Can someone advise as to how best to limit the costs incurred by a Club when covering a player`s injury cost when it exceeds the €4,500 GAA insurance limit as it now regularly does for most operations, e.g. cruciate etc. Is it possible for a club to insure against the excess?

goodscore (Wexford) - Posts: 7 - 02/01/2014 08:30:39    1526765

In Tyrone its common for clubs to advise players to have personal insurance to try combat this. A cruciate injury can cost upto £10k to repair especially if more than one operation is required. By doing this, the responsibility is transferred to the players and if they don't take out insurance they run the risk that any claim in excess of £4,500 will not be funded by the club. I know other clubs have player injury funds to help support players just depends on the size and incomes of the individual clubs.

Tyrone Gaa (None) - Posts: 403 - 02/01/2014 11:29:04    1526790

Insurance companies usually visit our clubs pretty much from the first or second week of training for this kind of thing.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 02/01/2014 14:13:28    1526836

Our Club this year suffered a fourfold increase in players injuries and two of them exceeded the 4500 Euro Cap. A lot of hard lessons have been learned. Firstly until this year the cap was not clearly understood. Secondly trying to meet the needs of players put a severe strain on the Club's cash flow, so much so, that at one time if another injury had happened no further help could have been offered. This situation is clearly unfair to players who every time they play for the club are putting their livelihoods at risk, especially the self employed and those outside the public Service or Large Private concerns.
Having researched the experience of the club over 7 or eight years there were only three or four occasions when the cap was exceeded. The current limit is fit for purpose for the majority of cases so increasing fees not the pressing issue.
Therefore there are two distinct scenarios that require attention and they are:

(1) Fundraising by or on behalf of players to create a specific fund of at least 15k [for average club](new monies)that would meet in a timely manner the medical needs of injured players. This should be sufficient to meet needs for if the committee members handling claims are efficient and the players co-operate fully in providing documentation in a timely fashion CLAIMS CAN BE TURNED AROUND WITHIN A MONTH. Fact. {With regard to players having their own insurance this can only apply to the few and will result in some players being covered whilst others will have to take the risk. This clearly has implications for the Club. Another possibility is that more players will judge the costs to be too high and the risk to themselves and families too great and decide to quit the game we all love}. Players and Club relatively well protected if a specific fund created and ring fenced.

(2) For those few cases that exceed the limit there is a need for some sort of bespoke insurance arrangement. If a policy with a 4500 Euro excess could be organised for all players of a club or a number of clubs then that risk should be quantifiable and could be attractive to Insurance companies considering the number of clubs in Ireland. Premiums could be cost effective. Our club has raised the possibility of putting in place such a policy with an Insurance Agency. We are currently advised the issue has been put up for discussion but no outcome positive or negative has yet been received.
This would protect the Club and enable it to assist its players in receiving the best care needed following injury.

The above scenario only relates to 'true' players injuries caused either playing official games, challenge games or supervised approved training. If everyone takes the honest approach this situation can be progressed to some extent. Doing nothing is clearly not an option.

The experience within Tyrone this year saw premiums paid amounting to 180k approx. and claims exceeding over 400k. Concerns were expressed as to the validity of such an outcome but regardless this whole issue needs urgent debate and resolution.

Sparrowhawk (Tyrone) - Posts: 107 - 02/01/2014 17:05:06    1526931

Thanks for the response. Our club has had 3 instances in the last 2 years whereby the cost exceeded the insurance and we are currently devising a policy going forward to somehow limit the club`s exposure while also looking after the players to best of the club`s ability. I agree it is a huge issue which needs to be addressed at the highest level of the GAA. As it is the system has become an enormous cash cow to the small few sports clinics nationwide who are charging extortion like prices for medical procedures, knowing too well that to pitch their prices a bit above the insurance level will not sway clubs enough from paying the shortfall.

goodscore (Wexford) - Posts: 7 - 08/01/2014 13:21:04    1528936

Thanks for the response. Our club has had 3 instances in the last 2 years whereby the cost exceeded the insurance and we are currently devising a policy going forward to somehow limit the club`s exposure while also looking after the players to best of the club`s ability. I agree it is a huge issue which needs to be addressed at the highest level of the GAA. As it is the system has become an enormous cash cow to the small few sports clinics nationwide who are charging extortion like prices for medical procedures, knowing too well that to pitch their prices a bit above the insurance level will not sway clubs enough from paying the shortfall.

goodscore (Wexford) - Posts: 7 - 08/01/2014 13:21:18    1528937