CrossFit’s New Insurance Deal Covers Youth Classes, Park Workouts and Gym Dogs at US Affiliates

• CrossFit named CrossFit Risk Retention Group the Official Gym Insurance Provider of US affiliates in a deal that runs through December 31, 2031.
• The program covers youth training with no age restrictions, open gym and 24-hour access, outdoor sessions in parks, beaches and parking lots, community events where alcohol is served, and gym dogs.
• The insurer, which covers roughly half of US affiliates, is owned by its policyholders, and affiliate owners sit on its board.

What the Policy Lets Your Gym Offer Beyond Its Four Walls

A CrossFit gym that wants to hold a Saturday class on a beach, run a teen strength program or throw a block party with a keg needs a policy that says yes to each of them. On October 8, CrossFit announced that CrossFit Risk Retention Group, known as CrossFit RRG, is the Official Gym Insurance Provider of CrossFit Affiliates in the United States. The multi-year agreement runs through December 31, 2031.

CrossFit created the company in 2009. It describes itself as the country’s largest insurer of CrossFit gyms and insures roughly half of all US affiliates. CrossFit CEO Bruce Edwards said, “Affiliate success is the engine behind CrossFit’s next chapter.” Eric Reingen, chief operating officer of CrossFit RRG, said “protecting that is the most important thing an insurance program can do.”

The announcement lists specific coverage that maps to how people use these gyms every week:

• Youth training: full liability coverage with no age restrictions.
• Open gym and 24-hour access: standard coverage, subject to basic safety requirements.
• Off-site outdoor training: included for sessions in parks, on beaches and in parking lots.
• Community events: coverage for gym-hosted events, including those where alcohol is served.
• Gym dogs: coverage for affiliate dogs on the premises.
• Trainers: coverage extends to credentialed CrossFit trainers.

Each item removes a question an owner would otherwise have to raise with an underwriter. Outdoor sessions are a good example. Many affiliates take classes to a park or a parking lot when the weather turns warm, and the announcement states that this training is included instead of needing a separate add-on.

Twenty-four-hour access lets members train on their own schedule, and the announcement covers it on standard terms, subject to basic safety requirements. It does not spell out those requirements, so owners need to read the policy for specifics before they hand out door codes.

Gym-hosted community events, from charity workouts to holiday parties, fall under the same program, including events where alcohol is served. Some affiliates keep a gym dog, and the announcement names those animals directly, covering them on the premises.

How an Insurer Owned by Its Customers Works

CrossFit RRG is a policyholder-owned risk retention group, which means a set of businesses in one industry own the insurer that covers their liability. Insured affiliates become shareholders, and affiliate owners sit on the board, where they shape underwriting and policy design. An owner who has run a youth program or an open gym schedule can speak to those risks from direct experience.

The structure carries trade-offs that the company discloses. CrossFit RRG’s own website states that a risk retention group is not necessarily subject to all state insurance laws and that state insurance insolvency guarantee funds do not apply. It also states that the actual policy controls the terms and conditions. Neither the announcement nor the site lists premiums, so owners need a quote to compare costs.

Paperwork changes as well. A fully digital portal lets owners apply, get quotes, pay and manage documents online, without standard ACORD forms or loss runs. ACORD forms are the common insurance application forms, and loss runs are claims-history reports from a prior insurer. CrossFit LLC’s legal team coordinates claims, and risk-management education arrives through the CrossFit Affiliate Toolkit and other official channels.

The Standard Coverage Every Box Still Needs

The headline items sit on top of a base that every gym carries. CrossFit RRG’s website describes general liability coverage for bodily injury, property damage and third-party claims, and says most landlords require it and the CrossFit affiliation agreement outlines it. Professional liability covers owners and trainers against negligence or improper-instruction claims in group classes, one-on-one training and specialty programming.

Property coverage protects rigs, flooring and barbells against theft, fire and similar losses, and some policies add business interruption coverage. Workers’ compensation is generally required in most states for gyms with employees. Optional add-ons include event and competition coverage, abuse and molestation coverage for youth or teen programs, and cyber liability.

The website also advises owners to have a lawyer review a waiver written for their state, and to reject free online templates. It recommends that independent contractor agreements clearly assign insurance and client-communication duties. Those details apply to the coaches and members who sign the forms at the front desk.

What Members and Newcomers Can Ask Their Gym

Affiliates are where many people first try CrossFit, and increasingly where they first try other formats of fitness racing. A newcomer does not need to read a policy to benefit from this one. A few questions at the front desk show how a gym handles its programming. Does the gym run outdoor classes, and does its coverage extend to them? Does it run a teen or kids’ program, and what does that coverage look like? Who coaches open gym hours, and does the gym keep its trainers’ credentials current?

Parents of young athletes have the most to gain from the youth language. The announcement states liability coverage with no age restrictions on youth training, which removes a limit that could keep a gym from offering classes to younger teens. Owners still decide whether to run those programs, but the policy no longer sets an age cutoff. A parent can ask a coach directly how a youth class is structured, who supervises it and how many athletes join each session, and a gym with a clear answer is showing its work.

Morning Chalk Up reported the deal on October 14. A term that runs through 2031 gives owners a fixed set of coverage rules to plan around, whether they are building a beach series for next summer or adding a Friday night community event to the calendar.