Who asks a referee association for what
| Who | What they usually want to see |
|---|---|
| Leagues, sanctioning bodies & field owners | General liability with participant coverage naming the league or facility, abuse and molestation, and accident medical for participants |
| Cities, counties & permits | General liability, auto and workers' compensation at the limits in the permit or contract |
| Grant funders & government contracts | General liability, professional and abuse coverage at stated limits, directors and officers, and a crime bond over any funds held |
Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.
How to check what you already have
- General liability declarations page. Three liability numbers matter: each occurrence, general aggregate and the products–completed operations aggregate. Then the forms list: blanket additional insured, waiver of subrogation and primary and non-contributory wording satisfy every contract; scheduled forms satisfy one.
- Professional liability declarations. Claims-made or occurrence, the retroactive date (it should not have moved), the limit per claim and aggregate, the deductible, and whether defence costs sit inside or outside the limit.
- Directors and officers declarations. Entity coverage, employment practices if packaged, the retention, and the exclusions for prior and pending matters.
- Participant accident. The medical limit per injury, the deductible, whether it pays primary or excess of the family's health plan, and the activities covered.
- Hired and non-owned auto. Look for the symbols 8 and 9 or an endorsement by that name on the auto or general liability policy; without it, staff in their own cars are uninsured on company business.
- Abuse and molestation. A separate limit, not a sublimit of general liability; whether it is occurrence or claims-made; and whether the organisation and the individual are both covered.
- Special events coverage. Whether the annual policy already covers your events or each needs a separate policy, and the additional-insured wording venues ask for.
What usually goes wrong for sports officials and referee associations
- Officials assaulted by spectators with no coverage for their own injuries.
- An association sued for an official's judgment call under a policy with no professional liability.
- Volunteers assumed to be covered by workers' compensation; in most states they are not.
- Coverage for volunteer coaches assumed and never confirmed on the policy.
- A facility agreement that names the owner as additional insured on a form the policy does not carry.
- Every venue wanting its own certificate with different wording, on a deadline.
What underwriters will ask a referee association
- Number of officials assigned per season, which sports and levels, and whether the association trains and certifies its members
- Number of volunteers, background checks and what they do
- Budget, funding sources and whether any government contracts are held
- Ages, number of participants, contact level and travel
- Background checks for coaches and volunteers, and whether waivers are signed
- Attendance, alcohol, amusement devices and whether events are indoors or out
Have the answers in the wallet before the renewal and the quote request fills itself in; CoverMatch sends one application to every eligible carrier and lines the quotes up against what you have.
Renewal timing
Policies for sports officials and referee associations are rated on sales, payroll or values that drift during the year; update them in the wallet when they change and the renewal is quoted on the real numbers. Renewal autopilot starts the comparison sixty days before expiration.