Should you insure your sports club pitches and running tracks too?
Sports clubs routinely approach Mann Broadbent to cover their clubhouses, changing facilities, equipment, and floodlights, and other valuable equipment. Yet one of the most important assets often gets overlooked – the playing surface itself. Whether it’s a football pitch, athletics track, cricket square, or an artificial playing surface, many clubs simply do not consider that these areas can be at high risk of damage and cost significant amounts of money to replace or repair. As a result of this, many clubs frequently exclude cover for these playing surfaces as they feel it’s unlikely to happen.
Dunipace FC fell victim to vandals setting their artificial pitch alight during the 2023 season, which resulted in more than £300,000 worth of damage, lost income and other expenses. The club felt confident that their insurance would cover the costs of the damage, but Dunipace FC were forced to create a fundraising page in order to help cover the cost of lost income from the missed fixtures. The club made the smart decision to include their playing surface in their insurance review, meaning they were not left with a £300,000 bill to replace the pitch.
Incidents such as the recent damage caused to the pitch at Dunipace FC highlight why sports surfaces should never be ignored when reviewing insurance arrangements. Repairing or reinstating a damaged playing surface can be extremely expensive, disruptive to fixtures and training schedules, and potentially damaging to a club’s reputation and finances.
What does pitch insurance typically cover for sports clubs?
When purchasing your insurance – such as Clubhouse or Commercial Combined policies – pitches and playing surfaces can be included, providing cover for:
- Flood damage occurs if the premises flood and your playing surface or track is left in a state of disrepair.
- Vandalism occurs when criminals destroy or damage the pitch/playing surface.
- Storm damage, if high winds or severe weather cause damage to your pitch or playing surface.
- Fire if there is an accidental or intentional fire started, destroying your pitch or playing surface.
- Theft if criminals steal parts of your playing surface, leaving damage.
Over our 65 years in the insurance industry, we have seen pitches, playing surfaces and running tracks damaged by joy riders racing cars, travellers setting up camp, extended flooding killing the grass, vandals pouring chemicals on the pitch, and even someone having a BBQ on a golf green!
Does Mann Broadbent sell a pitch insurance-specific product?
Unfortunately, we typically do not provide cover for stand alone pitch or playing surface insurance. Instead, we offer pitch/playing surface cover included in Pavilion or Commercial Combined insurance policies.
However, in some circumstances, we may be able to accommodate your needs depending on the circumstances. Please get in touch if you need your pitch insured, as we can advise on the best process and guide you into acquiring suitable cover.
If you run a sports club and would like advice or assistance regarding insuring pitches, playing surfaces and running insurance, call the Mann Broadbent team on 01905 612336 or email enquiry@mannbroadbent.co.uk.
