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Our specialist insurance offers expert protection to a wide range of sports clubs and societies.
Whether you oversee a local team or a sports society, you’re accountable for members, volunteers, spectators and the equipment your club depends on. Despite good preparation, unexpected issues can still arise, from injuries and damaged property to missing kit or claims of negligence.
Sports club insurance is designed to protect you when these situations occur. With the right cover behind you, you can focus on running your club confidently, knowing you’re supported if something unexpected happens.
Cover at a glance:
- Public liability cover up to £10m
- Employers’ liability for coaches, staff and volunteers
- Cover for sports equipment, facilities and events
What is sports club insurance?
Accidents happen and, in today’s litigious society, claims against sports clubs are increasingly common. An injury suffered by a member of the public during an event, a volunteer alleging bullying by the committee or an allegation of abuse by a club member could have serious repercussions. Insurance for sports clubs can protect against these scenarios and many more, helping to cover your club if the worst happens.
At Markel Direct, we have over 25 years’ experience insuring many types of sports clubs and societies, including:
- Angling clubs
- Badminton clubs
- Bowling clubs
- Cricket clubs
- Cycling clubs (normal road or designated cycle route use)
- Football clubs
- Netball clubs
- Snooker clubs
- Swimming clubs (under the supervision of a qualified lifeguard)
- Walking groups
- And more
In addition to our specialist sport club insurance cover, we include access to our 24-hour legal advice helpline, providing direct access to solicitors and barristers in your time of need, as well as access to our legal document hub to assist your club with contracts, health and safety policies and more.
Cover starts from £6 a month* and you can buy insurance for sports clubs and societies of various kinds online instantly with our fast and easy quote form. Get a quote now!
Cover starting at
£6 a month
*Price based on a sports club requiring £500,000 of professional indemnity and trustees liability insurance.
Why do I need sports club insurance?
Sports clubs naturally face a higher level of risk, whether that’s a player being hurt during training, damage to essential equipment, or a claim that an incident was caused by poor supervision. Even with strong safety measures in place, unexpected accidents can still happen.
That’s why insurance can be important for sports clubs. Many clubs don’t have the funds to handle compensation claims or repairs if something goes wrong. Insurance cover can provide financial protection, helping safeguard your members, volunteers and the club itself.
Our sports club insurance is built around these needs, offering protection so you can focus on delivering safe, enjoyable sessions without worrying about the what‑ifs.
Example policy documents
If you have an existing policy with us, please sign in to view your policy documents.
Below you will find examples of the documents provided.
What does sports club insurance cover?
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Public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance
To ensure comprehensive protection against claims, we group our public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance together.
Public liability insurance covers the cost of defending your sports if someone is injured, or their property damaged, due to your negligence. Claims covered by public liability insurance are wide ranging but include many of the common personal injuries; examples include if a club member were to be injured during an event due to a failure on the part of the sports club, or if a spectator were to be injured at the fault of the sports club. Public liability insurance covers the legal fees and compensation payments that would be payable. Cover for £5m.
Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ staff or volunteers. It covers against allegations of injury or illness suffered by staff during their employment. If your sports club employs staff on a casual, part time or full time basis, this cover is essential. Cover for £10m.
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Professional indemnity insurance and trustee indemnity insurance
To ensure comprehensive protection against claims, we group our professional indemnity insurance and trustee liability insurance together.
Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of defending your sports club against allegations of professional negligence. If your club provides coaching or training to its members, professional indemnity insurance can protect against claims that may be made against you if the service is sub-standard. It covers the legal fees, as well as any compensation that may be payable. Cover from £250k to £1m.
Trustee indemnity insurance (also known as trustee liability insurance) covers the legal costs and expenses of defending against disqualification as a trustee, investigations or extradition proceedings. If your club, society or association is registered as a charity or has trustees, you should give serious consideration to trustee indemnity insurance. Cover from £250k to £1m.
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Property damage insurance
Property damage insurance covers:
- your buildings
- general contents (including stock)
- computer equipment
- tenant improvements and glass (for which you are responsible) against accidental damage (including theft) while on your group’s premises.
You can also choose to insure your group’s equipment, such as laptops and mobile phones, on a worldwide basis. In addition, you can insure against additional trading expenses following an interruption, for example, a flood that means your group has to operate from other premises.
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Legal representation and employment disputes insurance
Legal representation and employment disputes protects your group against employment disputes, official investigations and other serious matters, including crisis management, identity fraud, official investigations (excluding HMRC), corporate manslaughter, pollution and data protection issues. Cover for £100,000.
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Money and personal assault insurance
Money and personal assault insurance covers loss of money for fixed limits up to a maximum of £250,000 for non-negotiable money such as crossed cheques and £2,500 for negotiable money. In addition, if you, or members of your family, or employees, or members of their family, are injured during a robbery or attempted robbery, we will pay you either £5,000 or £50 per week for 104 weeks - depending on the nature of the injury.
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Cyber and data risks insurance
Cyber and data risks insurance protects your group in the event of a targeted cyber attack. It pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. Cover from £50k to £250k.
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Fidelity insurance
Fidelity insurance protects your group against dishonesty or fraud by volunteers or employees. This could be, for example, if the volunteer who handles your accounts was found to have stolen money from the group’s funds for their own personal benefit. Cover for £50k.
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Occupational personal accident insurance
Occupational personal accident insurance helps your group’s volunteers and employees if they are accidentally injured in the course of your activities. It pays a weekly amount for temporary total disablement, or a lump sum if they suffer loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death. Limits from £100 per week/£25k lump sum to £500/week/£100k lump sum.
How it works
Choose the cover you require
Get a quote you need in minutes
Buy online or contact one of our advisors
How much does sports club insurance cost?
The cost of your sports club insurance will depend on a number of factors including:
- The size of your club
- The number of volunteers and employees you have
- The insurance policies you choose to take out and the level of cover you choose.
At Markel Direct our sports club insurance policies start at £6 a month*. To find out how much you would pay, get a quote using our online quote form now.
*Price based on a sports club requiring £500,000 of professional indemnity and trustees liability insurance.
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Frequently asked questions
These frequently asked questions are designed to help you and include questions relating to policy cover, pricing and ‘technical’ terms.
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Can we get insurance if we’re not a registered club?
Yes – you don’t need to be a registered charity to get cover for your group. Many of our clients are small charities or community organisations that are new or are too small to be a registered charity.
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Do sports clubs need insurance?
While it’s not a legal requirement for sports club to have insurance, it’s a worthwhile consideration to ensure you have the appropriate level of cover in place. It can act as a safety net, in case a potential claim was made against you. A volunteer could trip and hurt themselves while on club facilities, a member of the public might be injured while spectating at a match, or you could be faced with financial strain as your sports equipment has been stolen you’re your clubhouse, requiring sports club equipment insurance.
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Does the policy cover volunteers?
Yes - the employers' liability and public liability section of the policy provides cover for your volunteers. As long as you purchase this section of cover from us, your volunteers will be covered.
To find out more on insurance for volunteers, read our article here.
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Does the insurance cover events?
Yes - the public liability section of the policy provides cover for charity events (such as fundraising) for up to 500 attendees.
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We don't have a regular meeting place - can you insure us?
Yes. We cover hundreds of small charities, community groups and clubs that don't have a regular meeting place and instead rotate between different venues, such as members' homes, village halls and community centres.
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Why should I insure with Markel?
Established over 25 years ago, we've gained an expert understanding of the risks facing small charities and community groups, and our policies are specially designed to protect you.
We actively support the third sector. Since 2008, we have donated more than £150,000 to our supported charity, Carers Trust, and have supported numerous charity awards including the Third Sector Excellence Awards and Britain's Best Volunteer in partnership with Small Charities Coalition.
We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of $2.4bn in 2023. Still not sure? Call us on 0800 640 6604 - one of our insurance experts will be more than happy to answer any questions you have and talk you through the insurance we offer so you can choose the right cover for your charity or group. Alternatively, get a quote now and call us later if anything needs clarifying.
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How are Markel Direct regulated?
Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.
We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023
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