Inspired by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness more than 40 years ago, Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation (SFIC) has grown into one of the nation’s leading insurance specialists in the health and fitness industry.

SFIC, with headquarters in Madison, Mississippi, insures nearly 11,000 health clubs and more than 10,000 individual trainers and yoga instructors nationwide.

Sports & Fitness Founder and CEO Glynne A. Simpson became associated with the fitness industry while insuring the manufacturer of Nautilus brand exercise equipment in the early 1980s when health clubs and spas, then generally viewed as speculative ventures, were emerging. Obtaining insurance was generally difficult for them, so Simpson, recognizing this, immediately stepped in to fill the void.

SFIC’s business grew immediately. As the industry has continued to boom—newly designed equipment and exercise regimens surface almost monthly—SFIC is well positioned to meet the insurance needs of all health clubs. Sports & Fitness offers a full range of admitted and nonadmitted products that cover general liability; property; professional liability; EPLI; workers compensation; surety bonds; umbrella; business auto; health, life, and disability; liquor liability; and recently, personal lines.

Sports & Fitness offers coverage in all 50 states through various carriers, and is licensed in every state. Its major program for health clubs is with Liberty Agency Underwriters, a program division of Liberty Mutual (formerly Safeco).

Programs covered by Sports & Fitness Insurance include:

• Health clubs (including 24 hour/key access health clubs)

• Fitness centers

• Aerobics

• Curves^©

• Tanning

• Corporate fitness management companies

• Day care

• Racquet Clubs

• Swim schools/Swimming pools

• Martial arts studios

• Dance studios

• Personal trainers

• Yoga/Pilates studios and instructors

• Tennis centers

• Country clubs

• Golf courses

• Biking

• Climbing walls

• Travel/Tournament/Special events

• Cheerleading studios/camps

• Personal trainers/other instructors

From its business birth as a two-person office, SFIC has continually expanded to today’s 45-employee headquarters staff. The company has also formed joint venture operations with insurance associates in the United Kingdom and in Canada. With its staff’s 100-plus years of underwriting experience, primarily in the fitness business, SFIC is widely recognized within the industry for its ability to tailor insurance products to fit specific needs. It is the only general liability provider that is officially endorsed by the International Health and Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), and is recommended by Curves ^©—women’s only fitness centers—for its countrywide franchises.

SFIC officials credit the company’s growth and success to being in the right place at the right time and to its understanding of the physical fitness industry’s needs and its continually evolving changes. Sports & Fitness offers one-stop shopping and delivers competitively priced insurance products supported by attentive service. The health and fitness industry began with a mission to build good health. As new components such as racquetball courts, clothing lines, spa services, state-of-the-art equipment, and even dining venues have tied into that mission, Sports & Fitness keeps a stride-by-stride pace by developing and delivering insurance programs that directly relate to it.

Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation was one of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association’s (TMPAA) founding members back in 2001. The two organizations have been teammates ever since. SFIC executive Collier Simpson enthusiastically cites the benefits that agents and carriers derive from the partnerships fostered and encouraged by TMPAA, “Our membership in Target Markets has been invaluable. Clearly there are many insurance associations serving our industry, but Target Markets is the only one that really addresses program administrators’ specific needs. There’s no question that SFIC has benefited by our relationship with Target Markets. And, therefore, we think it’s a relationship that benefits our clients, too.”