High School Sports Insurance

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Make sure your high school sports program is set up to win

Sports are an essential part of the high school experience. However, they also come with a myriad of risks for both students and administrators, including injuries, professional liability and accidents during tournaments or post-season play. As a result, school districts, individual high schools, athletic organizations and provincial governing bodies across the country have unique insurance requirements.

Our sports insurance specialists can help address the risks associated with athletic programs, athletes and teams, coaches, officials, events, camps and clinics. We can also help develop a comprehensive health, wellness and retirement benefits package so that you can find — and keep — the professionals you need to make your high school sports programs a success.

Whether you need a risk management strategy, tailored insurance coverage for participants and volunteers or benefits for your employees, we can help.

Cultivate the best team — on and off the field

Running a high school athletic program and building teams of young athletes requires dedicated teachers, coaches and support staff — and, in a constantly-evolving education sector with changing needs and challenges, you need to ensure that you are offering an attractive benefit and compensation mix to recruit and retain the best people for the job. Our employee benefits specialists can help you develop a health and retirement strategy that focuses on the unique needs of your employees.

Protect your high school sports program with cost-effective risk management and insurance solutions

We understand the unique risks that high school sports programs encounter. Our risk management approach and tailored insurance for student athletics, high schools, teams, events, officials, coaches, camps/clinics and more allow us to provide unmatched coverage and best practices for policy development and administration while controlling costs at all levels.

More detail

High school athletics can present a range of risks for both students and schools. Some of the key risks include:

Injury: Athletes are at risk of physical injury during training and competition. Schools need to ensure that they have adequate medical and training facilities, as well as well-trained personnel, to help reduce the risk of injury. Whatever the injury, young athletes returning to sport participation should follow recovery steps that include rest and symptom-limiting activities. High school administrators, teachers and coaches must also be aware of best practices and safety protocols when re-engaging an injured student in sports-related activities. Our team of sports industry specialists can guide your high school on the resources you need to develop a safe return-to-play program.

Concussions: Football and other contact sports carry a risk of concussion, which can have serious long-term effects on an athlete's health. According to a study of school-aged children, about 1 in 10 Canadian youth report that they were diagnosed with a concussion over a 12-month period, with most of these concussions (59.1%) occurring while participating in sports¹. Schools need to have concussion management protocols in place to help reduce the risk of concussion and protect athletes. We understand today’s inherent risk of concussions in sports and can provide your high school with practical tools and materials related to concussion awareness, protocols and recovery.

Sexual abuse and harassment: There is a risk of sexual abuse and harassment in any sport, particularly when athletes are under the supervision of coaches or other personnel. Schools need to have policies and procedures in place to prevent and address sexual abuse and harassment in their athletic programs. By working with leading child protection experts, we have developed best practices and protocols that your staff can use to identify, prevent and manage claims of abuse, molestation and exploitation. In addition, our strategies for employee and volunteer recruitment, screening, training, supervision, internal reporting and crisis management can help you avoid and reduce risks to your students, reputation and finances. We can also advise on tailored insurance coverage to protect your high school.

Travel: Athletic trips, either within Canada or beyond our borders, present additional risks associated with injuries and transportation. Policies and procedures addressing these risks is essential and ensuring athletes have adequate travel and accident insurance protects the students’ families from exposure to large medical bills in Canada and abroad.

Liability: Schools can be held liable for accidents or injuries that occur during athletic events. It is important for schools to have liability insurance in place to help protect them against the cost of defending against a lawsuit and paying damages in the event of a liability claim.

Volunteers: Many schools rely on volunteers to help manage and coach their sports teams, transport students and run tournaments or other events. Therefore, it is critical for student safety and security that all adults working under your school's umbrella have been screened. We can advise you on online, local and national businesses that run background checks and help you develop waiver language for volunteers that protects your school from liability.

¹The health of Canadian youth: Findings from the health behaviour in school-aged children study, Government of Canada, 2018.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)

AD&D insurance usually covers high school athletes for accidental injury or death that occurs while participating in practices, events or travel related to sports. The specific coverage details and benefits of AD&D insurance for athletes will vary by policy. Typical coverage includes:

Permanent or total disability
Accidental death
Accident medical coverage – for expenses not covered by public health care
Loss of speech or hearing
Loss of limbs or eyesight
Coma
Paralysis

In the event of a serious accident, AD&D insurance can help athletes and their families mitigate the financial impact of a tragic event. While it can provide a safety net, it is crucial to carefully review the details of a policy before making a purchase to understand the coverage and its limits.

High schools should consider purchasing AD&D insurance for an extra layer of protection to assist their students and members with the financial burden that comes with accidental death or serious injury. It can also be customized to meet the specific risks of the school, which means coverage can be extended to any class of individual named by the school, including volunteers.

Camp and Clinic Programs

Whatever the sport, we understand the risks involved while running a camp or clinic. Our programs are designed with the individual coach and instructor in mind, offering the most comprehensive coverage in the market. In addition, our camp and clinic programs include general liability and participant legal liability, which protect the policyholder from costly lawsuits and accident medical insurance and ensure coverage for young athletes when injuries occur.

Programs are available for any of these activities:

Athletic day camps
Commuter and overnight camps
Non-school sponsored sports and activities
Teaching clinics
Supervised off-season workouts
All-Star games
Leagues and teams

General and Excess Liability

The primary purpose of general liability coverage is to protect the school against lawsuits alleging that the school and/or its members have been negligent, resulting in bodily injury.

Sexual Abuse & Molestation Liability

For schools and other organizations that operate athletic programs, abuse insurance policies can provide coverage against claims related to sexual abuse or molestation of athletes by coaches, trainers or other personnel. This insurance can help to mitigate the financial risk associated with such claims, including the cost of defending against a lawsuit, judgments and settlements.

At HUB we can facilitate introductions to third-party firms who can help organizations in their goal to provide a safe and supportive environment for athletes and help them mitigate the risks of harm.

Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability

D&O insurance provides financial protection for the individuals who lead and manage a high school athletic program, including the board of directors, administrators and coaches. The purpose of D&O insurance is to protect these individuals against claims that arise because of their actions or decisions as leaders of the high school athletic program. For example, if a coach or administrator is sued for breach of contract or discrimination, D&O insurance can provide financial protection to help cover the costs of defending against the lawsuit and any damages that may be awarded.

Athletic Trainer Liability Insurance

As an athletic trainer, you work extremely hard to care for your student-athletes and teams. However, protecting your interests while performing your duties is vital, and insurance can play a crucial role. Our comprehensive professional liability insurance helps protect athletic trainers and other fitness and rehabilitation professionals. It is tailored to your needs and follows you wherever you practice so that you can focus on your athletes while we protect your assets, license and reputation.

Specialty Insurance Coverage

High schools have unique needs and often require additional insurance. Our vast network of specialists can suggest the right insurance products to cover a variety of risks, including:

Cyber Liability
Crime Insurance
Errors and Omissions Liability
Media Liability
Professional Medical Liability
Staff or Participant Travel Accident
Volunteer Accident Medical
Transportation
Tournament and Post-Season Insurance
Volunteers
Referees and Officials

Transportation

High schools have a non-owned auto exposure every time someone drives on their behalf – and with cars or vans full of students, the transportation risks can be catastrophic. Our team can help ensure you're covered for transportation activities, including taking students to athletic events, business use of employees' vehicles or parent drivers. We can also help promote vehicle safety through organizational auto use policies, driver training, telematics and guidelines for fleet maintenance.

Learn more about our high school sports insurance

Every high school and their governing bodies must consider multiple risks when developing an athletic program. Working with specialists who understand and can help mitigate those risks is critical to your success.

Contact a HUB Broker to Get Started

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