Participating in amateur or professional sports means can sometimes expose you to other members of the public – especially those played on public football grounds, schools, parks, leisure centres and roads.
In the event that a passerby or spectator is hurt during a sports match, they may take legal action and demand compensation if they feel that they have been unfairly hurt. For instance, a loose football hits an elderly spectator in the face or a stray cricket ball injuring a passerby.
By having public liability insurance for sport purposes, you are able to protect anyone else around you and this will pay for any damages to the victims. This also includes any damages to public property such as a cricket ball smashing a window or breaking a scoreboard – this cover can pay for any repairs and replacements involved.
Athletes and teams should have a good look through all the cover included in a policy because there are likely to be several things that they will not require. Have a think about the number of training sessions and games you play as this will allow you to match up just the right amount of cover.
A smart way to make a saving is to restrict your hospital choices. If you can use an NHS hospital instead of a private hospital, you can make quite a saving.
One of the most common ways to save money on any insurance policy is to take advantage of paying a higher excess. In the event that you need to claim, the athlete or team will have to pay the ‘excess’ which is a one-off fee and once paid, your insurer can pay you out for any medical bills or damages.
For Example: If you pay a £200 excess per claim and your treatment cost £5,000, you pay only the first £200. The insurance company would pay the rest (£4,800.)
By choosing to pay a higher excess than average, it is like saying that you are willing to fit more of the bill. But you hope that you won’t need to claim in the first place so you must agree to this at the beginning of the insurance term. But as a way of thanking you for agreeing to pay more, your insurer will lower the cost of your insurance significantly. The average excess paid for individuals across all insurance products is around £200 to £300* but you can choose to pay up to a maximum of £3,000.
*https://www.aviva.co.uk/health/health-products/health-insurance/how-health-insurance-excess-works/
Sports Health Insurance, as opposed to Sports Accident Insurance, defines amateurs and professionals as those who receive any fee, donation or benefit-in-kind for participating in their sport during play, coaching, or training whether it’s at a club, county, national or international level.
You may be able to enhance your basic sports coverage with these add-ons:
