Terms of Service.

01The service

AutomateSport is a platform that helps football club managers and committee members run their club: manage the squad, poll availability, pick squads, record appearances, build a club website, take recruitment enquiries, and collect player subscriptions ("subs") — by card, cash, or bank transfer — using automated requests and reminders sent by WhatsApp and email. It is intended for amateur and semi-professional football clubs.

The Service is available on the web and through the AutomateSport Clubs iOS app. The app is for managers and committee — players do not need an app or an account; they respond to availability requests and pay their subs through the links you send them.

02Eligibility and accounts

• You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account.
• You must provide accurate information when registering and keep it up to date.
• One account may be used to manage multiple clubs or teams, and the same account works across the web and the iOS app.

03The mobile app

The AutomateSport Clubs iOS app is licensed, not sold, to you for use only under these Terms and Apple's standard Licensed Application End User Licence Agreement (the "Apple EULA"). To the extent of any conflict between these Terms and the Apple EULA in relation to your use of the app, the Apple EULA governs, but only to that extent.

• These Terms are between you and us, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app, its content, maintenance, support, or any claims relating to it.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms as they relate to your licence of the app, and may enforce them against you.
• You must comply with the Apple App Store Terms of Service and any usage rules that apply to the app.
• Payments are not made through Apple in-app purchase. Platform subscriptions and player subs are payments for real-world services and are processed by Stripe (see sections 4–7). Subscriptions are managed on the web at Settings → Billing.

AutomateSport is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Apple. "WhatsApp" is a trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.; we are not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Meta.

04Subscription and payment

• After any free trial, access to AutomateSport requires a paid subscription, currently £15 per month per club — covering all of your club's teams, subject to a fair-use messaging allowance (see section 5). Current pricing is always shown on our pricing page and at signup.
• A free trial is provided upon signup; its duration is shown within your account. No card is required to start it.
• Subscriptions are billed on a recurring basis via Stripe. By subscribing, you authorise us to charge your payment method until you cancel.
• Prices are exclusive of any applicable taxes, which will be added where required.
• You may cancel at any time from Settings → Billing. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — you keep access until then and can export your data.
• We do not offer refunds for unused portions of a billing period unless required by law.
• We may change subscription pricing with at least 30 days' notice to existing subscribers.

05Message allowances, fair use and add-ons

Your subscription includes a monthly allowance of WhatsApp messages intended to cover normal club use across a season. Email is not metered.

• Fair use: allowances and fair-use limits exist to keep the Service reliable and to reflect the real per-message cost of WhatsApp. Your current allowance and usage are shown in your account, and we may adjust these limits with reasonable notice.
• Add-on bundles: where offered, you may buy additional messages either as a one-off top-up (added to your current period) or as a recurring monthly add-on that raises your allowance each period. Add-ons are billed via Stripe at the price shown at the point of purchase.
• One-off top-ups are consumed within the billing period, do not roll over, and are non-refundable once purchased except where required by law. Monthly add-ons recur until you cancel them.
• Some messaging add-ons may be offered as a preview and are subject to change before general availability.

06Number verification and anti-abuse

WhatsApp messages carry a real cost and are attractive to abuse, so we gate them. Before your club can send messages, the account owner must verify a mobile number by entering a one-time code we send to it by SMS.

• To prevent abuse, a single mobile number may only be used to verify messaging for a limited number of clubs. If you reach this limit, you will be asked to contact support — email support@automatesport.com if this is a genuine need or an error.
• You must not attempt to circumvent these limits, including by creating multiple accounts or clubs to evade the per-number cap.
• We may decline, throttle, pause, freeze, or withdraw messaging where we reasonably suspect spam, abuse, artificial or automated volume, evasion of limits, or breach of the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy or applicable law.

07Collecting subs and payments to your club

AutomateSport lets your club collect subs directly from players. Card payments are processed by Stripe into your club's own connected Stripe account, under Stripe's Connected Account Agreement, which you accept when you connect your account. Your club may instead choose to collect subs in cash or by bank transfer.

• Your club is the merchant of record and is solely responsible for the underlying activity, for refunds, chargebacks and disputes, and for any tax due.
• We never take a percentage of subs. Stripe's standard processing fees apply and are set by Stripe.
• Cash and bank-transfer subs are arranged and settled directly between the player and your club. AutomateSport only sends the request and helps you track it — we do not process, hold, or guarantee those payments. If you save your club's bank details to include in bank-transfer requests, you confirm they are accurate and that you are authorised to use that account.
• We are not a party to the payment between a player and your club, and we are not a bank, payment institution, or money transmitter. Subs money never passes through our accounts.

08Your responsibilities as a club manager

When you use AutomateSport to manage players and send messages, you take on certain responsibilities:

• Player consent: you must have the player's consent before adding their personal data or sending them messages. By adding a player, you confirm you have obtained it.
• Under-18 players: where a player is under 18, you are responsible for ensuring a parent or guardian has consented on their behalf before their data is entered. By adding an under-18 player, you confirm this consent has been obtained.
• Accuracy: you are responsible for the accuracy of the data you enter, including player names and phone numbers.
• Data controller responsibilities: you are the data controller for the player data you enter; we process it on your behalf as a data processor. You must comply with UK GDPR in relation to that data.
• Messaging compliance: you are responsible for using the messaging features lawfully and in line with section 9, the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, and PECR.
• Content and conduct across your club: a club account may be used by several managers or committee members. You are responsible for all content created or sent under your account by any of them — including club and team names, messages, match reports and website content — and your club remains jointly responsible for it even where an individual user was at fault. Any restriction we apply for a breach applies at the club-account level.

09Acceptable use, content and moderation

You may use the messaging features only to send legitimate, expected communications — availability requests, squad selection, subs links and reminders, and match updates — to players and members of your own club who have consented to receive them. You must not use AutomateSport to:

• Send unsolicited marketing, promotional, political, or bulk messages, or any message a recipient has not agreed to receive
• Send abusive, harassing, deceptive, unlawful, or otherwise prohibited content, or content that breaches the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, Meta's terms, or our email provider's acceptable-use policy
• Message people who are not members of your club, or ignore opt-out requests
• Create, enter or send content that is hateful, discriminatory, harassing, threatening or bullying; sexual or obscene; violent; or that promotes activities or goods unlawful or inappropriate for minors (such as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, drugs or gambling) — in any field, including club and team names, player records, match reports and website content
• Enter false, misleading, or offensive information, or impersonate any person or entity
• Attempt to circumvent or interfere with the platform's security, limits, or functionality, or use the Service for any unlawful purpose

Message delivery depends on mobile carriers and Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, which may independently rate-limit, template-restrict, or block messages, or restrict a sender following recipient blocks or spam reports. We do not guarantee delivery.

Content screening and moderation

We may monitor, screen and assess content submitted to or sent through the Service — automatically and/or manually — to protect recipients and keep the Service and our messaging accounts in good standing. Where content breaches these Terms we may, at our discretion and in addition to suspending or terminating an account: refuse to save or send it; hold it pending review; remove it; and restrict, pause or freeze some or all of your club's messaging (see also section 6). We may act without prior notice where necessary to protect users, the Service, or our providers' standing.

Safeguarding

The Service is used by clubs whose members include children. We operate a zero-tolerance approach to content that sexualises, threatens or endangers a child. Where we identify such content we will act immediately, and may preserve it and report it to the police or relevant safeguarding authorities, as required or permitted by law.

Querying a decision

If we block content or restrict your club's messaging, we will tell you what has happened where we reasonably can, and you may ask us to review the decision by emailing support@automatesport.com. This does not apply where the law or a safeguarding concern prevents it.

10Player data and messaging opt-out

Players who receive messages via AutomateSport can opt out of further automated messages at any time using the opt-out link in every message. Opting out stops all automated availability and payment messages from that club; outstanding payment records are not affected. Managers can view opt-out status within the app.

11Intellectual property

AutomateSport and all related technology, design, and content is owned by AutomateSport Ltd. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Service for its intended purpose during your active subscription. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, or redistribute any part of the Service. Content you enter (such as your club's details and player records) remains yours.

12Availability, changes and beta features

We aim to keep AutomateSport available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may carry out maintenance, change features, or temporarily suspend the Service, and will give advance notice of planned downtime where possible. Some features — for example club websites and certain messaging add-ons — may be offered as beta or preview and provided "as is" while we refine them. We may modify or discontinue features with reasonable notice.

13Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or incidental loss arising from your use of the Service, including loss of data, revenue, or business.
• We are not liable for the acts, delays, outages, or decisions of third parties outside our control, including Stripe, Apple, and Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform and mobile carriers, or for messages they delay, restrict, or fail to deliver.
• Our total liability to you in any 12-month period shall not exceed the total subscription fees you have paid to us during that period.
• Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

14Termination

You may close your account at any time from Settings → Billing. We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, if your subscription lapses, or if required by law. Suspension or termination for breach of these Terms does not entitle you to a refund of fees already paid. On termination, your data will be retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy and then deleted.

15Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

16Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify account holders by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

17Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email hello@automatesport.com. For account, billing, or messaging support, email support@automatesport.com.

AutomateSport Ltd · Registered in England and Wales · Company no. 17254482 · 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA