Athletic Team Travel

An athletic team travel policy is strongly encouraged. It allows you to give employees comprehensive information about how your organization will handle transportation for athletes, coaches, and others associated with the team. Like other policies, this policy should be personalized to meet your organization’s needs.

Athletic team travel can present liability risks to your organization. Traffic accidents, missed flights, and medical emergencies are just some of the issues a team can encounter during its travels. Having a policy allows your organization to clearly define how you will comply with various laws and regulations. It also helps ensure compliance with your organization’s policies and provides guidance on how to report various concerns or incidents. This type of policy can help address these risks and more.

Consult with a local attorney to ensure that your policy protects your organization’s interests and complies with all applicable laws.

SAMPLE POLICY:
ATHLETIC TEAM TRAVEL

This policy is intended to set forth how [name of organization] will handle athletic team travel.

Approval and Requests

[Name of party] must approve all arrangements for [name of organization] athletic team travel. Such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, forms of transportation, which individuals will travel with the team, and expenses. The head coach of the team that wishes to travel will use a form designated by [name of organization] to make each travel request. The coach will provide enough information to allow [name of party] to evaluate whether to authorize the proposed trip. At a minimum, all requests shall include the following information:

• Students and staff members who will be traveling as part of the team
• Estimated expenses
• Modes of transportation
• Emergency contacts
• Other pertinent travel information, such as:
  • Departure dates and times
  • Arrival dates and times
  • Lodging information
  • Relevant contact information

If any of the information provided in a request changes during travel, the coach or another team representative must immediately notify [name of party]. Whenever possible, this notification should happen before any changes are implemented.

Compliance and Other Rules

Any employees engaged in travel under this policy shall comply with all [name of organization’s] policies. Such policies might include driver responsibilities, personal conduct, etc. A team’s head coach is responsible for setting standards of conduct for the team during trips and shall ensure compliance with [name of organization’s] policies. For example, if required by [name of organization], the head coach must set standards about dress and personal appearance, prohibit alcohol and drug use, require certain personal conduct, etc.

Additionally, a [name of organization] employee shall never travel overnight alone with just one student athlete. Employees and student athletes must stay in separate rooms during any travel that requires lodging.

Moreover, such travel shall comply with all laws and regulations applicable to ground and air transportation. Any such travel shall also comply with the rules and guidelines of [name of governing body for athletics, such as NCAA].

Reporting

If any concerns arise during travel under this policy that an employee reasonably believes or suspects are illegal, unethical, or violate any [name of organization] policy, the employee may report such concerns to their supervisor or [name of other party]. Such reports may be made without fear of reprisal or retaliation.

If any injury, accident, or illness occurs during travel under this policy, an employee must complete an incident report form and submit the form to [name of party] as soon as possible.

Policy Violations

Any employee who violates this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

This is a sample handbook policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.

Working Together © 2022 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. www.brotherhoodmutual.com/working-together. Updated 9/2021.