Players Injury Scheme

The GAA Injury Benefit Fund is not insurance. The Injury Fund is a benefit cover funded entirely from Club and Central Council contributions. The Injury Benefit Fund is not an Insurance Scheme and is therefore not regulated by the Central Bank

The Fund provides cover for registered member participating in an Official Fixture or  Official supervised training session as part of a team registered with the fund. Willis are the appointed Administrators of the fund and they administer the fund on behalf of the GAA.

There is no legal obligation on the GAA to provide an Injury Fund. Risk is an inherent factor in sport, as in life. When members voluntarily take part in Club activities they accept the risks that such participation may bring.

The Injury Fund does not seek to fully compensate but to supplement other covers such as Private Health Insurance, National Health Insurance, Personal Accident Cover, Employment benefit covers, Income Payment protection covers. We strongly recommend that all our Senior & Minor players have their own Private Health Insurance policy.

Eglish GAA CLUB PLAYER INSURANCE & PHYSIOTHERAPY GUIDELINES 2018

1. Player needs to be a fully paid up registered member of the Club to avail of the G.A.A. Injury Scheme.  Closing date for membership is March 31st.

2. Willis Insurance are the designated GAA Injury Scheme administrators

3. If player gets injured at a match, Team managers need to ensure that the referee is informed of the injury after the match and that the referee is advised to note this in his report.  Team managers please report the injury to Club Secretary.

4. If player gets injured at training, he needs to inform team managers during or after training session that he got injured.  If a player needs to attend a doctor or hospital they need to ensure that a Medical Certification Form is completed by attending doctor or hospital.  Team managers please inform the Secretary of the injury.

5. The Club Secretary will register the injury claim online.

6. While visiting a doctor/hospital A&E the player needs to ensure that the Willis Medical Certification Form is signed by the doctor or hospital.   To facilitate this, the claim form needs to be filled in by attending doctor/hospital as soon as possible after the injury is sustained. The form can be downloaded here Medical Certification Form

7.  Team managers always advise players to contact club Secretary if they have sustained an injury but the onus is on the player to inform and log details of his injury with the Club Secretary within 60 days from the date of the injury. Failure to log the injury will result in the claim not being processed. 

8. Players with private health cover i.e. VHI/Layla/Aviva have to claim their expenses back i.e. medical or physio from their private health insurer before the GAA will consider the balance of their claim.  Statements from such private health insurers will be required.

Things to note:

All players, but especially those who are self-employed, are advised to take out private personal accident insurance as:

• The maximum payment for a medical claim is €4,500 (This benefit includes cover for MRI scans up to a limit of €300.00 per scan and post-operative physiotherapy \ treatments up to a limit of €320.00). Willis pay out only on presentation of receipts – i.e. you pay the medical costs first and then are reimbursed.
• Hospitalisation costs are paid only when the period in hospital exceeds 10 days and then @ €400/day to a maximum of 15 days.
• Dental expenses have the same restrictions as medical expenses.
• Loss of Basic wages is compensated for up to a maximum of €200 (weeks 2 – 4) or €400 (weeks 5 – 52), less Social Welfare entitlements or in-house sick-pay benefits, per week for a maximum of 52 weeks. The first week is excluded.