Sports insurance

[scout]

Hi all, young lad is now play soccer at senior age amateur level. How does insurance work or any providers we should be looking at in terms of ever there was a case of a bad injury etc...
Obviously GAA registration, medical is covered under that. I don't believe soccer is.

Anyone shed any light?

Regards

[Baile Brigín 2]

Are you suggesting soccer clubs don't insure their players? Seriously?

[thewobbler]

Are you suggesting soccer clubs don't insure their players? Seriously?

That would be the state of affairs among junior soccer teams in the Newry (Carnbane) League. Some of the more established teams will have some level of club insurance (nothing anywhere close to GAA levels), and some would force players to show private insurance to play for them. But for most, it's a free for all.

[marty34]

How do soccer clubs (Saturday leagues) get support?

Do they have lottos and sponsorship etc?

[delgany]

https://www.insure4sport.co.uk/

£75 for soccer
£158 for Gaelic

Various levels of cover  etc  etc

[thewobbler]

How do soccer clubs (Saturday leagues) get support?

Do they have lottos and sponsorship etc?

Well without insurance, or facility maintenance, to eat up costs, they don't have significant outlays.

One new strip (home or away) per season, £400 - usually sponsored. A bag of balls, maybe £200 a year, often sponsored. League registration fees, about £120 a year, covered from the previous  year's subs surplus. Weekly subs of about a fiver a man pays for referees and allows for a small surplus. Sell a scratch card every week to make another £20.

Obviously these costs increase quickly as they head into intermediate football and above. Insurance. Mileage. Floodlit pitches for training. But at a junior level it's altogether quite the lean financial product (which no doubt helps explain why so many new clubs are formed in Newry, and so many fold).

[bennydorano]

At a higher level - I went to watch Armagh City yesterday, maybe 50 odd people at it (£6 entry), half or more travelled with the away team (Willowbank fc in Irish Cup), Armagh signed 4 or 5 players this Summer. I would say it's a mystery how they're surviving but I assume it's the £25 pm subs paid by the hundreds of underage players (for 7/8 months of the year) keeping the show on the road. I've had a lad there the past few years, insurance never was mentioned, not sure if the monthly subs covered it, presumably it did.

[delgany]

At a higher level - I went to watch Armagh City yesterday, maybe 50 odd people at it (£6 entry), half or more travelled with the away team (Willowbank fc in Irish Cup), Armagh signed 4 or 5 players this Summer. I would say it's a mystery how they're surviving but I assume it's the £25 pm subs paid by the hundreds of underage players (for 7/8 months of the year) keeping the show on the road. I've had a lad there the past few years, insurance never was mentioned, not sure if the monthly subs covered it, presumably it did.

The post game analysis /team talk doing the rounds on social media ...manager not a happy man !

[Baile Brigín 2]

Are you suggesting soccer clubs don't insure their players? Seriously?

That would be the state of affairs among junior soccer teams in the Newry (Carnbane) League. Some of the more established teams will have some level of club insurance (nothing anywhere close to GAA levels), and some would force players to show private insurance to play for them. But for most, it's a free for all.

I don't believe that. 

[Rossfan]

Mr Soccergood man with his blindfold and earplugs.

[bennydorano]

At a higher level - I went to watch Armagh City yesterday, maybe 50 odd people at it (£6 entry), half or more travelled with the away team (Willowbank fc in Irish Cup), Armagh signed 4 or 5 players this Summer. I would say it's a mystery how they're surviving but I assume it's the £25 pm subs paid by the hundreds of underage players (for 7/8 months of the year) keeping the show on the road. I've had a lad there the past few years, insurance never was mentioned, not sure if the monthly subs covered it, presumably it did.

The post game analysis /team talk doing the rounds on social media ...manager not a happy man !

Only seeing the reaction posts there this afternoon, never even knew there was a WhatsApp doing the rounds! I assume Campbell gave the players both barrels- rightly so.

[scout]

Exactly, bar the odd sponsor or 2. A lot of soccer clubs are massively helped with the self-funding from the actual players themselves etc

[marty34]

How do soccer clubs (Saturday leagues) get support?

Do they have lottos and sponsorship etc?

Well without insurance, or facility maintenance, to eat up costs, they don't have significant outlays.

One new strip (home or away) per season, £400 - usually sponsored. A bag of balls, maybe £200 a year, often sponsored. League registration fees, about £120 a year, covered from the previous  year's subs surplus. Weekly subs of about a fiver a man pays for referees and allows for a small surplus. Sell a scratch card every week to make another £20.

Obviously these costs increase quickly as they head into intermediate football and above. Insurance. Mileage. Floodlit pitches for training. But at a junior level it's altogether quite the lean financial product (which no doubt helps explain why so many new clubs are formed in Newry, and so many fold).

Ok, thanks.

[David McKeown]

The club I coach at is the same division as Willowbank. We run a players injury fund where all players contribute and then lads who miss work from an injury can apply to. I don't think we have insurance. In terms of costs we charge all players and have 3 adult teams and 4 youth teams I think. Lots of public funding been secured by the club and it has a very strong community focus.

I know a few teams pay players in our division or the higher divisions and fund it through bars and social clubs as well as sponsors. I'm often surprised how so many teams survive.

We've had a few injuries already as the hot weather has made a lot of pitches hard, weedy and almost unplayable. The season has also started a month ish early to allow for the World Cup.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Mr Soccergood man with his blindfold and earplugs.

It is absolute nonsense to suggest any sports club at any level operates witthout public liability insurance and injury cover. A blatant lie in fact.

It is a requirement for league affiliation and I know for a fact the FAI insist on proof.

Why suggest otherwise? Nobody believes it. What's the point?