Amateur and semi-professional players have questioned the level of financial protection they receive from mandatory personal accident insurance amid concerns many are unaware what they are entitled to claim until after sustaining a serious injury.

Three years after the Football Association launched its National Game Insurance Scheme (NGIS), making insurance mandatory for all 11-a-side teams in England, some players have expressed concern that they are only eligible for £30 a week in temporary disablement benefits, which are intended to help those unable to work because of an injury.

For any player in any division, a broken leg, damaged knee or a dislocation is a traumatic experience. For those outside the professional game, however, lost earnings because of temporary disablement can have severe consequences, potentially contributing to civil compensation claims between those involved in a contentious incident on the pitch.

Bluefin Sport is the FA’s preferred broker for the NGIS, which covers more than 14,000 adult teams, thousands more youth sides and about 200,000 players. The standard team insurance package provided by Bluefin – Superior 30 – pays out £30 a week for up to 104 weeks to compensate for an individual’s lost earnings. The policy – which costs £76 per year for every team – provides a one-off payment of £150 for a broken bone or dislocation but no physiotherapy, unless a club pays an additional premium.

Self-employed workers or those on freelance contracts are particularly vulnerable to a reduction in income should any injury sustained on a football pitch have an impact on their mobility, while employers are left to decide if full-time staff unable to work because of temporary disablement are entitled to full pay.

David Gilligan, a graphic designer in London, broke his leg while training for Sporting Hackney, a team in the Middlesex County Football League. He said: “If you’re not insured you can’t play; you need every player to be registered to the club. So over the years that gives you the impression that you are covered if you are a registered player.

“But I’ve found that the insurance is inadequate and not worth the paper it’s written on. I spent five days in hospital. After the gloom lifts a bit you start to look at financial security: I rang the insurance company and found out I was ensured for £30 a week and a one-off payment of £150. They don’t pay you for the first two weeks.

“My club are so tight on money that they can’t improve the insurance. There are other players that are taxi drivers, couriers, plumbers, decorators who are not in full-time work. If they get injured they are going to be in real financial trouble.”

Brian Kinsey, player-manager at Harrow in the same league, suffered a serious ankle fracture but did not claim on the club’s policy. He said: “In a tackle my ankle went one way and my leg another, my foot was basically hanging off. My assistant manager looked at the insurance and told me it’s not even worth it because you’re going to get a payment of £100, which will be taxed, so around £60.

“My employer, Network Rail, will pay me in full for six months. If it wasn’t for them I’d be in major trouble but it’s still a massive inconvenience going to hospital. One of my players came off and did his knee in the same game, he didn’t bother claiming. The players don’t have an insight on what they can claim.”

The NGIS, which was introduced in 2013-14 and also offers separate public liability insurance, covers players while they are at any ground or premises worldwide where there is an agreed fixture or training taking place, and includes the period travelling to or from such activities. The FA launched the scheme to improve protection for players at grassroots, saying it wanted to promote an adequate level of cover without the cost acting as a barrier for participation.

The governing body believes players should take responsibility for themselves and find out what cover is in place at their club, so they are aware of what they are entitled to claim. There are minimum standards of cover permitted at different steps of the league pyramid, with clubs in steps seven or below allowed to purchase the basic insurance policy unless stipulated otherwise by their individual county FA.

Bluefin Sport, who have a video of Graeme Le Saux on their website promoting the NGIS, provides insurance for about 66% of the amateur clubs in England through the scheme. The Liverpool County Football League said it was not aware of any problems with the cover, while the Northern Football Alliance described the service as “very good”.

However, Stephen Nye, a sports injury specialist at the law firm Irwin Mitchell, says many players have expressed concerns about their cover, with his company receiving about 300 inquiries every year from players seeking compensation from the individual who caused an injury.

He said: “Some of these are not trivial injuries, they are major fractures, disruptions to ankles, which can cause very long-lasting difficulties. “The issue of insurance becomes very important indeed. We’re finding that even when the cover is in place it does not provide a great deal of financial recompense should an incident occur. The loss of earnings part of the policy means only a small amount is paid out on a weekly or daily basis.

“If people are out of pocket it possibly increases the likelihood of them making an inquiry about a legal claim. Some people don’t have savings to get through this or if people are on zero-hours contracts there is no sick pay from employers. The players need to know what they are covered for. As far as the FA is concerned, it’s just about communication.”

There are more expensive policies available to clubs, with Bluefin’s Superior 150 cover providing injured players with £150 a week in disability benefit, at a cost of £290 per team each season. All five policy options on offer pay out £30,000 in the case of accidental death and up to £60,000 if an injured player is disabled for life. Bluefin was unavailable for comment when contacted by the Guardian.

There are a number of other insurance companies that provide cover. Red Insure Ltd has contracts with clubs in the National League and its north and south divisions. However, a number of semi-professional players have taken out separate, personal policies elsewhere because they do not regard the loss of earnings cover as sufficient.

Francis Duku, a former non-league defender for 18 years, has established the Our Game network, which provides accident insurance policies in addition to the mandatory club ones, and he urges players to be aware of what they are entitled to claim.

“A lot of players get injured and then realise for the first time that they are only entitled to £100 a week, some only £25 a week,” he said. “Protection at non-league is so much at the discretion of the chairman and the manager just because of the way things are set up.

“I know a self-employed builder who couldn’t work, his wife was on maternity leave and he was only getting £25 a week through the insurance. He racked up a huge amount of debt. I’ve heard stories that clubs haven’t initiated a claim because they want to keep a no-claims discount.”

Loui Fazakerley, player-manager of the National League side Welling United until last month, sustained an achilles injury during the opening match of the season and faced a lengthy period where he was unable to work. “I think there is a league insurance that has to be in place at each club,” Fazakerley said. “But that only covers players to £100 of their lost earnings. Thankfully, I am covered by Our Game.

“I am a personal trainer and I haven’t been able to work over the past four months. Before I was working 30 hours a week but then I was on crutches and in a big protective boot, in no state to be able to train my clients or take part in fitness classes.

“I definitely think clubs need to make players aware of what cover is in place. Some clubs just don’t have the money or resources to be forking out big amounts for insurance. I think that the terms and figures need to be made clearer to players. Then it’s down to them to make an educated decision.”

In August 2015 supporters of the National League side Woking raised £15,000 for their injured striker Scott Rendell, who required surgery. The club director, Geoff Chapple, said Rendell was not entitled to the £104 temporary disablement weekly allowance because he did not have a second job.

“We are paying £420 per annum as a club and every club will be paying the same unless they want extra cover. We’re a part-time club but we class our players as professionals, we thought it [the cover] would have been better,” Chapple said. “For me, this one isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It’s probably down to us to go searching for a better policy.”

Michael Charles, a striker for the Metropolitan Police in the Ryman Premier, sustained a serious knee injury but believes players must take responsibility for themselves in an uncertain environment. He said: “The Met Police were really good but some non-league clubs would leave you in the dark and not really help you out. The insurance is just there, they have to have it, which is why they get the cheapest one.

“I’m in events management and was off work from November to May. I’ve put on three stone. I’ve known players get injured, look to their club’s insurance and get nothing. There’s no way I’m going to rely on my club to pay my insurance.”