POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Aspire Football Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people who participate in our programmes.

We aim to:

• Provide a safe and welcoming environment for every player.
• Promote the welfare and wellbeing of children.
• Ensure coaches and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities.
• Follow appropriate safeguarding procedures when concerns are raised.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries between coaches and players.
• Take concerns about abuse, neglect, bullying or inappropriate behaviour seriously.
• Ensure safeguarding concerns are reported and dealt with appropriately.

All coaches and staff working with children are expected to follow Aspire's safeguarding procedures and relevant safeguarding requirements.

If a parent, player or member of staff has a safeguarding concern, they should report it to the Aspire Football Academy safeguarding lead as soon as possible.

In an emergency or where a child is in immediate danger, the appropriate emergency services should be contacted.

Aspire Football Academy expects everyone involved with the academy to behave respectfully and responsibly.

Aspire Football Academy is committed to providing equal opportunities for all players.

We do not tolerate discrimination based on characteristics protected by UK law, including:

• Age
• Disability
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Marriage or civil partnership

We aim to create an environment where every player feels welcomed, respected and able to develop.

Any concerns regarding discrimination should be reported to academy management.

Aspire Football Academy has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying.

Bullying may include:

• Physical bullying
• Verbal abuse
• Threatening behaviour
• Intimidation
• Exclusion
• Online or social media bullying
• Repeated unwanted behaviour

Any concern about bullying should be reported to a coach or member of academy management.

Concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

Aspire Football Academy may take photographs and videos during training sessions, matches, camps and events for legitimate academy purposes, including promotion, social media and website content.

Where required, appropriate parental/guardian consent will be obtained.

Parents/guardians can raise concerns regarding photography or video content with Aspire Football Academy.

Players will not be intentionally photographed or filmed for promotional purposes where appropriate consent has not been provided.

Aspire Football Academy respects the privacy of players, parents and guardians.

We may collect information such as:

• Player name
• Date of birth
• Parent/guardian contact details
• Emergency contact information
• Relevant medical information
• Attendance information
• Payment information
• Consent information

Information is collected and used for purposes such as:

• Registering players
• Managing sessions
• Communicating with parents/guardians
• Managing payments
• Safeguarding
• Emergency situations
• Academy administration

We will take reasonable steps to keep personal information secure and will only use or share information where there is an appropriate lawful basis.

For further information, please see our full Privacy Policy.

Aspire Football Academy is committed to providing a safe environment for players, parents, coaches and staff.

We aim to:

• Carry out appropriate checks of training environments.
• Identify and manage potential risks.
• Maintain appropriate first-aid arrangements.
• Ensure coaches understand emergency procedures.
• Respond appropriately to injuries and accidents.
• Take appropriate action during extreme weather conditions.
• Ensure equipment is used safely.
• Record relevant accidents and incidents.

Players must inform a coach if they feel unwell, are injured or believe something is unsafe.

Parents/guardians must provide Aspire with relevant medical or emergency information that may affect their child's participation.

Parents/guardians are responsible for providing accurate and up-to-date emergency and medical information for their child.

This may include:

• Allergies
• Medical conditions
• Medication requirements
• Emergency contact details
• Relevant injuries or restrictions

In an emergency, Aspire Football Academy will take reasonable steps to protect the player's health and wellbeing and may contact the emergency services where necessary.

Parents/guardians should ensure the academy is informed of any changes to their child's medical or emergency information.

Aspire Football Academy aims to provide a high standard of service to all players and families.

If you have a concern or complaint, we encourage you to raise it as soon as possible so that we can attempt to resolve the matter.

By registering a player with Aspire Football Academy, parents/guardians agree to comply with the academy's policies, procedures and terms.

These include:

• Payment requirements
• Attendance requirements
• Registration procedures
• Behaviour expectations
• Safeguarding procedures
• Health and safety requirements
• Photography and video consent
• Cancellation procedures

Aspire Football Academy reserves the right to refuse or terminate participation where serious or repeated breaches of academy policies occur.

Any changes to our terms and conditions will be communicated appropriately.

Aspire Football Academy understands that circumstances can change.

Our cancellation and refund arrangements may vary depending on the service booked, including:

• Monthly memberships
• Group sessions
• Private coaching
• Camps
• Events
• Other academy services

Any registration fees described as non-refundable will not normally be refunded unless Aspire Football Academy determines otherwise or the law requires a refund.

Parents/guardians should contact Aspire as soon as possible regarding cancellations or refund requests.

Parents/guardians are responsible for collecting their child promptly at the end of a session unless alternative arrangements have been agreed with Aspire Football Academy.

If a parent/guardian is going to be late, they should contact the academy as soon as possible.

Repeated late collection may result in further action being taken.

Children will not normally be permitted to leave a session with an unauthorised person.

Aspire Football Academy uses social media to promote football, celebrate player development and communicate with our community.

Players, parents, coaches and staff are expected to use social media responsibly.

We do not tolerate:

• Bullying
• Harassment
• Threats
• Discrimination
• Abusive comments
• Sharing confidential information
• Sharing inappropriate images or videos of children

Any concerns relating to Aspire's social media activity should be raised directly with academy management rather than through public social media discussions.

Aspire Football Academy will regularly review its policies and procedures to ensure they remain appropriate and reflect current requirements and good practice.

Policies may be updated when necessary.

Last reviewed: August 2026