Privacy Policy

The Mid Lancs Badminton League ("we", "us", "the League") is a volunteer-run local badminton league operating across Central Lancashire. This policy explains what personal information we collect through midlancsbadminton.co.uk, why we collect it, and what rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

The Mid Lancs Badminton League is an unincorporated members' association run by an elected committee. If you need to contact us about anything in this policy — or to exercise any of your rights — please use our contact form. Data protection queries are handled by the League Secretary.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact form submissions — your name, email address and message.
• Club representative accounts — name, email address, club affiliation and role.
• Match scores and player names — submitted by clubs for publication in league results.

Information collected automatically

• Session data — a strictly-necessary cookie is set so that logged-in members stay logged in and the site works properly.
• Anonymous visit statistics — we log page URLs, the day of visit and a one-way hashed identifier (based on IP address and browser, salted with a secret key). This hash cannot be reversed to identify you. No cookies are used for this. Bots and administrators are excluded.
• Server logs — our hosting provider keeps standard access logs (IP address, timestamp, request) for security and diagnostic purposes.

What we do NOT do

• We do not sell your data.
• We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party advertising trackers.
• We do not send marketing emails.

How we use your information

• To publish league fixtures, results and standings.
• To respond to contact form enquiries.
• To manage member and committee accounts.
• To improve the site by understanding which pages are useful (anonymous stats only).
• To keep the site secure and protect against abuse.

Our legal basis

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

• Legitimate interests — for running the league, publishing results, keeping the site working and protecting against fraud/abuse.
• Consent — where you voluntarily submit a contact form or opt in to specific communications.
• Legal obligation — where we must retain records for regulatory reasons.

Publication of player names and match results

Player names may be published as part of match cards and results. If you are a registered player and would prefer your name not to appear publicly, please ask your club representative to contact us and we will do our best to accommodate this while still recording the match for league purposes.

How long we keep your data

• Contact form messages — up to 12 months.
• Member accounts — for as long as the member is affiliated to a league club, then removed within 12 months.
• Match results and standings — retained indefinitely as part of the historical record of the league.
• Anonymous visit statistics — retained indefinitely in aggregate; individual entries older than 24 months are periodically purged.

Who we share your data with

We only share your data with our hosting provider (who processes it under contract on our behalf) and, where legally required, with law enforcement or regulatory authorities. We do not share personal data with any third-party marketing, advertising or analytics companies.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request erasure (subject to our need to keep historical league records)
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent at any time (where consent is the basis)
• Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk)

To exercise any of these rights, please use our contact form.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS. Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms. Access to administrative functions is restricted and logged.

Children

Some of our league members are under 18. Where a junior is registered, we hold only the minimum information needed to record their participation. Consent from a parent or guardian is required for any personal data of a child under 13 to be published on the site.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of the page will always reflect the latest revision.