Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At Silk City Striders, we take data privacy seriously. As a community track and field club based in Manchester, we rely on trust — and that starts with being completely transparent about how we handle personal information. This policy explains what data we collect from our members, why we need it, who we share it with, and what rights you have under UK data protection law.

We operate in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our goal is simple: collect only what's necessary, keep it secure, use it responsibly, and give you full control over your own information. If anything in this document is unclear, please don't hesitate to reach out to our committee.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information directly from you when you register as a member, sign up for events, communicate with our staff, or interact with our website. The types of data we typically collect include:

• Identity & Contact Data: Full name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and postal address.
• Membership Details: Emergency contacts, club affiliation number (England Athletics), training group preferences, and competition history.
• Health & Safety Information: Relevant medical conditions, allergies, or injuries that could affect your safe participation in training or competitions. This is strictly confidential and only accessed by qualified coaches or first-aid staff.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited on our website, collected automatically through cookies and server logs.
• Financial Data: Payment confirmation and membership fee records. We do not store full card details or bank account numbers on our systems.

3. How We Use Your Data

We only use your personal data for legitimate club purposes. Specifically, we process your information to:

• Register and manage your club membership and annual renewal.
• Enter you into competitions and league fixtures through England Athletics Power of 10.
• Communicate training schedules, venue changes, and important club announcements.
• Ensure athlete welfare and respond appropriately to medical emergencies.
• Process membership fees and issue receipts for club financial records.
• Improve our website, training programmes, and overall member experience.

We will never use your personal information for unrelated marketing campaigns, and we will always ask for explicit consent before adding you to any promotional mailing lists outside of standard club communications.

4. Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to any third parties. However, to run the club effectively and comply with national sporting regulations, we do share limited information with trusted partners:

• England Athletics: Required for official club registration, competition entries, and insurance coverage.
• Power of 10 & Athletics Results Systems: For recording and publishing competition times and rankings.
• Payment Processors: Secure third-party platforms (e.g., Stripe or GoCardless) handle all fee transactions. We only receive payment confirmation.
• Emergency Services: In the event of a serious injury or medical incident at training, your emergency contact and relevant medical notes will be shared only with first responders.

5. Data Security & Retention

Protecting your data is one of our core responsibilities. We use industry-standard security measures, including encrypted databases, password-protected admin access, and regular security audits. Physical registration forms are securely stored and shredded once digitised. Payment information is never held on our servers.

We retain personal data only as long as necessary. Active membership records are kept for the duration of your membership. If you leave the club, we will delete or anonymise your personal details within 30 days, unless we are legally required to keep certain records (such as financial transactions or historical competition results for archival purposes).

6. Cookies & Website Tracking

Our website uses essential cookies to maintain functionality, along with optional analytical cookies to understand how visitors use our pages. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising or profiling. You can manage your cookie preferences directly through your browser settings. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to use the website.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

As a data subject, you have several legal rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data under certain circumstances.
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Opt out of specific processing activities, such as marketing communications.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the details provided at the bottom of this page. We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.

8. Junior Athletes & Safeguarding

We handle all data for athletes under 18 with additional care. Parental or guardian consent is required for data collection, and parents have full rights to access, update, or request deletion of their child's information. All junior data is processed in line with our Safeguarding Policy and England Athletics welfare guidelines. Coaches and volunteers with access to junior records undergo mandatory DBS checks and data protection training.

9. Contact & Data Protection Officer

Silk City Striders is committed to resolving any privacy concerns quickly and fairly. If you have questions about this policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or want to report a concern, please contact: