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Contact Sports Risk
Management
PO Box 91053 AMSC
Auckland 1030
New Zealand
P: +64 9 358 2725
F: +64 9 358 2715
M: +64 21 320 171
E: info@sportsriskmanagement.com
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Sports Liability Seminar
Tuesday 7 September 2004
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Concerned about being sued?
In August 2003, Astrid Andersen, organiser of the 2001 Le Race cycling event, was fined $10,000 and racked up a legal bill of approximately $62,000 defending herself against a charge of criminal nuisance. Her crime? She failed to adequately brief competitors in the event which the jury decided put their lives in danger.
A year later the Court of Appeal quashed her conviction . But what does this mean for sports events organisers?
In 1998 the organisers of the Queenstown Classic Car Race were charged with criminal nuisance and manslaughter after a car spun off the track killing some spectators. They were saved by their sporting governing body who agreed to assume liability on their behalf and entered a plea of guilty.
Will your governing body save you from prosecution?
If you are concerned about issues of legal liability in your sport you need to come along to one of our Sports Liability Seminars so you can understand where you may be exposed.
Is risk management planning still necessary?
If Astrid Andersen should not have been found guilty, do we still need to engage in risk management planning?
Whilst Astrid Andersen may have had her conviction quashed, the Court of Appeal decision still leaves the door open for future prosecutions for criminal nuisance in New Zealand. Fundamentally, the Court of Appeal decided that if you organise a sporting event you could get prosecuted for criminal nuisance given the right circumstances. But what are those circumstances?
Taking risks in sport has never been acceptable. However, it has been commonplace and the Jury's decision in the Andersen case was a timely reminder that everybody needs to take more care. Judge T M Abbott said:
"...since the verdict there have been a number of wild pronouncements in the media and by sporting organisations and event organisers that the verdict of on the criminal nuisance charge against you is the death knell to the sporting culture of this country as we know it. This is utter nonsense. Nothing could be further from the truth...there is no reason whatsoever to suggest that people who are involved in organising sporting or other events have any justified cause for alarm as a result of the verdict in this case...the facts of this case speak for themselves and the verdict which the jury reached was specific to those facts"
In light of this statement, was the reaction of the press justified? Cycling New Zealand President Wayne Hudson has said:
"It's really just bringing us into the 21st Century. You would have to have had your head in the sand for the last two years to think we didn't have to do something"
Following the appeal everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but what does that decision really mean for sports events organisers and those involved in sport? Is it still necessary to plan for risks? How much was the Andersen case been blown out of proportion and what do you have to do to make sure you aren't put into a similar position? The Sports Liability Seminar answers these questions and outlines why there is still a need for risk management planning in New Zealand as in the rest of the world.
Don't let the headline be at your expense
Your responsibility as a sports enthusiast is to ensure that you keep your sporting activity safe and don't run the risk of legal liability. Accidents happen but provided you take proper care in your sport you can escape personal liability. This involves a three stage process:
Know your exposure
Identify your risks
Protect against them
The Sports Liability Seminar addresses this process and gives you the understanding to prevent personal liability falling on you.
What do you get from the Seminar
The Sports Liability Seminar is a two and a half hour seminar run by three experts in their respective fields.
The first member of the team is Michael Smyth, Managing Director of Sportscounsel and a practising barrister of 8 years experience in both the UK and New Zealand. Michael holds a post graduate certificate in Sports Law from Kings College London and has experience in Health and Safety prosecutions and personal injury litigation in the UK. He is also a rowing coach.
The second member of the team is Geoff Wood who specialises in identifying risks and putting together risk management plans. Geoff has experience both in the USA and New Zealand and is frequenlty asked to speak on risk management issues by ACC and at NZSSSC and national sports coordinators events.
The final member is John Dallimore of Legal and Professional Insurance Group Limited (LPIG). John is the Managing Director of LPIG and also heads up the Sportscover division of the Company. He has over 40 years experience in the insurance industry and also a member of the Marketing / Sponsorship Commission of Triathlon New Zealand Inc.
Together Michael, Geoff and John have formed the Sports Risk Management Group, an organisation devoted to ensuring sport in New Zealand flourishes in a safe environment.
What you will learn
If you attend this seminar you will learn:
the extent of your legal duty
what the Andersen decision means for sport
how to identify risks in your sport
how to put together a risk management plan
how to implement your plan
protecting the consequences of liability
what insurance products are available for sports organisers
The seminar will also include an opportunity to ask the panel questions and, as always, they will be happy to talk to you separately outside the seminar if further explanation is necessary.
If you are worried that the Seminar may not be of use to you, here is what Peter Worley of Sport Hawkes Bay had to say about the Seminar:
As a Regional Sports Trust we are always looking for opportunities to upskill people in our area. Sports risk management is a very fashionable topic at the moment and people need to be aware of their potential liabilities. When the Sports Risk Management Group approached me to run a seminar in Napier I thought it was a great opportunity for us. Sometimes it is hard to find presenters with a good depth of knowledge in the provincial areas. I found the seminar very relevant and entertaining, especially the legal section which can often be dry and boring. I would definitely recommend it to anyone concerned about risk management in their sport.
Who should attend?
Anyone involved in sport who is concerned about risk management should attend this Seminar. So whether you are an athlete, coach, sports event organiser, official, referee, activity organiser, or sports asministrator, whether at club, regional or national level, you will find this Seminar of use to you. Here is what John Broadhurst of Sport Taranaki had to say:
When I was approached by the Sports Risk Management Group to run their Sports Liability Seminar in Taranaki I was a little bit uncertain as to whether the information they would be providing would be useful to the seminar participants. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the seminar to find that the presentations were very detailed and were relevant to people working in the field. I would definitely recommend the seminar to sporting bodies or event organisers.
What other delegates have said
The first of these seminars was held at Eden Park in Auckland. It sold out one week before it was due to take place and people were still ringing up on the day to come along. It was attended by senior representatives of NSOs, regional sporting bodies, clubs and coaches. Here is what one delegate had to say:
We thoroughly enjoyed the Sports Liability Seminar last night. If you’re a sports manager, as I am, or a sports club administrator, or one of those many unpaid volunteer helpers then you should attend one of these seminars. When we originally received the information about the seminar it was not a case of "can the club afford this”, but the club "cant afford" not to send someone to this seminar. So two of us went for good measure.
That's not all
If you register for the Sports Liabilty Seminar, as well as getting good advice on the night, you also get the following bonuses:
A CD of course materials to take away (value $20)
Membership of Sportscounsel's Gold Medal Club plus free e-book (value $30)
The right to ask the panel of experts any questions which you forgot to ask on the night by email for one week after the seminar
How Much?
On a consultancy basis, the seminar is worth approximately $750. However, a place at the seminar is a fraction of the cost. For just $65 per delegate or $50 if you register before our early bird cut off date (2 weeks prior to the seminar) you get to walk away with $750 of information.
Discounts are also available for existing Gold Medal Club members and for group bookings from one organisation.
Money back guarantee
We are so confident that you will learn something from the seminar that we are offering a full money back guarantee if you feel it was a waste of time.
Don't Delay
Places at our seminars are limited so early booking is essential. You cannot turn up on the night and expect to get in. One prospective delegate missed our Auckland seminar and now has to wait until we run another in Auckland which may be several months away. Don't miss out. Dates for our next seminar are still to be fixed but one will be in your region very soon. To register your interest click here.
Location:
Coming soon to a region near you |
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