Sports team waiver template
A sports team waiver is the form every family signs before the season's first practice: the player's health, the risks of the sport, a release, and permission for coaches to get help in an emergency. This one is written for youth clubs, rec leagues and travel teams, and works for adult players signing for themselves. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and send it with registration.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Parent or adult player
Sports Team Participation Waiver
This Participation Waiver is given to Club or league name (the "Club") for the Sport season running Season dates. A parent or legal guardian signs for a player under 18; an adult player signs for themselves.
1. The player
- Player's full name: Player name
- Date of birth: Player date of birth
- Team or age group: Team or age group
- Parent or guardian signing, and relationship: Parent or guardian
2. What this covers
This waiver covers the player's part in every practice, game, scrimmage, tournament, tryout, team trip, fundraiser and team event the Club organizes during the season, at the Club's own fields or anywhere else.
3. Health
Medical conditions, allergies and medicines coaches should know about, including asthma inhalers or epinephrine auto-injectors the player carries: Health notes. The signer confirms the player is fit to take part, will tell the coach about any new injury or illness, and will provide a physical exam form if the Club asks for one.
4. Concussions and sudden cardiac arrest
The signer and the player have read the concussion and sudden cardiac arrest information the Club provided. A player who shows signs of a concussion will be removed from play that day and will not return to practice or games until a licensed health care provider clears them in writing. A player who faints, has chest pain or has unusual shortness of breath during exercise will be removed from play until a provider clears them. Initials: Concussion initials
5. Getting to games
Unless the Club says in writing that it is providing transport for an event, families are responsible for getting their player to and from practices and games. Carpools between families are private arrangements, not Club activities. Tick if the player may ride with other team families' drivers: .
6. Conduct
Players, parents and guests will follow the Club's code of conduct, respect coaches, officials, opponents and other families, and never abuse a referee from the sideline. The Club may suspend or remove a player or bar a spectator who doesn't, without a refund.
7. Risks
Sport involves physical contact, running, jumping and fast-moving balls and equipment. Risks include bruises, sprains, broken bones, dental and eye injuries, concussions, heat illness, collisions with other players, goalposts or the ground, and, rarely, permanent injury or death. The signer understands and accepts these risks for the player. Initials: Initials after the risks
8. Release
To the extent the law allows, the signer, for themselves and the player, releases the Club and its directors, coaches, volunteers and officials from claims for injury, illness or death arising from the activities in section 2, including claims of ordinary negligence. The release does not cover gross negligence or willful misconduct. Initials: Initials after the release
9. Emergency care
If the player is hurt or ill and the signer can't be reached, coaches may give first aid and arrange emergency treatment and transport, at the family's cost. Health insurance company: Health insurance company. First emergency contact: Emergency contact 1. Second emergency contact: Emergency contact 2.
10. Photos
The Club takes team and game photos for families, its website and social media. Tick to keep the player out of public posts: .
11. General
Fees and refunds follow the Club's registration policy. This waiver is governed by the laws of the state of State. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Signer's phone: Signer phone Email: Signer email
I have read this waiver and the concussion information, and I am the player's parent or legal guardian, or the player and 18 or older.
Parent or guardian, or adult player
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
What a team waiver does for a club
Most clubs are run by volunteers, and the waiver is often the only piece of paper standing between a coach and a hard situation: a player with a bee-sting allergy at an away game, a parent who can't be reached after a collision, a family upset that their child sat out with a suspected concussion. A good team waiver gives coaches the medical facts and emergency contacts they need, gets the family's agreement to the concussion rules, and releases the club for the ordinary risks of the sport.
What the template covers
- The player and season: the player's name and date of birth, team or age group, the sport and the season's dates.
- What it covers: practices, games, tournaments, tryouts, trips, fundraisers and team events, wherever they happen.
- Health: conditions, allergies, inhalers and auto-injectors, and a physical exam form if you require one.
- Concussions and sudden cardiac arrest: the family read your information, removal from play, and written clearance before returning, initialed.
- Getting to games: families handle transport unless you say otherwise, carpools are private, and a tick box for riding with other families.
- Conduct: a code of conduct for players and sideline behavior for parents.
- Risks and release: the risks of the sport and a release of ordinary negligence, each initialed.
- Emergency care and photos: treatment when a parent can't be reached, two emergency contacts, the health insurer's name, and an opt-out from public photos.
Mistakes clubs make
- Collecting paper forms at the first practice. They end up in a coach's trunk, and nobody can find the allergy list at the away tournament.
- Skipping the concussion acknowledgment. If a coach sits a player out, the family's signature on the rule ends the argument.
- Taking one emergency contact. Parents work, travel and turn off their phones; ask for a second.
- Letting the club look like it runs the carpool. If families drive each other's kids, say it's a private arrangement.
- Using last season's form. Rosters, rules and insurance change; have every family sign each season.
Concussion laws and parental waivers
Every state has passed a youth sports concussion law, though they differ on whether community leagues are covered and on the information families must sign. States also differ on whether a parent can release a child's claims. Check what your state and your league's governing body require, and use their concussion information sheet if they publish one.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the parent or adult player.
- 2
Set up the season
Fill in the club name, sport, season dates and state, then save. Put a link to your concussion information sheet in the email message, so families read it before they initial section 4.
- 3
Send it to every family at once
Export registered families from your registration system, save the file as CSV UTF-8, and use bulk send with one row per player, filling the team or age group column as you go.
- 4
Families sign from their phones
Each parent fills in the player's details, health notes and emergency contacts, initials three times and signs. For families who read Spanish more easily, pick Spanish for the signing page and emails.
- 5
Give coaches what they need
On a paid plan, the Responses tab lists every player's allergies and emergency contacts in one table. Export it as a CSV and split it by team for each coach's phone.
Late registrations and missing forms
There's always a family that registers the week of the first game, and another whose emails go to spam. Keep a public signing link for the season on your club website for late joiners. For a parent who hasn't opened the email, use Copy link and send it in the team group chat yourself; SignMaster doesn't send texts, but the link works anywhere. Automatic reminders keep nudging until the waiver is signed.
Questions? Answers.
Do both parents need to sign a sports waiver?
Usually one parent or legal guardian is enough for a club waiver. If your league or insurer requires both, add a second signer before you send.
Can adult rec league players use the same form?
Yes. An adult player fills in their own details, leaves the parent line blank, and signs for themselves.
How often should families sign the waiver?
Once a season. The form names the season's dates, so a new season means a new signature with up-to-date health and contact details.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: the club, sport, season, team and state. The parent fills in the player's details, health notes, emergency contacts, carpool and photo choices, initials three times and signs.