Youth baseball is a fun, educational sport where kids can learn about the importance of physical fitness, teamwork, fair play, and self-esteem. Like any sport, youth baseball has its risks, such as injuries or other liabilities, making youth baseball insurance essential to keep the sport great and safe for everyone.
Why Do You Need Youth Baseball Insurance?
Youth baseball insurance is part of sports insurance. Sports insurance protects athletes and sports teams from financial losses from accidents, injuries, or other liabilities. Injuries and accidents happen frequently in baseball. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, each year, more than 110,000 U.S. players younger than 18 years of age are treated in emergency departments for baseball-related injuries. The most common injuries are being hit by a baseball and bat. Other baseball injuries are overuse and stress to muscles, ligaments, and bones. Injuries such as fractures, sprains, strains, and concussions are common in youth baseball.
Injuries are not the only reason you need youth baseball insurance. Coach or volunteer behavior and actions are liabilities for accusations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and harassment. Youth baseball insurance can cover property and equipment damage.
Who Needs Youth Baseball Insurance?
You may not think you are in a group requiring youth baseball insurance, but if you are involved in sports, insurance is necessary. Amateur and professional teams, schools, and trainers need youth baseball insurance. Sports clubs, sports venues, and general fitness professionals require insurance.
Youth Baseball Insurance Costs
Insurance costs for youth baseball vary by insurance provider and the coverage you buy. Here are some common sports insurance types.
General Liability Insurance
This insurance covers lawsuit claims related to player or spectator bodily injury or property damage due to neglect from the sports organization or team. General liability insurance usually provides the cost of an attorney and covers the costs of potential settlements or jury verdicts.
Accident Insurance
Accident insurance covers player accidents for athletes or participants to pay for medical bills. Without accident insurance, youth baseball organizations could suffer financial damage when accidents occur.
Directors and Officers Liability Insurance
This insurance protects organizations against mismanagement claims resulting in violation of player and staff rights under state, federal, and constitutional law. Examples of liabilities directors’ and officers’ insurance covers are wrongful termination of organizations or league personnel or players, violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination, and failure to follow your organization’s rules.
Crime Insurance
Crime insurance coverage is for lawsuits based on crimes committed, such as taking advantage of trust, stealing, and embezzling.
Other Youth Baseball Insurance Cost Factors
Organizations’ costs vary with size, the level of travel for the team, use of commercial property, and equipment use. Worker’s compensation, commercial property insurance, and commercial auto insurance are liabilities youth baseball may consider. Equipment and sports fee insurance is sometimes necessary.
Questions to Ask About Insurance
When considering youth baseball insurance, you may have uncertainty about insurance. Here are some questions you need to ask a potential insurance company.
Where will you be covered?
You should include insurance for local practice, baseball tryouts, games at home or away, and travel. During travel for games, make sure you are covered in different cities and states.
When are you covered?
Sports coverage is not only for games, practice, etc. You need sports insurance coverage for non-sport activities such as award banquets, team parties, and fundraisers.
Who is covered?
Your insurance policy should protect your sports organization, the venues where your team plays, any players, organization directors, supervisors, coaches, and everyone involved in your organization.
What is covered?
Typical claims coverage includes any injuries, whether to staff, players, audience, and any participant. Property loss and damage, defamation, and abuse are other items you should look for in an insurance policy. Ask if the insurance company provides risk reduction assistance as part of their insurance policies. These risk reduction policies and resources are helpful for you to create safety training and standards for your organization, your staff, players, participants, and audience. Reducing injuries and other problems for your youth baseball organization helps lower insurance costs, giving your organization a stabler financial base.
The financial cost for youth baseball insurance depends on your organizational structure, size, and other factors specific to where you live, how much you travel, and other issues. Regardless of various circumstances, youth baseball insurance is necessary for your peace of mind. Request a quote for baseball team insurance from ESP Specialty
