Liability pays when you were at fault. This pays when nobody was.

Accident medical expense

Medical costs arising from an injury sustained while participating, up to a stated limit.

Without it — An injured participant’s only route to payment is to sue you, which is slower and worse for everyone.

Accidental death and dismemberment

A scheduled benefit for catastrophic outcomes, paid without a liability finding.

Without it — A family with no recourse but litigation, against an organization they were part of.

Excess or primary basis

Written to sit behind a participant’s own health coverage, or ahead of it where they have none.

Without it — A participant with a high deductible is effectively uninsured for the injury.

Why do we need it if we already have general liability?

Because they answer different questions. Liability pays when you were legally responsible for the injury, which, for an ordinary sporting collision or a fall in a game, you generally were not. Participant accident pays regardless of fault, which means an injured player gets their medical bills covered without having to allege that your organization did something wrong. Leagues and facilities require it for exactly that reason: it is the coverage that keeps ordinary injuries out of court.

Who counts as a participant?

It is defined by the policy and worth reading. Players are always included; coaches, officials, volunteers, staff and sometimes spectators are each a separate question. A youth league whose volunteers are not named has a gap on the people most likely to be present and least likely to be insured elsewhere.

Is this the same as workers compensation?

No. Workers compensation covers employees injured at work and is compulsory. Participant accident covers people taking part in an activity, who are usually not employees at all: a child in a camp, an amateur player, a volunteer marshal. An organization with paid staff and participants needs both, and they do not substitute for each other.