Privacy Policy.

01Who we are

AutomateSport Ltd is registered in England and Wales (company number 17254482). Our registered address is 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA. We operate AutomateSport, a software-as-a-service platform that helps football clubs manage their squads and collect match subscriptions ("subs").

Note: Individual clubs using AutomateSport are also data controllers for the player data they enter. We process that data as a data processor on their behalf. Where players are under 18, the club manager is responsible for ensuring that a parent or guardian has provided consent on the player's behalf before their data is entered into the platform.

02Data we collect

Club managers and account holders

• Email address (used for login and account communications)
• Display name (optional, shown within your account)
• Mobile phone number (used to verify your club's messaging and for account security)
• Club name, branding, and settings
• Billing information (processed and held by Stripe — we do not store card details)
• Your club's own receiving bank account details (account name, sort code, account number) — only if you choose to save them for collecting subs by bank transfer, in which case they are stored encrypted and can be removed at any time
• Usage activity (pages visited, features used) for product improvement

Using the iOS app

• Device model, operating system version, and app version
• Diagnostic and crash information, to keep the app stable
• A push notification token, if you enable notifications, used only to deliver them

Players added to a club

• First name and last name
• Mobile phone number
• For a player managed by a parent or guardian: the guardian's name and mobile number — messages about that player are addressed and delivered to the guardian
• Position and shirt number (optional)
• Availability responses, match appearances, and payment history
• How they were added to the club (by a manager or via an invite link)

Players who sign up via an invite link

In addition to the above, we record your consent and the date and time it was given. Players can view their own information through a secure link we send them; access is confirmed with a one-time code and no player account is created.

03Why we process your data and our lawful basis

Performance of a contract

We process account holder data to provide the AutomateSport service you have signed up for, including sending payment requests, managing your squad, and processing subscription and any message add-on payments.

Legitimate interests

We process player data entered by managers on the basis of legitimate interests — specifically, enabling clubs to manage their members and collect agreed match subscriptions. We have assessed that players have a reasonable expectation of this within a club context. We also rely on legitimate interests to verify a club owner's mobile number and to detect and prevent spam, fraud, and abuse of our messaging features (for example, limiting how many clubs a single number can enable) — this protects players, other clubs, and the reliability of the service. On the same basis, we screen content submitted to or sent through the platform for abusive or offensive material, to protect recipients (including children), keep the platform and our messaging accounts in good standing, and meet our providers' requirements.

Consent

Where a player signs up via an invite link, we rely on their explicit consent, which is recorded at the time of submission. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us or using the opt-out link in any message we send you.

Legal obligation

We retain financial records for 7 years as required by UK law. Where content involves a child-safety concern, we may also process, preserve and disclose it to comply with a legal obligation and to meet safeguarding duties.

04How we use your data

• To operate and improve the AutomateSport web platform and iOS app
• To send availability requests, payment requests, and reminders via WhatsApp on behalf of your club (to the player, or to their guardian where the player is parent-managed)
• To verify a club owner's mobile number and to prevent spam and abuse of messaging
• To screen content submitted or sent through the platform for abusive, offensive or prohibited material, and to keep a record of moderation decisions
• To send app notifications to your device, where you have enabled them
• To process subscription and message add-on payments, and to enable clubs to collect subs directly via Stripe
• To provide you with account and service communications
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations

05WhatsApp messaging and number verification

When your club sends availability requests, subs requests, or reminders, we deliver them to players via WhatsApp, through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform and our messaging provider. Where a player is managed by a parent or guardian, the message is addressed and delivered to the guardian instead. A recipient's phone number is shared with these providers solely to deliver the specific messages your club has requested. Separately, we send a one-time code by SMS to a club owner's own mobile number to verify it.

WhatsApp messages are also subject to Meta's own terms and privacy practices. We do not use player phone numbers for advertising, and we do not sell them. Every message includes a way to opt out (see section 10).

06Payments

Subscription payments and any optional message add-on purchases are processed by Stripe. When your club collects subs by card, players pay into your club's own connected Stripe account — that money never passes through us. In all cases card details are handled entirely by Stripe under its own privacy policy; we never see or store full card numbers.

A club may instead choose to collect subs in cash or by bank transfer. These payments are arranged directly between the player and the club and do not pass through us or Stripe. If a club chooses bank transfer, it may optionally save its own receiving bank account details so we can include them in the request sent to players; those are the club's own details, stored encrypted, shared only with that club's players to enable payment, and removable at any time.

07Who we share your data with

We use carefully selected third-party service providers to operate AutomateSport. Each provider is subject to a data processing agreement and is located in the UK, EU, or a country with adequate data protection standards recognised under UK GDPR.

A full list of sub-processors is available on request at privacy@automatesport.com.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

08How long we keep your data

• Account data: retained while your account is active and for 2 years after closure
• Player data: retained for 2 years after the last recorded activity, or until you request deletion
• Payment records: subscription, add-on, and subs records retained for 7 years as required by UK financial record-keeping law
• Messaging & verification logs: retained for 12 months for dispute resolution and abuse prevention
• Moderation & abuse records: records of moderation decisions (including the content assessed and the source IP address) retained for 12 months to enforce our Acceptable Use rules and handle disputes and appeals; records relating to a safeguarding concern may be retained longer where the law requires

09Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have the following rights:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: ask us to delete your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Restriction: ask us to stop processing your data in certain circumstances
• Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object: object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@automatesport.com. We will respond within 30 days.

10Opting out of messages

If you no longer wish to receive availability, payment requests, or reminders from a club, you can opt out at any time using the opt-out link included in every message. Opting out stops all automated messages from that club. Your payment record within the club remains unchanged.

11Children's data

AutomateSport accounts are for adults (18+). Players in a squad may be under 18. Where that is the case, the club manager is responsible for obtaining consent from a parent or guardian before entering a young player's data. We only process an under-18 player's name, contact number, and club participation data on the club's instructions, and never for marketing. If you believe a child's data has been added without proper consent, contact us at privacy@automatesport.com and we will remove it.

12Cookies

Essential storage is always on — for example, remembering your cookie choice and keeping you signed in. With your consent, we also use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used and improve it; these analytics cookies are only set after you select “Accept” on our cookie banner. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time via “Cookie settings” in the footer. We do not use advertising cookies.

13Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the opportunity to resolve any concerns first — please contact us at privacy@automatesport.com.

14Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify account holders by email and update the effective date at the top of this page.