GAA and LGFA Player Injury Benefit Fund: Quick Synopsis
(Updated Sept 2026)
The GAA Injury Benefit Fund is a vital benefit scheme designed to provide financial assistance to registered GAA players who sustain accidental injuries during official club activities (matches and supervised training).
Key Points:
- Not Insurance: It’s a benefit fund, not a comprehensive insurance policy. It’s funded by the GAA itself, not an external insurer.
- Supplementary Cover: The fund aims to supplement other forms of cover (like personal health insurance or income protection), not replace them. Players are strongly advised to have their own adequate personal insurance.
- What it Covers (Partially): It contributes towards unrecoverable medical and dental expenses, and in some cases, loss of wages, up to specified limits.
- What it Doesn’t Cover Fully: It typically has an excess (the first €100 of a claim) and does not fully compensate for all losses. Routine physiotherapy is generally not covered.
- Eligibility: Players must be fully registered on the GAA Foireann system at the time of injury to be eligible.
- Claim Process: Injuries must be reported to the club’s Injury Fund Administrator with 8 weeks. The responsibility for registering an injury and providing proofs and paperwork now rests with the injured party or in the case of youth members the parents. The registration of an injury can be done on the Foireann system here > Injury Notification.
Ultimately, while the fund provides crucial support, individual players bear the primary responsibility for ensuring they have sufficient personal cover for their specific needs.
LGFA Player Injury Fund: Quick Synopsis
The LGFA Injury Fund is a self-funded benefit scheme dedicated to providing financial assistance to registered Ladies Gaelic Football Association players and officials who incur accidental bodily injuries during official LGFA activities (matches and supervised training).
Key Points:
- Not Insurance: It’s a benefit fund, not an insurance policy, and is funded entirely by LGFA membership fees.
- Supplementary Cover: Its primary purpose is to assist in reimbursing expenses not recoverable elsewhere, such as from private health insurance or personal accident policies. Players and officials are strongly encouraged to have their own adequate personal insurance.
- What it Covers (Partially): It provides financial support for otherwise unrecoverable medical expenses (up to €5,500), dental expenses (up to €3,000), and a portion of loss of wages (up to €200 per week for 20 weeks) for adults and employed underage members. It also covers 90% of the first six physiotherapy sessions after an injury.
- What it Doesn’t Cover Fully: It does not cover every expense incurred due to injury. Exclusions include travel expenses, prescriptions, injections, biomechanical/ISO testing, and medical aids (like crutches/air boots). It also doesn’t cover injuries from pre-existing conditions or those sustained outside official LGFA activities.
- Eligibility: All players and officials must be fully registered with the LGFA Injury Fund to be covered.
- Claim Process: It is the player or parents responsibility that all claims must be notified on Foireann and approved by Club and County Secretaries within 8 weeks of the date of injury – preliminary claim forms are being phased out. Match reports or training attendance logs must be attached by club or county secretaries. Prior approval may be required for private medical treatment.
- Scheme co-ordinator can be found at injuryfund@lgfa.ie.
The LGFA Injury Fund acts as an important safety net, but ultimately, the responsibility to ensure adequate personal cover lies with the individual member.
The most up to date St Martin’s GAC Player Injury Policy can be downloaded below.
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