This page is designed to explain the Public Liability insurance and the Personal Accident and Injury insurance that the British Softball Federation provides for its member teams. Starting from 2 April 2024, both types of insurance will be mandatory for all affiliated teams and will be included in the annual affiliation fee that teams pay.

BSF insurance cover runs each year from 2 April through 1 April of the following year.
 

Public Liability Insurance

The Limit of Indemnity on the BSF’s Public Liability insurance is £10,000,000. Each claim is subject to an excess of £250, to be paid by the claimant – i.e., the BSF member team making the claim -- with some exceptions under Criminal Damage and Pollution.  This excess may be subject to yearly change with policy renewal.

The BSF’s Public Liability insurance covers affiliated members should something happen to a member of the public or if property damage occurs, such as a home run smashing a window or denting a car – or the kind of thing we hope never happens: the little old lady crossing the outfield and getting hurt.

Those people insured while engaged in BSF-approved activities are: the members of the British Softball Federation Executive Board, members of affiliated teams, employees, volunteers, accredited coaches, and BASU or league-qualified umpires.

Each team that affiliates to the BSF is automatically covered under this Public Liability policy, and should a team or league wish to hire venues, indoor or outdoor, they may be required to provide a copy of the BSF’s Public Liability Insurance Certificate before the hire will be confirmed. This can be obtained by contacting the BSF on info@britishsoftball.org.

The BSF understands that some players may play for multiple teams and these players may wonder why they need to pay affiliation fees to each of their teams. The reason is that the BSF team affiliation fee does not only cover insurance, which is a very small part of the fee, but also provides membership of the National Governing Body that regulates, organises, promotes and supports softball in the UK in a variety of ways, including the management of safeguarding, inclusivity, and anti-doping, and support for national teams.  And the more teams you play for, the more softball competition you will experience.

As BSF affiliation is per team, and the insurers do not currently require ‘named’ players, this allows BSF-affiliated teams to pick up new players for games, because any player that plays for an affiliated team is regarded as a member of the team and is covered by BSF insurance.
 

Personal Accident and Injury Insurance

Starting in 2024, the BSF has also made Personal Accident and Injury insurance mandatory for all affiliated teams. This policy provides cover for injuries sustained while playing in BSF-sanctioned competition.

More information on the cover provided under the BSF’s Public Liability and Personal Accident and Injury insurance can be found here. 

Should you need further information, please contact info@britishsoftball.org.
 

Incident Report Forms and Claims

An Incident Report Form – which must be filled in before a claim can be made -- is available here.