September 18, 2019 • Athletic Administration • Coaching

Double Coverage: A coach and trainer’s guide to insuring your camps and clinics

{Sponsored} When high schools or school districts host camps, clinics or tryouts, many (if not all) are covered by the school or district’s designated insurance policies. But when it comes to individual coaches or trainers hosting any of these same events, what types of liabilities could be awaiting them?

Mark Beck, senior vice president of K&K Insurance, a leading provider of coverage for the sports, leisure, recreation, entertainment and motorsports industries since 1952, says despite some of these activities taking place on school grounds, the coaches or trainers can be left liable should an injury to a player or damage to property take place.

“The focus of what we do is coverage for coaches or individuals who are going to operate and manage or supervise teams, leagues and associations that are not

affiliated with schools operationally,” Beck said. “Everything the high school athletic department does is covered by the district — but an individual needs to have their own coverage.”

In hosting any sort of an organizational event, such as a training camps or team and league activities, Beck says the most essential and commonly requested insurance coverage is general liability. But no two insurance coverage plans are the same. For these events, insurance options will usually feature “subcategories,” in which portions of the package are broken down into specific itemizations to ensure full coverage for that coach or trainer’s specific events.

“Not all packages are equal,” said Nick Pentsos, the national sales director for K&K Insurance. “Many misunderstand that as an independent type of campus or coach putting on a camp, there are particular liability subcategories a lot of companies don’t specialize in.”

The difference in referencing a player versus a participant in a claim, for example, is one area coaches can misunderstand their coverages.

“Some coverages may not separate the two,” Pentsos added. “Some coverages may only cover players and not participants. A lot of times, these coaches aren’t aware that there can be a separation between the two.”

One way to ensure that coaches and administrators are properly insured in the case of individual athletic events is to simply have an open conversation with your insurance provider themselves, detailing the specifics of the events that will take place.

By disclosing the details of the event, specialty insurance providers, such as K&K Insurance, can help coaches address specific concerns, coverages and exposures when it comes to the legal liability of participants and players. In the event that an athlete is injured, for example, the right insurance policy would help ensure that medical coverage would be in place to help take care of a certain limit of medical injuries, thus mitigating the possibility of a lawsuit seeking damages.

“When they engage in a conversation with their insurance provider, (coaches) should disclose all that’s happening — meaning all activities,” Beck said. “That way there’s no misunderstanding from the insurance company’s standpoint as to what is occurring.”

Making sure you understand your full coverage options is essential in today’s age of sports and athletics. To learn more, or to get in touch with an experienced insurance provider in the sports industry, visit kandkinsurance.com.