Every week your academy brings children, parents, coaches and equipment together on pitches, in halls and at venues you don't own. Most sessions go exactly to plan. But a twisted ankle, a ball through a window or a claim that a drill was unsafe can happen to any academy, however careful. Insurance is what stops one bad day from ending your business.

Some cover is a legal requirement. Some is not required by law but is asked for by almost every venue, school and council you will work with. This guide explains which is which, who is responsible for it, and when to put it in place.

Important: This article is general guidance, not legal or financial advice. Speak to an insurance broker or your sport's governing body about the cover that fits your activities.

Who is responsible

Your academy is. The business that runs the sessions, takes the bookings and employs or engages the coaches is the one that needs to be insured for what it does. AcademyApp is the software you run your academy with; it does not insure your activities.

If you work with self-employed coaches, check your agreements with them. Many venues and schools expect every coach to be covered, either under your policy or under their own.

Cover the law requires

Employers' liability insurance

If your academy employs anyone — paid coaches, assistants, office help — you must, by law, have employers' liability insurance (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969). It covers claims from employees who are injured or become ill because of their work for you.

The minimum cover required by law is £5 million, and most policies offer more.
The insurer must be authorised.
You must make the certificate available to your employees (displaying it or giving electronic access).
You can be fined for every day you are not properly insured.

There are narrow exceptions, for example a business whose only employees are close family members (unless it is a limited company), or a limited company with a single employee who owns half or more of it. Volunteers and self-employed coaches may count as employees for this purpose depending on how they work for you, so ask your insurer.

Cover you will almost always be asked for

Public liability insurance

Public liability insurance covers claims from participants, parents, spectators and the public for injury, or for damage to their property, caused by your activities. It is not a legal requirement, but in practice:

venues, leisure centres, schools and councils ask for proof of it before letting you use their space;
governing bodies and partners often require it;
a single injury claim without it can cost far more than your academy earns.

Ask for a policy that clearly covers coaching children and the sports and settings you run (indoor, outdoor, camps, trips).

Other cover worth considering

Professional indemnity: claims that your coaching advice or instruction was negligent. Some sports policies include it.
Personal accident: pays out to participants or coaches who are injured, whether or not anyone is at fault.
Abuse cover: check that your liability policy covers allegations of abuse. Many policies for organisations working with children include it; some exclude it.
Equipment and property: your kit, goals, bibs and anything you store at a venue.
Events and camps: holiday camps, tournaments and travel may need cover beyond your weekly sessions.

If you or your coaches are members of a governing body, membership sometimes includes insurance. Check carefully whether it covers your academy as a business, or only individuals coaching in a club setting.

When to put it in place

Before your first session. Venues will usually ask for your certificate when you book.
Every year at renewal. Keep your certificates current and to hand.
Whenever you change what you do: a new sport, a new venue, holiday camps, travel, more coaches or bigger groups. Tell your insurer and check you are still covered.

Keep a copy of your certificates where you can send them quickly: venues and schools often ask at short notice.

How AcademyApp helps

Insurance is arranged by you, for your academy, with an insurer or broker. AcademyApp makes sure it isn't forgotten while you set everything else up.

It's on your checklist from day one. When you first sign in, AcademyApp asks you to confirm you understand your academy is responsible for its insurance. You can mark it as understood or choose "Review later" and come back to it.
Your business details are in one place. Your legal name, address and company details live in AcademyApp's Business information settings, ready for an insurer's questions.
Your coaches are organised. Every coach is invited to your academy with their own account, so you always know who is coaching which sessions when an insurer or venue asks.

Insurance is one of those things you hope never to use. Get employers' liability in place if you employ anyone, take public liability before your first booking, and review both whenever your academy grows. Then you can get on with coaching.

If you are still running your academy from spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups, creating an AcademyApp account puts your bookings, coaches and set-up checklist in one place from the start.