children's privacy
We're designing our platform around appropriate handling of children's personal information, including careful decisions about what is collected and shared.
SAFEGUARDING & PRIVACY
Football should bea safe place for everyone.
Grassroots football brings children, families, coaches and volunteers together. We're building Huddle Kit with children's privacy, responsible access and safeguarding considerations at the centre of our plans.
Our proposed safeguards are being developed and reviewed.
Thoughtful by design
Our proposed privacy model
Family account
Account relationships
Parent or guardian
Account holder
Child player profile
Linked to a responsible adult
Private records
Appropriate access
Designed around responsibility, privacy and protecting young players.
Illustrative account structure. This does not demonstrate implemented security controls.
Our responsibility
children's information deserves careful handling.
Running a football club involves information about young players, their families and the volunteers who support them. Digital tools should make that work easier without creating unnecessary privacy or safeguarding risks.
Our design principles
Building a more responsible club management experience.
These principles guide the features and safeguards We're designing into Huddle Kit.
Parent-managed profiles
Younger players are intended to have profiles managed through parent or guardian accounts, rather than needing independent logins.
Role-based access
Club administrators, coaches and families should only be able to access information appropriate to their responsibilities.
Private by design
We're planning a clear separation between private club information and content that a club chooses to publish publicly.
Responsible communication
Future messaging tools will need suitable permissions, safeguards and reporting processes before they can be introduced.
Accountability
We intend to document, test and review relevant security and privacy controls before enabling features that handle children's information.
These are intended design principles, not a claim that every protection is already implemented or independently certified.
Information & permissions
Not every piece ofclub information is public.
A club website may need to display team news, fixtures and information for supporters. Private player records need different treatment.
Huddle Kit is being designed with a distinction between public website content and information available only to authorised members.
Separate public content from private records
Review who can access player information
Consider appropriate sharing permissions
Limit unnecessary exposure of personal information
Public club information
Examples of information a club might choose to publish:
- General club information
- Public contact details
- Club events and announcements
- Appropriately approved website content
Private player information
Examples that require appropriate access restrictions:
- Player and guardian contact information
- Private account and membership details
- Information about individual children
- Payment and other sensitive records
These are examples of the intended separation, not a complete list of data classifications.
Everyone has a part to play
Safeguarding is a shared responsibility.
Software can support responsible club administration, but it cannot replace good safeguarding practices, trained people or established reporting procedures.
Huddle Kit
Design, implement and maintain appropriate technical and organisational safeguards for the services we provide.
- Secure access and account management
- Appropriate permissions and data handling
- Privacy information and product controls
- Testing and responding to security issues
Football clubs
Maintain their own safeguarding arrangements and decide how authorised people should work with club information.
- Appoint appropriate welfare contacts
- Follow FA and County FA requirements
- Manage authorised club roles
- Respond to welfare concerns appropriately
Coaches & volunteers
Follow club safeguarding procedures and use information only as appropriate for their role.
- Respect player confidentiality
- Follow club communication policies
- Use information responsibly
- Report concerns through proper channels
Parents & guardians
Support their children's participation and help clubs keep relevant family information accurate.
- Manage their own account securely
- Keep relevant details up to date
- Understand club safeguarding arrangements
- Know how to report a concern
Reporting safeguarding concerns
Worried about someone's safety?
Concerns about the welfare of a child or an adult at risk should be reported through appropriate safeguarding channels, not a general software enquiry form.
Immediate danger
If someone is in immediate danger or there is an emergency, contact the emergency services.
Football safeguarding concern
Contact your Club Welfare Officer or County FA safeguarding officer, or report directly to The FA.
Advice about a child
The NSPCC offers guidance for anyone concerned about a child's safety or wellbeing.
Huddle Kit is not a safeguarding reporting service.
Do not submit details of suspected abuse or urgent welfare concerns through our general contact form. Use the appropriate safeguarding or emergency reporting channels.
children's data protection
Designed with UKprivacy expectations in mind.
children's personal information requires particular care. We're considering the UK GDPR and applicable guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office as part of our product design.
This includes considering data minimisation, privacy settings, transparency, sharing and appropriate safeguards for services used by children.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about safeguarding and privacy?
Find out more about our proposed approach to children's information, family accounts and responsible club management.
View all FAQsWill children need their own accounts?+
Our intended design uses parent- or guardian-managed profiles for younger players, rather than requiring them to create independent accounts. Account options for older players will be considered separately with age-appropriate privacy and safeguarding requirements.
Can coaches see every child's information?+
That is not the intended design. We plan role-based permissions so that access to player information depends on a person's club membership and responsibilities. These controls will require testing before release.
Will children's profiles be publicly visible?+
The intention is to separate private player records from public club website content. Public information and sharing choices will need clearly defined permissions before launch.
Can clubs publish photographs of children?+
We haven't finalised photo publishing or media consent features. Any future support will need appropriate permission checks, club processes and safeguards before it is introduced.
Does Huddle Kit replace a Club Welfare Officer?+
No. Huddle Kit is software, not a replacement for a club's safeguarding policy, welfare officer, safer recruitment, training or reporting responsibilities.
Will team messaging be monitored?+
Team messaging is a future feature. We have not finalised its moderation, access or reporting arrangements, and won't claim that conversations are monitored unless an actual monitoring service is implemented.
Is Huddle Kit certified as safeguarding compliant?+
We are not claiming any particular safeguarding certification. Product security, privacy controls and relevant legal responsibilities must be assessed and verified as features are implemented.
How do I report a safeguarding concern?+
For a concern relating to football, contact your club welfare officer or County FA safeguarding officer, or report directly to The FA. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. This website is not an emergency or safeguarding reporting service.
A better-connected club should be a responsible one.
Huddle Kit is being built to support the people who make grassroots football possible, with privacy and safeguarding considerations built into our development process.
Everything your club needs, in one huddle.