Privacy Policy

01

About this policy

Murwillumbah Football Club Incorporated (ABN 62 725 164 543), also known as Murwillumbah FC, MFC Warning, “MFC”, “we”, “us” or “the Club”, is a not-for-profit community sporting organisation.

We are committed to handling personal information responsibly and transparently. Where applicable, we manage personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and health information in accordance with the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) and the Health Privacy Principles. We also follow applicable safeguarding, sporting, insurance and record-keeping requirements.

This policy applies to information about players, parents and guardians, members, coaches, managers, officials, volunteers, committee members, employees and contractors, sponsors, supporters, visitors, website users and other people who interact with the Club.

02

Information we collect

Depending on your relationship with MFC, we may collect and hold:

• Identity, contact and demographic details, including name, preferred name, date of birth, gender, address, email, phone number, player identifiers and emergency contacts.
• Junior player details, including parent or guardian information, family relationships, age and consent records.
• Registration and participation information, including membership category, team, competition, attendance, availability, eligibility, grading or selection information, proof of age or identity where required, results and playing history.
• Payment information, including fees, payment status, refunds, vouchers or concessions and transaction records. Card details are generally handled by our payment providers rather than stored by MFC.
• Health and sensitive information, where reasonably necessary, including injuries, medical conditions, allergies, medications, disability or accessibility needs, fitness information and emergency treatment details.
• Safeguarding and compliance information, including Working With Children Check details, qualifications, incident reports, complaints, disciplinary matters and welfare concerns.
• Images and recordings, including photographs, video, audio, match footage and related consent preferences.
• Volunteer, contractor and workforce information, including role, availability, experience, qualifications, references and payment or reimbursement details.
• Communications and feedback, including emails, form submissions, enquiries, survey responses and social media interactions.
• Website and technical information, such as IP address, device and browser information, pages visited, cookies and form activity.

We only collect sensitive information when it is reasonably necessary for a Club activity, where consent has been provided, or where collection is otherwise authorised or required by law.

03

How we collect information

We usually collect information:

• directly from you, or from a parent, guardian or authorised representative;
• through registration, membership, team nomination, event, volunteer, sponsorship, payment, consent and enquiry forms;
• through Club websites, email, phone, social media, surveys and in-person interactions;
• through approved registration and operational platforms, which may include CEMORA, Football Australia registration services, Squadi, SignOnDay, payment services and other platforms used by MFC from time to time;
• from coaches, managers, officials, committee members and authorised volunteers during Club activities;
• from Football Australia, Football Queensland, competition administrators, affiliated clubs, insurers, service providers, referees, medical or emergency personnel, and government or regulatory bodies; and
• from publicly available sources where appropriate.

If required information is not provided, we may be unable to complete a registration, process a payment, confirm eligibility, respond to an enquiry or support safe participation.

If you give us another person’s information, please ensure you are authorised to do so and that they understand how the information may be handled.

04

Why we use information

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:

• process registrations, memberships, team nominations, payments and refunds;
• confirm eligibility and organise teams, competitions, training, events and player pathways;
• communicate fixtures, Club news, operational updates, opportunities and safety information;
• support player welfare, injury management, accessibility, emergency response and safe participation;
• manage safeguarding, behaviour, complaints, discipline and integrity matters;
• administer volunteers, coaches, officials, contractors, sponsors and partners;
• manage insurance, facilities, grants, governance, finance, audits and legal obligations;
• publish approved Club news, results, photographs and community stories;
• maintain and secure our websites, systems and records; and
• evaluate and improve Club programs and participation experiences.

We may send Club-related updates or promotional communications where permitted. You can opt out of non-essential marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe option or contacting us. We will still send communications needed to administer your registration, team, safety or Club obligations.

MFC does not sell personal information.

05

Children and young people

MFC works with many children and young people. We take particular care with their personal information and apply our safeguarding obligations when collecting, using, storing or sharing it.

• We generally collect junior player information from, or with the involvement of, a parent or guardian.
• We consider the child’s age, maturity, capacity, best interests and the sensitivity of the information when seeking consent or responding to requests.
• Access to junior information is limited to people who reasonably need it for registration, coaching, safety, welfare or administration.
• We do not publicly publish a child’s private contact details.
• We may act or share information without consent where reasonably necessary to protect a child, respond to an emergency, report a welfare concern, or comply with law.

A parent or guardian may ask about a child’s information, subject to the young person’s own privacy rights, their best interests and any legal or safeguarding restrictions.

06

Photography and media

MFC may use photographs, video, match footage or stories to celebrate football, recognise participants, promote Club activities and engage the community. We manage media in line with our registration, consent and safeguarding procedures.

You may withdraw consent for future use by contacting us. We will take reasonable steps to stop new uses, but we may not be able to retrieve material already printed, lawfully published, archived or shared by others. If you have an immediate safety or privacy concern about an image, please contact us as soon as possible.

07

When we share information

We may disclose information, on a need-to-know basis, to:

• Football Australia, Football Queensland, competition administrators, affiliated clubs, referees and other sporting bodies;
• authorised committee members, coaches, managers, officials, volunteers and contractors;
• providers of registration, team management, communications, website hosting, cloud storage, payments, accounting, ticketing and other Club systems;
• insurers, brokers, health professionals, emergency services, professional advisers, facility owners and government bodies;
• child protection, integrity, law enforcement, courts, regulators or other authorities where required or authorised; and
• other parties where you have consented or would reasonably expect the disclosure.

Sponsors and partners do not receive member contact lists for their own marketing unless the affected individuals have consented. We may provide sponsors with aggregated or de-identified information that does not identify individuals.

We do not publish or disclose a player’s injury or health information beyond people who reasonably need it for care, safety, participation, insurance or administration unless the person has consented or the disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

External providers handle information under their own terms and privacy policies. When using one of these services, you should also review the privacy notice shown by that provider.

08

Overseas handling

MFC does not routinely send personal information directly to overseas organisations. However, some cloud, registration, communications, social media and technology providers may store or process information using infrastructure outside Australia, including in the United States and other locations described in their privacy policies. Provider locations can change and it may not be practicable for MFC to name every country in advance.

Where privacy law applies, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances when selecting and using providers, and we can provide further information about a particular service on request.

09

Security and retention

We use reasonable administrative, physical and technical measures appropriate to a community sporting club. These may include approved systems, access restrictions, account and password controls, secure payment providers, confidentiality expectations, secure storage and limiting information to those who need it.

No system is completely secure. If a data breach occurs, we will assess and respond to it and notify affected people and regulators where required by applicable law.

We keep information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose it was collected, or to meet legal, taxation, insurance, governance, safeguarding and dispute requirements. Retention periods vary by record type. When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it, subject to backup, archive and third-party system limitations.

10

Your choices and rights

You may ask to access personal information we hold about you or request that inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading information be corrected. Contact our Privacy Officer using the details below and describe the information concerned.

We may need to verify your identity. We will respond within a reasonable period and, where the law permits us to refuse or limit access, explain the reason and available complaint options. We do not normally charge for a request, although a reasonable cost may apply where legally permitted and disclosed in advance.

You may deal with MFC anonymously or using a pseudonym when making a general enquiry where practical. We usually need your correct identity for registration, eligibility, payments, insurance, safeguarding, complaints and emergency matters.

11

Privacy concerns and complaints

Please contact our Privacy Officer if you have a question, concern or complaint. Tell us what happened, the information involved and the outcome you are seeking. We aim to acknowledge a complaint within seven days and provide an outcome within 30 days, or explain if more time is reasonably needed.

We will handle complaints respectfully, investigate as appropriate and communicate the outcome. If you are not satisfied, you may be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or, for health information in NSW, the Information and Privacy Commission NSW.

12

Website, cookies and links

Our website and online forms may use cookies and similar technology needed for functionality, security, preferences and basic usage analysis. You can adjust browser settings to limit cookies, although parts of a service may not work as intended.

MFC websites and communications may link to external services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites, and encourage you to read their policies before providing information.

13

Automated decisions

MFC does not currently arrange for personal information to be used by a computer program to make decisions solely by automation that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect a person’s rights or interests. Digital platforms may automate routine processing, such as confirmations, reminders, payment status or registration workflows, but material Club decisions remain subject to human involvement. We will update this policy if our practices materially change.

14

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our activities, systems, providers or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on this page with its effective date. We will provide additional notice where a change materially affects how information is used.