Should you insure your sports club pitches and running tracks too?

The recent news story of East of Scotland league side Dunipace FC facing a bill of up to £300,000 to repair their artificial surface at Westfield Park in Denny, when their football club pitch was set on fire by vandals last week, shows ensuring pitches should not be forgotten.

Sports clubs often ask Mann Broadbent to cover their buildings, equipment, and outdoor items such as floodlights, but they rarely ask us to insure their pitches, running tracks, or playing surfaces because they generally cannot envisage a risk. However, as the recent damage to the pitch at Dunipace FC shows, playing surfaces should be considered as part of a sports club’s insurance programme.

Over our 62 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!

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.