A graphic warning to amateur footballers

Updated: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:39:31 +0000 by alsters456

Last year, professional footballer Ben Collett received over £4.3 million in compensation after a horror tackle that put an end to any potential career he may have had with Manchester United. Now, a Warwickshire solicitor is warning amateur footballers not to expect the same levels of support should they suffer a similar serious injury.

Haidee Vedy, a partner and personal injury specialist at Warwickshire solicitors, Alsters Kelley, is currently helping Leamington teenager, Daniel Bates, fight for compensation after a bad tackle in a Sunday League game left him unable to walk for almost ten months.

"Many amateur footballers like Daniel come from occupations that don’t pay sick leave or are self-employed. They can’t afford to be out of work because they’re injured.

"And, yet, their clubs often don’t have insurance for player-to-player liability. In the past we have secured damages for clients who’ve been similarly affected but it seems the premiums have just got too high and the clubs can no longer afford it.

"Unfortunately, no one is telling the players this. When they sign their membership forms and pay their joining fees, no one tells them they could be risking their livelihoods and that they’re not insured if they get injured as a result of a reckless tackle.

"Across the country, there will be thousands of people who play amateur team sport – from football to hockey, rugby to netball – who are not covered by adequate insurance, if at all.

"While incidents like these are thankfully rare, it is nonetheless upsetting to have to tell a young man who has received such a devastating injury – putting him out of work and taking a year out of his life – that he is unlikely to see any form of compensation.”

Daniel Bates, 20, was playing for Stoneleigh Social Football Club in a match against Leamington & District Sunday League rivals Whitnash Tavern FC in September (2007) when a late, two-footed tackle saw him receive several fractures to the tibia and fibula of his left leg. He said:

"I’ve never been in so much pain in my life. It all happened so quickly. As I was lying on the floor with my shin bone poking out through my football sock, I could see my team mates on the sidelines crying at the shock.

"As a result of the tackle, I have had pins and a rod inserted into my leg, I had plastic surgery to move healthy tissue into the hole left where my bone had come through my skin and had a skin graft taken from the top of my leg. I’ve still got scarring and swelling more than a year later and a pain in my shin that the surgeon and physiotherapist say may never go away.”

Daniel’s mother, Tracey, was at the match and after the initial shock and surgery went into Leamington police station to make a formal complaint about the incident which she described as "a violent assault on my son.”

"For six months, my son was trapped in his bedroom. He has been unable to continue his apprenticeship as a carpenter for over a year and I had to give up work for eight months to care for him at home. He could barely even have a shower in the early months,” she said.

"We went to the police to report what we felt was a violent assault – the ball was nowhere near Daniel when the tackle was made – but they said that there was nothing they could do even though Birmingham County FA felt it necessary to discipline the other player. That was when we went to see Alsters Kelley for their advice.”

Daniel continued: "I want people to see the worst that can happen, to see my injuries and realise how much pain can be caused by aggressive, ill-judged behaviour on a sports pitch.

"And, I want to warn people that they probably aren’t covered if anything goes wrong. Not including myself, ten other players left the Stoneleigh team after witnessing my accident. They just didn’t want to risk getting hurt themselves.”

Alsters Kelley is currently in communication with solicitor Paul Mulderrig of north-west England firm Mulderrigs which is threatening to sue the Football Association (FA) for failing to ensure that player-to-player cover is arranged for all FA and County FA affiliated clubs, so that club footballers do not suffer financial loss from injuries caused by other players.

You can read more at The Leamington Courier and The Sunday Mercury.  Daniel was also interviewed for Central News and Mercia FM.