advice or recommendation
For example, you may be facing financial demands from a client because:
- You make a mistake while training one of your clients which leads to their injury later on while following your instructions
- You’re accused of negligence or misconduct by your student’s parents
- Your client injures another person while using skills they learned from you
- One of the youths in your care decides to retrieve a lost football by climbing over a fence and gets injured. The parents are asking you to cover the medical bills.
What professional indemnity limit do sports coaches need?
The professional indemnity limit you need will reflect your particular business activities. When choosing a limit, consider several factors: how often you coach, how many people you work with, and possible financial impacts if your coaching advice goes wrong.
Switching your professional indemnity insurance
Typically, in the UK, if you cancel a professional indemnity policy, you can no longer claim against it.
Therefore, if you switch your sports coach insurance provider, be sure your new policy covers your past work; this is called “retroactive cover”.
Should I keep professional indemnity insurance if I retire from sports coaching?
It’s wise to keep your professional indemnity if you’re taking a break or retiring from sports coaching. Claims against professional misconduct can surface months or years after you delivered the work.
Remember: If you cancel your policy, your insurance coverage will end, including coverage for any previous work.
How long you keep your cover in place is up to you. Consider the type of sports coaching you did and the likelihood that a client might bring a claim against you.
Other insurance sports coaches buy
Sports coaches may have additional insurance needs that can vary depending on several factors. These include potential legal disputes, non-payment by clients, equipment damage or loss, tax issues, and managing employees or subcontractors. It is important to carefully consider these factors in determining the appropriate insurance coverage for your sports coaching business.
Commercial legal expenses insurance
Most commercial legal expenses insurance will protect sports coaches against various tax and legal issues you may encounter due to your profession, which are not covered by professional indemnity or public liability.
At Suited, we combined £100,000 of commercial legal expenses insurance with helplines and other tools to better assist sports coaches in dealing with these issues. We call this Business Legal Protect, and it’s part of your subscription.
Business Legal Protect offers qualified advice and assistance with:
- Legal and tax matters concerning your business
- Criminal prosecution
- Compliance & regulation issues
- Help with unpaid invoices (over £200)
For example:
- HMRC investigations into your tax affairs
- You need legal help chasing a client who has not paid a significant invoice.
- You wish to take a business partner or client to court over a breach of contract.
- You required guidance on compliance or regulatory issues for your business.
Sports coaches we insure
Suited offers comprehensive insurance policies that cater to the needs of a wide range of sports coaches, including:
- Cycling coaches
- Fitness coaches
- Football coaches
- Golf coaches
- Rowing coaches
- Rugby coaches
- Running coaches
- Strength and conditioning coaches
- Swim coaches
- Tennis coaches
- and more..
Shopping for sports coaching liability insurance
Whether or not you decide to use Suited sports coaching insurance to protect your business, it’s worth keeping the following in mind:
Cheap sports coaching insurance
When it comes to choosing a sports coach insurance provider, it's not just about the price, but also the quality of the support they offer after the sale. At Suited, we understand this and offer multiple channels for easy communication with our team. We're proud of our quick response time, ensuring our clients are always satisfied with the service we provide.
The reputation of the insurer is important
Insurance needs to be there when you need it most. The payout reputation of an insurer is essential. Suited uses financially sound insurers with an A+ rating.
Many providers charge fees to amend or cancel
Low initial prices often hide additional charges to pay monthly, amend or cancel your policy. At Suited, we charge no extra fees, and you can cancel anytime with no more to pay.
Some policy wordings are restrictive or have a high excess
Some providers will offer attractive prices, but it is at the expense of cover given. Suited professional indemnity and public liability have £0 excess.
