Frequently Asked Questions

What is GDPR and what does it mean for grassroots clubs?

GDPR is an important change in government legislation regarding data protection and stands for The General Data Protection Regulation. It effectively provides an update to the Data Protection Act, bringing in new requirements and increasing the penalties for breaches. Any organisation that is required by law to comply with GDPR must do so by the 25^th May 2018 at the latest.

Within this legislation there are some key changes that will affect grassroots clubs and need to be addressed.

Does this apply to our club?

The GDPR applies to any “data controllers” or “data processors”. Those are technical terms but, in essence, if you collect any personal data in running your club (which you will do if you have any members) then the GDPR will apply to you.

My club is only a small one with a few members: surely this won’t apply to me?

Although the risk is lower, if you collect and store any personal data you will have to manage the data in accordance with strong data protection principles.

What are the key things to consider for grassroots clubs?

The principles of data protection still exist. All clubs need to ensure that with regard to personal data:

• they process it securely
• it is updated regularly and accurately
• it is limited to what the club needs
• it is used only for the purpose for which it is collected;
• is deleted when the purpose for which it is collected ceases to apply and
• used for marketing purposes ONLY if the individual has given the club consent to do so.

What if my club organises events, do we need to add anything to booking form?

Yes, as data regarding an individual’s results will be passed to other organisations to publish, the individual entering the event needs to be aware of this. Therefore, if you organise an event, to comply with the GDPR, event organisers should include the following wording on event entry forms:

“You agree that we may publish your Personal Information as part of the results of the Event and may pass such information to any governing body or any affiliated organisation for the purpose of insurance, licences or for publishing results either for the event alone or combined with or compared to other events. Results may include (but not be limited to) name, any club/home country/regional/county affiliation, results, age category, penalties.”

“You also agree that in the event of a disciplinary or welfare incident that you are either involved in or witness, we may pass on your personal information to British Fencing or any other relevant Authorities for the purposes of supporting any investigatory activity into that incident.”