Safer Clubs.

Duty of care, liability and personal accident cover: what clubs need to know

Duty of care is one of the most important responsibilities any club has. It is about taking reasonable steps to help protect players, coaches, volunteers, officials and spectators from foreseeable harm.

In practice, duty of care is not just a policy or a statement in a handbook. It shows up in everyday decisions — checking pitches and equipment, providing appropriate supervision, making sensible calls on weather and playing conditions, and putting player welfare at the centre of club activity.

For clubs, this matters not only from a people perspective, but from an insurance perspective too.

Duty of care starts with everyday decisions

A strong duty of care culture is built through practical actions such as:

• checking facilities, equipment and playing surfaces before use
• ensuring players are coached and supervised appropriately
• keeping safeguarding and welfare procedures up to date
• planning properly for training, fixtures, travel and club events
• recording incidents and responding to concerns in a timely way

These steps help clubs create a safer environment. They also help demonstrate that the club has acted reasonably if something later goes wrong.

Where liability can arise

Football will always involve an element of risk, and not every injury or incident means a club has done something wrong. But clubs can face legal liability where injury or damage is alleged to have resulted from negligence or a failure in duty of care. Claims can be brought by injured players, spectators, volunteers/employees, or third parties affected by club activities.

That could include allegations linked to:

• unsafe playing environments
• poor supervision
• defective or unsuitable equipment
• wrongful acts by committee members or officials
• negligent coaching advice or instruction

Under the National Game Insurance Scheme (NGIS), legal liability cover may help protect clubs and teams if they are held at fault for bodily injury to third parties or damage to third-party property, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

Depending on the policy wording, this liability protection may include public and products liability, employers’ liability, officers’ and committee liability, professional indemnity, and crisis containment.

Different liability covers can respond to different duty of care allegations:

Why personal accident insurance matters too

Liability cover is only one part of the picture.

Not every injury happens because someone has been negligent. A player may suffer a serious injury during a properly organised training session or match, even where the club has taken reasonable precautions.

That is where personal accident insurance has a different role.

NGIS team personal accident insurance may help offset some of the financial impact of an accidental injury sustained during covered club activities, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions. It is important to note that weekly benefits under a personal accident policy are not intended to fully replace lost earnings if an injury prevents someone from returning to work. Where full income replacement is required, individuals should consider an income protection policy.

Crucially, this is non-negligence cover. That means a claim does not depend on proving the club or another person was at fault.

Liability insurance and personal accident insurance: the difference

• Liability insurance may help protect the club where it is alleged to have caused injury or damage through fault or negligence.
• Personal accident insurance may provide support following an accidental injury during covered activities, even where nobody is to blame.

Both have value, but they do different jobs.

Liability cover helps protect the club when its duty of care is challenged. Personal accident cover helps provide support when accidents happen as part of the game.

A practical message for clubs

Clubs should continue to focus first on prevention: safer environments, better supervision, good governance, appropriate coaching and clear welfare processes. Insurance is not a substitute for those responsibilities.

But clubs should also recognise that good risk management and suitable insurance work best together. Even well-run clubs can face allegations of fault, and even well-managed football activity can lead to injuries where nobody is to blame.

• Review your club routines around facilities, equipment, supervision and incident response.
• Make sure committee members understand where governance decisions can create personal or club exposures.
• Check what liability protection is available through your County FA affiliation under the NGIS.
• Review whether your teams have the appropriate level of NGIS personal accident cover for their playing level and county requirements.
• Know where your policy documents and claims guidance are stored and who to contact