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A PRACTICAL INSURANCE CHECKLIST FOR UK SPORTS CLUBS
Whether you’re setting up a new club, reviewing insurance at renewal, or buying an existing club, this checklist helps ensure nothing critical is overlooked.
Sports clubs face a wide range of risks - injuries, property damage, volunteer accidents, legal claims and loss of income. Missing or inadequate cover is one of the most common causes of financial stress for community and amateur clubs.
1. Public & Participant Liability Insurance
Liability insurance is the foundation of any sports club insurance programme. It protects the club against claims from third parties and participants who allege injury or property damage due to negligence.
- Public Liability limit adequate for your sport
- Participant injury liability included
- Cover applies to training, matches and events
- Includes visiting teams and officials
- Legal defence costs included
High-risk or contact sports often require higher liability limits and more detailed underwriting. Governing bodies may specify minimum cover levels - these should always be checked.
2. Participant Injury (Personal Accident) Cover
Most sports injuries are not caused by negligence and therefore fall outside liability insurance. Participant Injury cover provides no-fault benefits to injured players.
- Covers slips, trips, falls and impacts
- Applies during training and matches
- Appropriate benefit levels selected
- Includes dental and fracture benefits
- Age limits reviewed for junior teams
This cover is especially important for amateur, volunteer-led clubs where players may be self-employed or reliant on physical work.
3. Employers’ & Volunteer Liability
Many clubs assume Employers’ Liability only applies to paid staff. In reality, volunteers often fall under similar legal duties of care.
- Employers’ Liability in place if staff employed
- Volunteers explicitly included
- Covers coaching, stewarding and bar work
- Committee members protected
- No exclusions for unpaid roles
Failure to arrange correct cover can expose club officers and trustees to personal legal and financial risk.
4. Property, Buildings & Contents
Clubs often significantly under-insure buildings and contents, especially where facilities have been upgraded gradually over time.
- Buildings insured for full rebuild cost
- Contents values reviewed annually
- Bars, kitchens and equipment included
- Theft, fire and flood covered
- Equipment stored off-site declared
If your club is responsible under a lease, buildings insurance is usually mandatory.
5. Business Interruption & Loss of Income
Damage to club facilities can instantly remove bar income, event hire revenue and membership activity.
- Loss of bar and catering income
- Loss of event and pitch hire
- Ongoing fixed costs covered
- Indemnity period adequate
- Linked to property policy correctly
Many clubs only realise the importance of this cover after a serious loss.
The checklist highlighted gaps we didn’t even know existed. It completely changed how we approached renewal.
Club Treasurer, Community Sports ClubFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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How often should a sports club review insurance?
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Is this checklist suitable for all sports?
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Can Insure24 review our current policies?
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Does this replace professional advice?
Related Covers
A sports club insurance checklist works best when it links governance, facilities, participant exposure, and policy selection together. These guides connect planning questions with the most relevant sports-club pages across related cover and guidance pages.