Privacy policy

Who we are

FootyGrounds (footygrounds.com) is a supporter-built guide to football grounds, operated from the United Kingdom. For UK GDPR purposes we are the data controller for the personal data described below. Contact: chris@mcgarrigle.com.

What we collect and why

• Account data — email address, display name, nickname, home club and, if you sign in with Google, the basic profile Google returns. Used to create and secure your account. Lawful basis: contract.
• Contributions — reviews, ratings, ground ticks and passport entries, forum posts, photos and drone footage, plus the credit you choose to display. Used to publish your content and to moderate it. Lawful basis: contract and legitimate interests (community safety).
• Marketplace data — listings, wanted ads, orders and related messages. Payment card details are handled by our payment provider, never by us. Lawful basis: contract and legal obligation (records).
• Location — for "Football near me" we use either the town you type or, only if you allow the browser prompt, your device location. Coordinates are used in the moment to rank nearby grounds and are not stored against your account.
• Enquiries — pub partner and general enquiries you send us, including the contact details you provide. Lawful basis: legitimate interests (responding to you).
• Technical and analytics data — IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed and referrer, collected via Google Analytics to understand how the site is used and to keep it secure. Lawful basis: legitimate interests / consent where required.
• Preferences — language choice and similar settings stored in your browser.

Cookies and similar technology

We use strictly necessary storage to keep you signed in and to remember preferences such as your language. We also use Google Analytics for aggregated usage measurement. You can block or clear cookies in your browser, and you can opt out of Google Analytics with Google's opt-out add-on. Blocking necessary storage may stop sign-in from working.

Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers who process it on our instructions: our hosting, database, authentication and storage platform; Google Analytics; our email provider; our payment provider for marketplace fees; and mapping, geocoding and translation services used to render pages. Some providers operate outside the UK/EEA, in which case transfers rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses. We may also disclose data where the law requires it or to protect users from harm.

Anything you publish — reviews, ratings, photos, forum posts, marketplace listings and your public profile name — is visible to other visitors by design.

How long we keep it

Account and contribution data is kept while your account is open. If you close your account we delete or anonymise your personal details; published contributions may remain in an anonymised form so pages stay coherent. Marketplace and fee records are kept for up to six years for tax and accounting. Analytics data is retained on a rolling basis in line with Google Analytics settings. Moderation records of rule breaches are kept only as long as needed to enforce bans.

Your rights

You have the right to access, correct, delete or port your data, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent where processing relies on it. Email chris@mcgarrigle.com and we will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with our response you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Children

Accounts are for users aged 16 and over. If you believe a child has registered, contact us and we will remove the account.

Changes

We may update this policy; the date above shows the latest revision. See also our terms and conditions and accessibility statement.