A club’s USA Swimming insurance coverage is in effect when all three of the following conditions are met:

1. The club is a member club in good standing of USA Swimming, including paying annual club fee
2. All participants swimming for the club are athlete members of USA Swimming paid for the current membership year
3. All coaches (full time, part time, provisional, junior, etc.) are coach members of USA Swimming in good standing, which includes completion of: current certifications, education, Athlete Protection Training, and background checks as required by USA Swimming with registration fees paid for the current membership year.

If all three of these conditions are met, the USA Swimming club has the benefit of USA Swimming’s General Liability coverage for Covered Activities.

• Workers’ Compensation & Employer’s Liability
• Business Owners’ Package Policy/Club Premises Liability
• Automobile Liability
• Directors & Offices Insurance
• Employment Practices Liability Insurance
• Crime Coverage
• Travel Liability
• Special Activities & Events

The USA Swimming membership insurance program includes Commercial General Liability and Participant Accident/Excess Medical. The policies in the list above are examples of coverages not included in the insurance program, but there may be others a club might need. Member clubs may require these policies and should speak with legal counsel or an insurance broker to determine what is appropriate for their operations. Note that the USA Swimming Commercial General Liability policy for clubs and members is limited to the Covered Activities. If clubs have operations outside of this list, they will need to purchase liability coverage related to those activities (for example: owning a facility, operating non-USA Swimming member athletic practices or competitions, or anything outside the Covered Activities list).

USA Swimming’s insurance coverage is a benefit of membership and both USA Swimming attached and unattached coaches could be covered under USA Swimming’s insurance program if they are participating in a Covered Activity. However, insurance certificates are only issued on behalf of a USA Swimming member clubs, so an unattached coach is not able to be issued an insurance certificate.

The USA Swimming insurance program does not provide coverage for activities such as duathlons,  triathlons, or road cycling. Covered dryland training activities are described as weight training, running, calisthenics, exercise machine training, and any other activity for which an insured has received approval from USA Swimming. The activities also must be conducted under the direct and active supervision of a USA Swimming member coach. Contact RiskManagement@usaswimming.org if you have questions about coverage for dryland training activities. 

USA Swimming requires that Anyone who coaches swimmers at a USA Swimming practice or competition, must have satisfactorily completed safety training, criminal background checks, and all other coaches’ education as required by USA Swimming.  Coaching by any other person who is not a registered coach member, including USA Swimming athlete members, is not permitted with the exception of a non-athlete dryland only coach.

Dryland Coach:

There is an exception to the coaching requirements above for individuals who are only  coaching dryland training activities. Dryland coaches must become a non-athlete member of USA Swimming and complete the required background check and Athlete Protection Training.

This would be an insured activity.  There is an agreement between USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming allowing their members to practice with either organization as long as a USA Swimming member coach is on deck.

This is not an insured activity unless:

1. There is a distinct lane separation between the members and non-members (ex. USA Swimming members are in lanes 1-3 and non- USA Swimming members are in lanes 4-6). One coach cannot supervise both groups at the same time. The USA Swimming athletes would require a USA Swimming member coach directly supervising their practice;
2. An individual(s) is involved in a USA Swimming tryout; or
3. The non-USA Swimming members are US Masters members

The club may become a member, but there is no liability insurance if non-USA Swimming members are allowed to participate in USA Swimming.

USA Swimming’s member insurance program does include a Covered Activity of social events and fundraisers that have received approval from USA Swimming. Please reach out to riskmanagement@usaswimming.org for approval. Generally approved events might include:

• Social Activity: a beginning or end of season celebration pizza party at your facility or a team booth at a local community event to raise awareness and seek new members for your team 
• Fundraiser – team car wash or bake sale

Activities that would not be approved include but are not limited to, whitewater rafting, triathlons, bingo games; activities with slides, diving boards, or bouncy houses. Club coaches and administrators should use common sense when considering a social or fundraising activity.  "Is this an activity that I would consider normal to our swim team operation? Does it present an unusual or unacceptable risk to our swimmers?  To our chaperones?"

First, it is recommended that a club not sign a legal agreement without having an attorney review the document. Among other things, they can help with understanding what the contract terms mean and help with negotiating away from terms that are unfavorable for the club. If the contract requires evidence of insurance, the club can request a certificate of insurance here. If a facility requires to be added as an additional insured to USA Swimming’s insurance, that requirement should be documented in the contract. This does not mean that USA Swimming will be insuring all issues that may arise at the facility but that the facility is an additional insured with regard to a USA Swimming’s party’s negligence. 

Any time an injury occurs at a USA Swimming activity, a Report of Occurrence should be completed as soon as possible after first aid or emergency care is provided.

The Online Report of Occurrence form is available here: www.usaswimming.org/ROO

Report all incidents regardless of severity. Report incidents for USA Swimming members and non-members (for example: meet spectators, siblings at practice). The form should be filled out by a meet director or by club personnel responsible at the time of the incident. The injured party or their guardian should not be asked to complete the report form.

When a Report of Occurrence is submitted for a USA Swimming member or volunteer, our insurance broker will email instructions regarding the claim filing process for USA Swimming’s Participant Accident/Excess Medical coverage. See link to the Insurance Packet at the top of this page for additional information on the Excess Accident/Participant Accident coverage.   

There must be direct supervision for in-water or out of water activities for coverage to be in place.  Direct supervision has been defined as meaning “line of sight” between the supervising coach and the athletes involved in the activities.

Yes, the club has coverage, but the blocks must comply with standards as stated in USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. The club is not covered for alterations performed on blocks for other clubs or facilities.

No.  If a parent or coach uses their car to transport athletes or other club members to/from a practice or meet, the car owner’s auto insurance policy would apply. When a club rents a vehicle for team travel, the insurance of the individual renting the vehicle may apply, but this should be confirmed. The club may opt to purchase insurance through the rental company. USA Swimming has a corporate rental agreement with Enterprise/National through which clubs can rent vehicles with some discounted pricing. Please contact riskmanagement@usaswimming.org for information on this.