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England Hockey insurance zone

Introduction

Marsh Sport are the appointed insurance broker to England Hockey.

England Hockey continue to provide Membership+ for the 2023/2024 season.

New for 2023/24: We are also pleased to advise that with effect from 01 September 2023 the equipment cover included within Membership+ will increase from £2,000 to £3,000.

This page set out details of the insurances available and some frequently asked questions.

Insurance for England Hockey clubs

Part of Membership + (formerly club affiliation)
slected option

The policy will cover:

  • Areas.
  • Sub Areas (Counties).
  • England Hockey member clubs and their committee members.
  • Club employees, helpers and volunteers.
  • Club Members.
  • Coaches and Umpires while representing their club.
  • ‘Come and try’ participants.
  • Club activities, including training for and the playing of hockey, hockey festivals, tournaments as well as social, fund- raising and administrative activities, subject to appropriate risk assessments.
  • A club member who causes injury, damage or financial loss to a fellow member.
  • A club who borrows, rents or leases a premises for sporting or social purposes and is held liable for damage to the facility.

As part of the England Hockey Membership + you automatically receive the benefit of the Combined Liability insurance and for players, members, helpers, volunteers, and employees. You also receive Personal Accident benefits. To understand what this covers, and to see the main terms and conditions that apply, please make sure you refer to the Evidence of Cover, policy summary and policy wordings which can be found in the downloads section below.

The annual policies run from 1st September 2023 – 31st August 2024 (both days inclusive)

The policies' limits are as follows:

  • Public Liability – £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one Occurrence including costs and expenses and limited in the aggregate in respect of the Products Extension. 
  • Professional Indemnity – £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one Occurrence including costs and expenses and limited in the aggregate. 
  • Directors and Officers – £5,000,000 any one claim.  
  • Employers Liability – £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one Occurrence including costs and expenses.
  • Abuse cover – £2,500,000 each and every claim.
  • Equipment cover – £3,000.
  • Personal Accident – Benefits detailed below.
  • Public Liability £10,000,000
    Public liability insurance provides protection against legal liability for bodily injury to third parties and damage to third party property.
    Products liability insurance provides protection against legal liability to pay compensation including legal costs for death or bodily injury, or damage to third party property arising from products supplied.
  • Professional Indemnity £10,000,000
    Cover to protect an England Hockey member club for claims made against them which allege that a third party has suffered an injury or financial loss caused by negligent acts, errors or omissions during hockey activities.
  • Employers Liability £10,000,000
    Protection against legal liability in respect of claims made for injuries to any volunteer or employee of the member club or area/regional committee.
  • Directors and Officers £5,000,000
    Protection for committee members and club officers against claims arising from their decision or actions whilst managing the organisation.
  • Personal Accident 
    Personal Accident cover provides a set financial payment in the event of an accidental injury, as detailed in the schedule of benefits below.
    Cover is in place for members of clubs with England Hockey Membership +, whilst playing or practising the sport of Hockey, including travelling to and from any such activity. The benefits provided are as follows:
    • Death or Permanent Total disablement £75,000 (Under 16 years £10,000).
    • Loss of limbs/eyes, up to £75,000.
    • Broken bones (arms/legs) £300.
    • Optical Treatment £1,000.
    • Dental Treatment £5,000.
    • Physiotherapy up to £1,000.
    • Temporary total disablement (per week) £300 per week.
    • Concussion £500.
    • Scarring/facial disfigurement £750.
    • Paraplegia £75,000.
    • Quadriplegia £75,000.
    • Coma benefit (per day) £100.
    • Hospitalisation (per day) £50.
    • Reimbursement of membership fees £500.

      Please refer to the Personal Accident Schedule and wording in the downloads section for the full list of benefits

Insurance for associations, counties and areas

Part of Membership + (formerly affiliation)
slected option
  • Member Areas.
  • Member Sub Areas (Counties)
  • Area or Sub Area association activities, including the talent system, training for and the playing of hockey, as well as social, fund raising and administrative activities, all subject to appropriate risk assessments.
  • A player involved in or representing a county representative side, junior academy centre, junior development centre or junior regional performance centre who causes injury
  • An association which borrows, rents or leases a premises for sporting or social purposes and is held liable for damage to the facility.

As part of your Membership + to England Hockey you automatically receive the benefit of the Combined Liability insurance and you also receive Personal Accident benefits. To understand what this covers, and to see the main terms and conditions that apply, please make sure you refer to the Evidence of Cover, policy summary and policy wordings which can be found in the downloads section below.

The annual policies run from 01st September 2023 – 31st August 2024 (both days inclusive)

The policies' limits are as follows:

  • Public Liability – £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one Occurrence including costs and expenses and limited in the aggregate in respect of the Products Extension.
  • Professional Indemnity - £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one. Occurrence including costs and expenses and limited in the aggregate.
  • Directors and Officers – £5,000,000 any one claim.
  • Employers Liability – £10,000,000 any one claim or series of claims arising from one Occurrence including costs and expenses.
  • Abuse cover - £2,500,000 each and every claim.
  • Personal accident - Benefits detailed below.
  • Equipment cover - £3,000.
  • Public/products liability
    Public liability insurance provides protection against legal liability for bodily injury to third parties and damage to third party property.
    Products liability insurance provides protection against legal liability to pay compensation including legal costs for death or bodily injury, or damage to third party property arising from products supplied.
  • Professional indemnity
    Cover for claims made against a member area or county association, which allege that a third party has suffered an injury or financial loss caused by negligent acts, errors or omissions during hockey activities.
  • Employers liability
    Protection against legal liability in respect of claims made for injuries to any volunteer or employee of the  area/regional committee.
  • Directors and officers
    Protection for committee members and officers against claims arising from their decision or actions whilst managing the organisation.
  • Personal accident
    Personal Accident cover provides a set financial payment in the event of an accidental injury, as detailed in the schedule of benefits below.
    Cover is in place for England Hockey members, whilst playing, practising or coaching the sport of Hockey, including travelling to and from any such activity. The benefits provided are as follows:
    • Death or Permanent Total disablement £75,000 (Under 16 years £10,000).
    • Loss of limbs/eyes, up to £75,000.
    • Broken bones (arms/legs) £300.
    • Optical Treatment £1,000.
    • Dental Treatment £5,000.
    • Physiotherapy up to £1,000.
    • Temporary total disablement (per week) £300 per week.
    • Concussion £500.
    • Scarring/facial disfigurement £750.
    • Paraplegia £75,000.
    • Quadriplegia £75,000.
    • Coma benefit (per day) £100.
    • Hospitalisation (per day) £50.
    • Reimbursement of membership fees £500.

      Please refer to the Personal Accident Schedule and wording in the downloads section for the full list of benefits.

Insurance for England Hockey coaches

slected option
  • England Hockey recommends that all coaches, whether you are a lead coach, coach or a helper, to have the required specialist insurance on the role you play to protect yourself.
  • Whereas the Club Membership provide an element of cover for helpers within clubs, England's Hockey Coach membership provides greater cover for coaches and lead coaches who lead the delivery of coaching sessions and programmes independently in any environment.
  • We strongly recommend that coaches take out England Hockey Coaches membership for access to better tools, resources and discounts for their development.
Lead Coach 
  • Definition
    A person who has responsibility for the session / programme over a period of time and is supporting other coaches / helpers 
  • Cover required/included
    • Public Liability £10m 
    • Professional Indemnity £10m 
    • Legal Expenses 
    • Personal Accident 
  • Where to get cover
    Coach membership
Coach 
  • Definition 
    A person who coaches a specific group or team, may sometime coach independently and sometimes under the guidance of the lead coach.
  • Cover required/included
    • Public Liability £10m
    • Professional Indemnity £10m
    • Legal Expenses
    • Personal Accident
  • Where to get cover 
    Coach Membership
Helper 
  • Definition 
    A person who helps deliver some aspects of a coaching session under supervision. This could be a parent, younger leader, etc.
  • Cover required/inlcuded
    • Public Liability £10m
    • Professional Indemnity £10m
  • Where to get cover
    Club Membership, providing the club has Membership Plus

Insurance for England Hockey officials

slected option

As part of your membership to England Hockey Officials Club, if you are a silver or gold member you receive insurance as part of your membership. 

The insurance covers you as an official operating outside your club environment. 

  • Public Liability - Cover for officials if they are found to be legally responsible for causing bodily injury to third party (such as a member of the public or another member) or for damage to a third party’s property. 
  • Professional Indemnity - Cover to protect an official for claims made against them which allege that a third party has suffered an injury or financial loss caused by a negligent acts, errors or omissions during officiating activities. 
  • Public Liability - £5,000,000
  • Professional Indemnity - £5,000,000
  • Public Liability - £10,000,000
  • Professional Indemnity - £10,000,000

Contact us

Please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated England Hockey insurance team. Our working hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. 

General enquiries 

Ellie Doubleday
Client Manager
Mobile: 07385 403 847
Email: eleanor.doubleday@marsh.com

Claims enquiries/notifications 

Jenny Holmes ACII
Claims Manager
Telephone: 0113 394 2287
Email: jenny.holmes@marsh.com

It is important that all incidents that may give rise to a claim, however minor, are reported to Marsh as soon as possible after the event.

Frequently asked questions

England Hockey have combined affiliation with insurance, which means your insurance is automatically included when you affiliate to England Hockey via Membership+. This will run annually from 01 September.

Your insurance will automatically be included when you affiliate to England Hockey by selecting ‘Membership+’. To do so, you can log into your Club Portal and complete the affiliation process as normal.

Cover is included for players, members, umpires, coaches, helpers, volunteers and employees while representing/ acting on behalf of your Hockey club. 

England Hockey have made it a requirement that clubs arrange suitable Liability insurance and Personal Accident insurance to protect themselves and their members against potential exposures. To support this compulsory insurance requirement, England Hockey have sourced a comprehensive and competitively priced option. However, provided clubs can prove they hold the required level of cover prior to affiliation, it is not a requirement to purchase via Marsh Sport.

Liability cover is to protect against potential litigation. Public Liability covers the cost of legal action and compensation for claims made against you or your group or its committee members if a third party is injured or their property suffers damage whilst at your premises. Personal accident insurance is to protect the interests of individual club members should they sustain injury whilst on club duty (playing, volunteering, social or supporting). This is usually provides a set financial payment for injuries such as death, permanent disability, physiotherapy and dental expenses. Please visit the ‘Insurance for Clubs’ page on our Insurance Zone for full details of the cover offered including Employers’ Liability, Abuse cover and Equipment cover at £3,000 which is also included with Membership+.

Under British law you can still be called an ‘employee’ even if you are not paid. Our advice would always be to ensure employers’ liability insurance is in place. To ensure you have adequate protection Employers Liability Insurance is automatically included when you select the Liability Portfolio cover and is automatically included in Membership +

The definition within the Liability policy wording for members is your:

  • current registered members;
  • social members who are engaged in club administrative activities;
  • past members whilst acting on your behalf under your supervision;
  • prospective members whilst participating in your activities under your supervision.

No. Your declaration to England Hockey of annual membership is sufficient.

England Hockey have a centrally purchased scheme for their members and the insurance documentation notes the insured title as ‘All England Hockey Membership Plus; Areas, Sub-Areas (Counties), Clubs, Committees, Members, Volunteers and Helpers’.

Similar to other National Governing Bodies, it is not possible to issue every club with a separate insurance schedule. Therefore, we create a master document and the National Governing Body provides a separate document to confirm their membership. The policy documents will be accessible on the England Hockey insurance zone under ‘Useful Downloads’.

It is important that all incidents that may give rise to a claim, however minor, are reported to Marsh Sport as soon as possible after the event.

England Hockey have a dedicated claims handler who you will need to contact. Please refer to the ‘Making a Claim’ tab on the Insurance Zone.

There is no standard minimum excess applicable to the personal accident cover. Certain specific benefits do however carry an excess of £25.00, being optical, dental and physiotherapy.

The only excess applicable on the Liability section is “Third Party Property Damage” where an excess of £250.00 applies.

Directors & Officers claims, a £250.00 excess applies.

Members are covered whilst playing, practising, coaching and judging in the sport of Hockey, including travelling to and from such activity.

Cover includes all club members, coaches, umpires and volunteers whilst undertaking activities sanctioned by the club.

The Club activities include:

  • including training for and the playing of hockey, organisation of or attendance at hockey festivals** and tournaments as well as social, fund- raising and administrative activities, subject to appropriate risk assessments
  • Clubs entering their members/ players into a Summer League.
  • A club member who causes injury, damage or financial loss to a fellow member

A club which borrows, rents or leases a premises for sporting or social purposes and is held liable for damage to the facility.

**Hockey festivals - please note members attending and representing their club at hockey festivals are insured however if members are not representing their club at the festival or tournament and are attending in their own personal capacity this is not insured under the club insurance policy. 

If your club is involved in activities which are not included above, please contact us to discuss your individual insurance needs.

Although the main operation of the club may be from the club address, insurers do recognise that your club teams and club coaches may and will operate at other venues to undertake the clubs sanctioned Hockey activities, e.g. playing at other venues in the league and Club coaching sessions in a school or other club.

If you purchase the property insurance again it is recognised that there are portable items and therefore the club portable equipment is insured anywhere in the UK. 

No. The policy cover does not extend to include Third Party Users however, we are able to provide a ‘top up’ policy which will include this cover on request. Please contact us for a quotation.

Cover will be included for such situations. The liability cover will extend to include the same scope of cover that currently applies for club activities and will automatically provide cover for “taster sessions” to cater for non-members who want to try out hockey before making a decision to join a hockey club.

The liability section of the insurance does not have a minimum age.

The personal accident insurance has a minimum age of 2 years and a maximum age of 85 years with standard personal accident benefits. 

Over 85s are covered up to the age of 90 years with reduced personal accident benefits as per the policy schedule.

There is no stipulation in the policy wordings for the wearing of protective gear however the insurers will expect you to be following best practice guidance and compulsory requirements provided by England Hockey.

We would refer you to England Hockey for advice and guidance on the use of protective equipment and where it is recommended or compulsory for example Goalkeepers and the use of helmets. 

Some leagues will also make certain equipment such as gum-shields and shin pads compulsory.

If you have selected Membership+ then there is cover for non-members for:-

  1. A non-member will be covered under the liability insurance for up to 3 taster sessions after which they must become a member for insurance to apply. Detailed records of non-members should be retained.
  2. A non-member will be covered under the personal accident insurance for up to 3 taster sessions after which they must become a member for insurance to apply. Detailed records of non-members should be retained.

Yes, as long as all these players are representing your club they will be insured by your club as a member or volunteer.

Umpires are covered through Membership+ while they are acting on behalf of/ representing their club. This includes umpiring at an away game providing they are still representing your club.

However, cover does not extend to include umpiring outside of their club environment (not representing the club), or when asked to umpire on behalf of another club.

England Hockey recommends that all coaches, whether you are a lead coach, coach or a helper, to have the required specialist insurance on the role you play to protect yourself. This Insurance should reflect the activities you undertake as a coach within the guidance of your level of qualification or accreditation.

Whereas the Club Membership provide an element of cover for helpers within clubs, England's Hockey Coach membership provides greater cover for coaches and lead coaches who lead the delivery of coaching sessions and programmes independently in any environment.

It is recommended that no coach except those accredited at UKCC Level 2, EH Sessional Coach or EH Coach or above, should coach independently i.e. unsupervised. A Level 1 coach or coach who has attended a GB Coaching Club workshop or Introduction to Hockey Coaching should continue to provide instruction under the supervision of a Level 2, EH Sessional Coach, EH Coach or above and can organise and supervise game play.

More information on Coach Membership and insurance can be found here.

Whilst it’s not a requirement of EH, however we would recommend insurance to protect you in the event of a claim being brought against you. 

Yes. Please contact Marsh Sport on the contact details on our Insurance zone and we will arrange a ‘top up’ policy.

Yes. Please contact Marsh Sport using the contact details on our Insurance zone and we will arrange a separate quotation for you.

No. England Hockey has a separate Insurance policy in place (including Personal Accident and Travel) which provides insurance cover for any athlete who is training with or has been invited to play with England Hockey.

Cover is provided for all areas, sub areas and their committees, officers, officials, coaches and players, including volunteers. Cover does not extend to sub-section committees or the players representing such sections directly, unless falling under the control of the Executive Committee.

Indemnity is extended to include:

  • County or regional association activities, including single system, training for and the playing of hockey, as well as social, fund- raising and administrative activities, subject to appropriate risk assessments
  • A player involved in or representing a county representative side, junior county hockey, or junior development centre who causes injury, damage or financial loss to a fellow player
  • An association which borrows, rents or leases a premises for sporting or social purposes and is held liable for damage to the facility

If your association is involved in activities which are not included above, please contact us to discuss your individual insurance needs. 

If you have a query about the functions of your Area/Sub Areas please email areas@englandhockey.co.uk or county@englandhockey.co.uk.

In respect of Dental/ Optical Claims: In the event that you suffer loss or damage to teeth, fixed dentures, prescription glasses or contact lenses following accidental bodily injury, the insurers will pay for the cost of necessary dental or optical treatment required within 12 months of the accident up to a maximum of £5,000.