Photography, Filming & Video Recording Policy

This policy explains how we manage photography, match and training recording, Veo/video analysis and public media involving children and young people.

Our approach has three layers: we comply with applicable law; we follow relevant FA, competition and venue requirements; and we apply additional Prestbury standards where we believe a clearer or safer rule is appropriate.

1. Purpose

Recording may be used for legitimate football and Academy purposes including:

• Player and team development
• Coaching and tactical analysis
• Coach education and review
• Referee or match review where appropriate
• Safeguarding, welfare or evidential purposes where necessary
• Approved promotional or public-media use where the relevant permission/lawful basis exists

Recording must not be used to shame, humiliate, ridicule or publicly criticise a child, coach, opposition participant or match official.

2. Legal and Football Framework

• UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, as amended
• Privacy and Electronic Communications rules where relevant to digital publication/storage
• The FA safeguarding guidance, including current guidance on photographing and filming children
• Competition, league and venue rules that apply to the fixture or activity

Where Prestbury adopts a stricter internal rule than the legal or FA minimum, it is a Prestbury standard rather than a statement that the stricter rule is required by law or The FA.

3. Match and Training Recording

The Academy may record selected training sessions and fixtures using Veo or other approved recording systems for coaching and performance analysis.

• Families are informed that recording may form part of the Academy development programme
• The Academy identifies an appropriate lawful basis for the recording purpose
• Any player-specific restriction or legitimate welfare concern must be taken seriously
• Cameras should focus on football activity and avoid unnecessary close-up recording of spectators or individuals
• Changing rooms, toilets, private medical treatment areas and private welfare meetings must never be recorded

4. Veo and Video Analysis

Veo footage is primarily a football-development resource.

• Footage may be used for technical, tactical, team and player-development analysis
• Access to full recordings is restricted to people with a genuine coaching, welfare, operational or administrative reason
• Veo recording does not automatically authorise publication on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or other public channels
• Analysis should be proportionate to the age and level of football and should not become a tool for humiliating or targeting a child

5. Opposition and Matchday Protocol

Prestbury Standard: the opposition manager or club official should be told before a fixture is recorded and informed of the recording purpose.

• Any safeguarding, welfare, competition or venue concern raised must be considered before filming begins
• Where an objection cannot be satisfactorily resolved, Prestbury will not proceed unless the relevant competition or venue authority confirms that recording may continue
• Where appropriate and secure, Prestbury may offer the opposition access to a match recording
• There is no automatic entitlement to receive footage where sharing would conflict with safeguarding, privacy, legal, disciplinary or technical restrictions

6. Photography and Public Media

Public media is a separate purpose from coaching analysis. Where appropriate permission exists, the Academy may publish selected content on official Academy channels including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Academy websites.

• Public youth lineup and match graphics use first name plus surname initial by default
• Full names are not normally combined with identifiable images and detailed future location information unless there is a specific reason and appropriate permission
• Recording for analysis does not itself grant social-media or promotional permission
• A child’s decision not to participate in optional promotional content must not affect football selection or Academy participation

7. Lineups, Match Graphics and Results

The Academy may publish lineups, squad graphics, captaincy information, results and other normal football communications.

• First name plus surname initial is the default public identification standard for youth players
• Shirt number, position, team/age group, opposition and fixture information may be included where appropriate
• We avoid unnecessary combinations of a child’s full identity with exact future whereabouts
• Home address, school, date of birth, personal contact information and unnecessary private information must not be included

8. Content We Will Not Publish

9. Consent, Objections and Withdrawal

The lawful basis depends on the recording/publication purpose. Consent is not automatically the only lawful basis for every form of match recording, but promotional/public-media uses may require a separate permission choice.

• Parents/carers and players must receive clear information about how recording is used
• Where consent is relied upon, it may be withdrawn for future use
• A player who is uncomfortable should be able to raise the issue with a coach, welfare officer or trusted adult
• Withdrawal does not necessarily require deletion of every historic copy where another lawful retention reason applies, but future use will be reviewed and reasonable steps taken where appropriate

10. Storage, Access and Retention

• Recordings must be stored through approved, access-controlled systems
• Full footage must not be casually shared through personal accounts or uncontrolled public links
• Ordinary coaching and analysis footage should be deleted when no longer useful
• Prestbury’s ordinary maximum for coaching/match-analysis footage is 12 months
• Footage may be retained longer where there is a documented safeguarding, disciplinary, complaint, legal or evidential reason
• Publicly published content may remain available for longer where continued publication remains appropriate and lawful

11. Roles and Responsibilities

• Coaches must follow this policy and the matchday protocol
• The Club Welfare Officer oversees safeguarding concerns connected with recording
• Authorised Academy administrators manage access, retention and relevant permissions
• Anyone who becomes aware of inappropriate recording, sharing or storage must report it promptly

12. Breaches

A breach may include unauthorised public sharing, recording in a prohibited private area, ignoring a safeguarding restriction, using footage to shame or target a child, or storing/sharing footage insecurely.

Depending on seriousness, action may include removal of access, instruction to remove content, safeguarding referral, retraining, internal disciplinary action or referral to the County FA or another relevant authority.

13. Coach Matchday Checklist