Personal injury claims have cost GAA €15m over past five years

FAILINGS: The failure of GAA clubs and counties to adopt basic risk management means the highest number of personal injury claims pursued continue to arise from claims that could have been avoided or minimised. Pic: ©INPHO/Tommy Grealy

Personal injury claims taken against the GAA have cost the association €15 million over the past five years.

Ten million of that figure relates to non-GAA activity, with one high-ranking GAA official claiming that “many units” are completely failing to address control over activities and use of property.

Moreover, the failure of GAA clubs and counties to adopt basic risk management means the highest number of personal injury claims pursued continue to arise from claims that could have been avoided or minimised.

Connacht GAA operations manager Adrian Hassett has revealed that the “average slip, trip and fall claim” is costing the GAA €1.2m a year.

“Sadly upon investigation of these incidents, it has been established that many could have been prevented in the first place,” Hassett added.

The provincial operations manager included the payout figures in his report to Monday’s Connacht GAA convention, during which he also spelled out the other significant insurance problem facing GAA units at present.

As GAA clubs continue their move toward community-based organisations by developing walkways that entice more members of the public onto their grounds, this is creating a difficulty in maintaining the current levels of insurance cover.

Hassett has warned that as the number of insurers who can offer cover to the association continues to decrease annually and as the cost of claims continues to rise, the challenge to secure continuation of cover will only get steeper.

“The number and cost of personal injury claims taken against the GAA has cost the association over €15 million in the past five years. When we delve further into these figures, we find that €5m of these claims relate to GAA activity (for example, a claimant sustaining a slip/trip while attending a GAA fixture); while €10m of it relates to non-GAA activity (for example, a claimant playing five-a-side recreational games on a GAA facility suffers an injury and decides to pursue a legal action against the club for damages on the basis that there was divot in the AstroTurf which caused the injury).

“Annual renewal with existing insurers has been very challenging, particularly around the non-GAA activity and the cost of claims associated with this activity, as highlighted above," Hassett noted.

“Members will be aware of the extensive media coverage in relation to insurers who are withdrawing from providing cover in Ireland and to sports, community and leisure activities. Many businesses have ceased operating and community festivals and events have been cancelled due to the unavailability of insurance cover for such events/activities.” While the renewal of cover remains a problem, Hassett has said clubs must do their bit to prevent avoidable claims.

He warned that clubs who cannot demonstrate they took all reasonable precautions to manage activities may be refused indemnity or face a significantly increased claim excess.

It is hoped, however, that the rollout of the Safe Club Programme in 2023 will ensure units have better paperwork in place in the event of an incident arising.

“As we have returned to normal activity post-pandemic, there have been increasing requests to units from outside organisations, groups, and clubs to use their property. If units are permitting such activity, the unit must be requesting a copy of the group’s insurance cover.

“The GAA plays an important role in the communities, but this provision of facilities can only be undertaken in the context of a well-managed and well laid out process, operating to a clear set of standards. Unfortunately, the claims trend highlight that this has not been adhered to in recent years.”