We do not believe that parents/guardians should be prevented from taking pictures or filming their children as these are normal family practices and help mark milestones and capture moments in a child’s life. But in today’s world, we want to ensure that photography and video footage taken by our members within a youth football setting is done so appropriately.

The club is keen to promote positive images of children playing football and is not preventing the use of photographic or video equipment, ie. mobile phones.

However, photographs are considered ‘personal data’ as per the Data Protection Act 2018.

If any other children could appear in a photograph/video you are taking, consent from their parent/guardian should be obtained beforehand. Good safeguarding practice is to have this consent in writing, eg. in a text. If consent cannot be obtained, do not take the photo/video, and do not put yourself in a position where you are seen to be filming other people’s children.

If you want to upload a photograph to a social media account, and another child appears in it, you need to have consent. Written consent is ideal in this scenario and can also be documented in the form of a text message, for example.

Photographs or videos showing other teams during matches and tournaments are allowed, with written prior permission. This permission can be given by proxy by the coach of the opposition team only after parental consent has been granted by 100% of the opposition parental group. The opposition team/club should be contacted a minimum of 48 hours in advance of the game, to allow time for the consent to be sought.

As a club we ask all members, parents and players to be vigilant about photography and take all precautions to ensure consent can be presented and any images are used in an appropriate manner. Should anyone, whether a child or an adult, have any concerns during an event regarding inappropriate, or intrusive, photography by other members of the public or other clubs, they should be reported to an official at the earliest opportunity. Any concerns can also be submitted in writing to banbridgetownjuniorsfc@outlook.com

Club Social Media

The club will regularly upload images to our social media profiles from matches and/or training and club events to promote the club’s footballing activities in a positive light, and to share the achievements of the children. Currently, this is limited to Facebook, but in future, could include Twitter/X, Instagram or TikTok, or local media publications.

• We will never post personal information, such as full names or where they live

• We will endeavour to remove identifying metadata from graphics (eg. location data and timestamps)

• The content of all pictures will be considered in good taste before publication

• We will only use images to publicise football related events

• If we inadvertently publish material without parental permission on our social media account, we will remove it as quickly as possible after it is brought to our attention

We understand that there are many reasons that a child’s image cannot be shared publicly. Therefore, parental consent is obtained within the registration process.

Should any parents wish to opt their children out of appearing on the club’s social media feeds, they can select this option within the season registration form. We would also advise notifying their team coach so they are aware throughout the season.

Any retrospective changes to this opt-in / opt-out can be made in a written request to the club secretary at banbridgetownjuniorsfc@outlook.com. If any parent or child has concerns about an image/video, or an image/video that they appear in without consent, please contact a club official as quickly as possible or provide a written communication to the club email address as above.

Comet

Children who play in competitive leagues (eg, Mid Ulster Youth League, Lisburn & Castlereagh Youth League), require facial photographs uploaded into the IFA’s matchday database, Comet. This is a requirement to ensure clubs do not play players under anyone else’s name (ie. “ringers”). Their photograph is stored securely on the IFA’s server, and can only be seen by their team coach, the referee (for 24 hours), the club’s Comet administrator, the IFA’s Comet administrator, and the respective league’s secretary. Comet is also protected by two-factor user authentication.

The club may ask for a passport-style photograph from you to add to or update the child’s Comet profile, usually via a temporary webform. These images are deleted by the club after they have been uploaded into Comet.

Any player without a facial photograph on their Comet profile cannot play in a competitive game.

If you have any concerns about your child’s face appearing in the Comet app, please email the club.