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Sports

Athletes, teams, leagues, and other sports organisations rely on Marsh’s consultative approach to implement comprehensive, data-driven insurance and risk management solutions.

There is tremendous value in sports and major sporting events, on multiple levels – they bring people together in a manner unlike any other shared experience. With that significance comes massive revenue and market value potential, as evidenced by the billions of dollars that most of the biggest professional leagues bring in every year.

Much of that revenue was threatened in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down leagues and emptied stadiums and arenas. When sports events eventually returned, stadiums were relatively silent with players competing in front of cardboard cutouts and a soundtrack of crowd noise. The nearly empty stands not only stripped out the energy of the crowds, but also the revenue from ticket sales.

Competing during a global pandemic also required additional health tests, social distancing rules, contact-tracing protocols, and other measures. These increased costs, sometimes forced athletes to miss competitions, and caused several events to be cancelled or postponed. Most estimates measure worldwide losses across sports associations in 2020 at anywhere from $50 billion to $65 billion.

Although these extreme losses were from an outlier worst-case scenario, the pandemic underscored just how much risk is faced each day by those in every facet of the sports industry.

At Marsh, our specialist sports risk advisers take a consultative approach to helping you manage your own risks, understand your changing risk environment, and identify the right mix of risk mitigation and risk transfer strategies. We deliver specialised advice and solutions designed to assist you in responding to your financial and operational risks and people assets and help you obtain cost-effective and secure protection against the increasingly complex, highly competitive, and ever-evolving industry risk environment. 

From changing revenue models to managing climate risk and cybersecurity threats, from safeguarding of young people to enhancing player welfare demands, Marsh’s Sports specialists can help you implement strategies and solutions to protect your physical and people assets, as well as protect your participants and reputation to ensure that sporting activities and operations remain sustainable and resilient.

Valued at $17.8 billion, the sports industry in Australia is a significant sector, with revenue of some sporting bodies comparable to large organisations. The unique risk profile and insurance requirements can vary across different types of sport, and as such, requires tailored approaches and risk management strategies.

Marsh’s Pacific Sports Practice is comprised of the leading minds in the business — experienced professionals committed to serving the sports industry across the Pacific/Australia/New Zealand, who are connected to both Marsh’s local offices as well as our worldwide network. We tap into global insights and trends, combined with local knowledge of risks and liabilities, to craft customised risk management solutions for you or your sports organisation.

 

FAQs

The biggest hazard to the sports industry is the ebb and flow of fan interest — fluctuations one way or the other can have butterfly-effect consequences on the entire industry. This is extremely difficult to predict with any certainty and thus not necessarily easy to mitigate.

That said, contingency planning is somewhat more feasible for many other sports sector risks, including but not limited to:

  • Career-jeopardising injury
  • Personal accident risk
  • Property damage or destruction (i.e., stadiums and practice facilities)
  • Event liability (e.g., injuries to fans or staff)
  • Health and safety risks
  • Fraud and embezzlement
  • Crimes against persons (i.e., kidnapping and ransom, extortion)

Generally speaking, all sports leagues (professional or amateur; youth or adult) should consider the following lines of coverage:

  • General liability insurance
  • Accident insurance
  • Directors and officers coverage
  • Equipment coverage
  • Crime insurance
  • Property and casualty insurance

Beyond those fundamentals, the coverage provisions an individual or organisation should pursue vary. Individual pro athletes, meanwhile, might want specialty coverage for high-value personal possessions or against kidnapping threats.

Other specialty lines worth thinking about include:

  • Event liability (including cancelation and abandonment)
  • Prize indemnity
  • Travel insurance
  • Motor fleet
  • Workers' compensation
  • Career-ending injury coverage

The scope and severity of risks facing sports organisations and professionals of all kinds means proper assessment of and planning for the precise hazards that may arise is of utmost importance.

Marsh brings significant experience to the table in the management of risks for athletes, teams, leagues, and other organisations in sports. We use cutting-edge analytics and outside-the-box thinking to help you determine your key risk priorities and design solutions that account for expected problems, one-in-a-million catastrophes, and everything in between.

Our people

Dean Mumm

Dean Mumm

National Manager - Corporate Sport, Affinity

  • Australia

Marsh Pty Ltd (ABN 86 004 651 512, AFSL 238983) (“Marsh”) arrange this insurance and is not the insurer. The Discretionary Trust Arrangement is issued by the Trustee, JLT Group Services Pty Ltd (ABN 26 004 485 214, AFSL 417964) (“JGS”). JGS is part of the Marsh group of companies. Any advice in relation to the Discretionary Trust Arrangement is provided by JLT Risk Solutions Pty Ltd (ABN 69 009 098 864, AFSL 226827) which is a related entity of Marsh. The cover provided by the Discretionary Trust Arrangement is subject to the Trustee’s discretion and/or the relevant policy terms, conditions and exclusions. This website contains general information, does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs and may not suit your personal circumstances. For full details of the terms, conditions and limitations of the covers and before making any decision about whether to acquire a product, refer to the specific policy wordings and/or Product Disclosure Statements available from JLT Risk Solutions on request. Full information can be found in the JLT Risk Solutions Financial Services Guide.”