Privacy Notice
This notice explains how MyFootballJournal collects, uses, stores, and protects your family's data. We've written it in plain English, not legalese. If you have questions, email us at hello@myfootballjournal.co.uk.
Who we are
MyFootballJournal is a service that lets parents record their child's grassroots football matches — stats, photos, voice notes — and keep them in a permanent journal. We're operated by SG Birch Services Ltd, a UK company.
For privacy questions, contact us at hello@myfootballjournal.co.uk.
What data we collect
Your account (you, the parent)
- Email address — to log you in and send you important service emails (password resets, account changes).
- Password — securely hashed; we never see the plain text. You create it during signup, and you can reset it at any time.
- Display name (optional) — if you want to personalise your account.
- Parental consent record — when you sign up, we record the fact that you consented to us processing your child's data, along with your IP address, browser user-agent, and the date and time. This is your proof of consent.
Your child's data
When you add a child and record their matches, we collect:
- Name, date of birth, position, kit colour — basic profile info.
- Team name, season, age group — which team they played for, when.
- Match details — the opposition, date, kickoff time, final score, formation length, any notes you add.
- Stats you tap — goals, assists, shots, saves, defensive actions, minutes played.
- Voice notes — you can record a voice note after the match; we transcribe it to text (using secure cloud speech-to-text) and keep the transcript. The audio file is automatically deleted after transcription unless you choose to keep it saved.
- Photos you upload — any match photos you add. These stay private unless you share them via the family share link.
Payment data
If you subscribe to the Stats or Reports tier, payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We never see your full card number — Stripe handles that. We only receive and store your Stripe customer ID and subscription ID so we can track your plan.
Why we collect this data
For your account: To create your login, let you recover a lost password, and send you important service updates.
For your child's data: To let you record, organise, and view your child's football history. The data you upload lives in your private journal; we never use it for any other purpose — no marketing, no analytics, no training AI models on your child's data.
For parental consent: To have a clear, timestamped record that you agreed to us processing your child's data. This is required by UK GDPR (Art 6(1)(a)) because your child is under 18 and cannot give consent themselves.
Lawful basis
We process your parent account data on the basis of contract — you ask us to provide the service, and we need your email and password to do that.
We process your child's data on the basis of parental consent. You give this consent when you tick the box at signup. You can withdraw it at any time by emailing us; we'll then delete your child's data within 30 days.
How long we keep your data
- Your account data: While your account is active, plus 30 days after you delete it (to allow you to recover it if you change your mind, and to handle any outstanding disputes).
- Your child's match data: While your account is active, plus 30 days after deletion.
- Parental consent record: We keep this for as long as your account exists; you can request a copy of it at any time.
- Voice recordings: Deleted automatically after transcription unless you save them to the journal.
- Printed products: If you ever use a future "memory product" feature to print a yearbook or photo book, once it ships, the associated data (photos, stats) may be retained in fulfilment systems beyond 30 days. We'll give you full notice before that feature launches.
Your rights
Under the UK GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to:
- Access your data — request a copy of all the data we hold about you and your child. We'll provide it in a structured, readable format.
- Correct your data — if something is wrong (a misspelled name, wrong date of birth), you can ask us to fix it. You can also edit most of it directly in the app.
- Erase your data — request that we delete all your and your child's data. We'll do this within 30 days.
- Data portability — ask for your data in a portable format (JSON or CSV) so you can move it elsewhere.
- Withdraw consent — withdraw your consent to us processing your child's data at any time. We'll delete the data within 30 days.
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@myfootballjournal.co.uk with your request.
How we secure your data
Where we store it: All data lives on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland (region: eu-west-1). This is within the UK and EU, so no risky international transfers.
How we protect it:
- Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest (AES-256).
- Access is restricted to authenticated users (you must log in to see your data).
- We use two sub-processors: AWS (for hosting and storage) and Stripe (for payments). Both are contractually bound to protect your data and comply with UK GDPR. See the sub-processors page for details.
- We don't use any third-party analytics or tracking. We don't send your data to Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or similar. We don't use cookies beyond what's essential for login.
Photos of other children
Important: When you upload photos or voice notes, you might capture other people's children — in the background, on the bench, in the team photo. You are responsible for the content you upload.
Do not upload recognisable images of other children unless you have their parents' permission. If another parent objects to a photo you've uploaded, you must remove it. See our Terms & Conditions for the full clause.
Share links are password-protected and marked `noindex` so they won't be indexed by Google. But they're still only as secure as the password — don't share it with someone you don't trust.
No ads, no trackers, no selling data
- No ads: MyFootballJournal is ad-free. The Free tier is funded by subscribers on the Stats and Reports tiers.
- No targeted marketing: We never build an audience profile from your data to sell ads. We don't use your behaviour to target anything.
- No third-party trackers: We don't use pixels, retargeting, or social-media tracking.
- No data sale: We will never sell, rent, or trade your or your child's data.
ICO Children's Code
The ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code sets standards for services that children use. MyFootballJournal is not used by children — it's a parent app, about their children, not for children to access directly. However, we follow the Code's principles anyway because we're handling children's data:
- We collect the minimum data needed.
- We don't profile or target children in any way.
- We keep the service simple and clear.
- We give parents transparent, granular controls.
International transfers
Your data mostly stays in the EU: Your account and all match data live on AWS eu-west-1 (Ireland).
Stripe is US-based: If you subscribe, Stripe (a US company) processes your payment and stores limited payment metadata. Stripe's transfers to the US are protected by:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) — a legal framework approved by the UK and EU.
- The UK's Adequacy Decision — the UK recognises the US as having adequate data protection under these SCCs.
Stripe never sees your full card number (that's PCI-DSS encrypted). We only see the customer ID and subscription details.
Cookies
We use one essential cookie: your login session token. This is necessary for you to stay logged in. It doesn't track you across the web, doesn't go to third parties, and doesn't require a consent banner because it's essential to the service.
If we add optional analytics or features in future, we'll show a clear consent banner and explain what we're collecting.
Your right to complain
If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
But please try to resolve it with us first — email hello@myfootballjournal.co.uk and we'll help.
Changes to this notice
If we update this privacy notice, we'll email you with the changes. Continued use of the service after an update means you accept the new version. We'll always give you at least 30 days' notice of material changes.