The short version: We collect your email address and a few details about who you are when you join the Pitch FC waitlist. We use that data to email you when your part of Pitch FC launches and, occasionally, to share updates about our progress. We don't sell your data, we don't share it with advertisers, and you can ask us to delete it any time by emailing hello@pitchfc.club.
The longer version is below. We've tried to write it in plain English.
1. Who we are
Pitch FC is a football platform currently in pre-launch development. We are based in the United Kingdom. The Pitch FC website (pitchfc.club) is operated by the Pitch FC team.
For the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller is the founder of Pitch FC. You can reach us at hello@pitchfc.club with any questions about how your data is handled.
2. What information we collect
When you sign up to the Pitch FC waitlist, we ask for the following information:
- Required: Your email address, your role (player, club, federation, agent, media, or just interested), and your country of residence.
- Conditional, depending on your role: If you say you're a player, we ask your level and (optionally) position. If you say you're at a club, we ask the club's name and level. If you say you're at a federation, we ask which federation and (optionally) your role there. If you're an agent, we (optionally) ask your agency.
- Optional: How you heard about Pitch FC.
- Required: Your explicit consent to receive occasional updates about Pitch FC.
We automatically capture the timestamp of your submission. We do not collect your IP address, browser fingerprint, or any other identifiers without your knowledge.
3. Why we collect it
We collect this information for three reasons:
- To contact you when Pitch FC launches. The waitlist exists so we can let you in when your part of the product is ready.
- To send you occasional updates. If you've consented, we may email you a few times a year with progress updates, product announcements, or relevant news.
- To understand our audience. Aggregate, anonymised information about who's signing up — what countries they're in, what roles they play, what level they're at — helps us build a better product and prove demand to potential partners. We do not share individually identifying information for this purpose.
4. Our legal basis under GDPR
Under UK GDPR, we are required to have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on:
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): You have explicitly opted in by checking the consent box on the waitlist form. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): We have a legitimate interest in understanding aggregate trends about our waitlist (e.g., total number of signups by country) for product development. This processing does not override your rights and freedoms.
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not provide it to third parties for marketing purposes.
We share information with the following service providers, who process your data on our behalf and only for the purposes we direct:
- Google (Google Workspace): Your waitlist submission is stored in a Google Sheet. Google's privacy practices are set out in their Privacy Policy.
- Netlify: Our website is hosted by Netlify, which may collect minimal server logs (e.g., timestamps of page visits). Their Privacy Policy covers their practices.
- Namecheap: Our domain is registered through Namecheap, which is the public registrar for pitchfc.club.
We may share your data if required by law, court order, or other legal obligation.
6. How long we keep it
We keep your waitlist data until one of the following happens:
- You ask us to delete it (we will do so within 30 days of your request).
- Pitch FC launches and you become a full user, at which point this data is migrated into your user account and is governed by our user account privacy practices (which we'll publish before launch).
- Pitch FC ceases operations, at which point all waitlist data will be deleted within 90 days.
If you withdraw consent or unsubscribe, we will delete your record within 30 days, except for a minimal record of your unsubscribe request (so we can honour it).
7. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access: You can request a copy of all the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): You can ask us to delete your data, and we will, within 30 days.
- Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit how we process your data while we investigate a complaint.
- Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format (e.g., CSV).
- Right to object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw your consent at any time. Doing so does not affect the lawfulness of any processing we did before you withdrew.
- Right to complain: You can lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@pitchfc.club. We aim to respond within 7 days and to fulfil reasonable requests within 30 days.
8. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data:
- Your data is stored in Google's infrastructure, which uses encryption in transit and at rest.
- Access to the waitlist is restricted to the Pitch FC founder and any authorised collaborators.
- We do not store financial information, passwords, or sensitive personal data on this site.
We will inform affected users without undue delay if a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms.
9. Cookies and tracking
The Pitch FC website does not currently use tracking cookies, advertising trackers, or third-party analytics scripts. We may add basic privacy-respecting analytics in future (such as Plausible), in which case we will update this policy and inform existing waitlist members.
Our hosting provider (Netlify) and our domain provider (Namecheap) may use minimal technical cookies to operate the site, but we do not control these and they are not used for tracking individuals.
10. Children and under-18s
The Pitch FC waitlist is intended for users aged 16 and over. Football platforms inherently involve young players, so when our platform launches in 2027, we will have specific safeguards for under-18 users (see our Safeguarding page). At present (during the waitlist phase), we ask that anyone under 16 only sign up with the consent of a parent or guardian.
If you believe a child under 16 has signed up without parental consent, please email hello@pitchfc.club and we will delete their record promptly.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as Pitch FC develops. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent change. If we make material changes that affect how we process existing waitlist data, we will notify affected users by email.
For any privacy questions, requests, or complaints:
If we cannot resolve your concerns, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.