Falmouth Community Youth Football Club – Social Media Policy – 2022
Falmouth Community Youth Football Club understand everyone involved in football must recognise
that the responsibility to safeguard exists both on and off the field of play; coaches, club officials,
volunteers and others in a position of trust in football need to act responsibly both on and off the
field and this includes the use of electronic communications.
Clubs and leagues that set up websites have a responsibility to ensure safeguards are in place;
coaches, officials and those in a position of responsibility in clubs and must ensure they
communicate responsibly. Clubs are responsible for ensuring all content hosted on their websites,
social network areas and any associated message boards or blogs abide by the Rules and Regulations
of The English Football League (EFL) and The Football Association (FA)
The club should:
- Refrain from publishing comments about other clubs, players or referees and any controversial or
potentially inflammatory subjects. - Avoid hostile or harassing communications in any posts or other online communications.
Harassment is any offensive conduct based on a person`s race, sex, gender identity, national origin,
colour, disability, age sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, religion or any other status
identified by The Equality Act 2010. - Identify all copyrighted or borrowed material with citations and links. When publishing direct
paraphrased quotes, thoughts, ideas, photos or videos, give credit to the original publisher or
author. - If it maintains a website, blog, chat room, video-sharing site, bulletin board or other social media
that promotes their club, should remember they are responsible for reviewing responses to online
posts and resolving any concerns about the propriety of the responses before they are posted. - If a blogger or any other online participant posts an inaccurate, or negative comment about the
club or anyone associated with the club, do not respond to the post and contact The Club Welfare
Officer for guidance/advice.
FCYFC Volunteers must not: - Use text or emails for personal conversations, sending pictures, jokes or other items of a personal
nature or engage in any ‘banter’ or comments with or about children at the club. - Use internet or web based mobile phones or other form of communications to send personal
messages of a non-football nature to a child or young person. - Respond to emails or texts from young people other than those directly related to club matters.
- Use language that is directly (or could be misinterpreted as being) racist, sexist, derogatory,
threatening, abusive or sexualised in tone. - Accept as a friend, young players or any person employed or volunteering at the club who is U18
on social networking sites. - Share your own personal social networking sites with children or young people involved at the
football club or ask them to be your ‘friend’. - Make contact with children or young people known through football outside of the football
context on social networking sites. 8. Post personal comments in relation to the management or
operation of the club, club officials. match officials, children, parent/guardian or opposition teams or
any family members of those groups. 9. Delete any inappropriate text or email messages sent to you
as they may form part of any subsequent investigation.
Parent Guidance - Know who the FCYFC Welfare Officers are (Hannah Martin & Caroline Moyses) and how to contact
them if you have any concerns about the content of club web pages or in relation to the welfare of
your child. - Ensure you are aware of how coaches, managers and other members of the club should
communicate with your child. - Show an interest in the communications between the club, you and your child.
- Familiarise yourself with The Football Association’s guidance for clubs in relation to websites, text
messaging and social networking sites. - Understand the club’s communication practices. If the club uses text messages or emails as a
source of communication you may request to be copied into anything sent to your child. - Ensure your child understands that they should tell someone that they trust about
communications that make them feel uncomfortable or when they’ve been asked not to tell their
parent/carer or coach about the communication. - Remember as a parent/carer of a child at the club you and your child are responsible for and need
to abide by the club policy, The Football League Policy Guidance and The FA Rules and Regulations
regarding comments that you place online about the club or club officials, The Football League,
players, managers, match officials, opposing teams players or family members of any of those
groups. - Inform the FCYFC Welfare Officer as soon as possible if you, or your child, receives any
inappropriate communication from any member of staff/volunteer or other person associated with
the club and save the communication. - Parents must not use social media to speak ill of the club or any staff or associates or to comment
on players, training or matches. - Parents must not reveal any information they may have received about a player
Player’s Guidance
Players must not: - Post, host, text or email things that are hurtful, insulting, offensive, abusive, threatening, or racist
as this would go against football club’s rules and could also be against the law. Or post personal
comments in relation to the management or operation of the club, club officials, match officials,
players, opposition team member(s), or any family members of those above. - Engage in any personal communications, ‘banter’ or comments with staff / volunteer(s), players’
opposition teams. - Give out personal details online including mobile numbers, email addresses or social networking
account access to people you don’t know well offline. - Invite any adult involved with the club to become your friends online, or accept them as a friend
on any social network site. They have been told they must not to accept such invitations. - Use internet, web-based, phone or any other form of communication to send personal messages
of a non-football nature to any member of staff/volunteer at the club. - Delete inappropriate text or email messages sent to you as they may form part of any subsequent
investigation. - Use inappropriate or unacceptable language.
- Reveal information about training, fixtures and contractual agreements etc using social media
posts. These will be provided by the Club for your own use only.
A breach of this policy will be taken to the FCYFC for discussion and may lead to involvement with
our local FA Offices.
All reports of cyberbullying and other technology misuses will be investigated fully and may result in
notification to the police where Falmouth Community Youth Football Club is obliged to do so.
Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, suspension, or banning from Falmouth Community
Youth Football Club. Everyone must be aware that in certain circumstances where a crime has been
committed, they may be subject to a criminal investigation by the police over which Falmouth
Community Youth Football Club will have no control.