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Social Media Policy

Mossley AFC understand everyone involved in football must recognise that the responsibility to safeguard exists both on and off the field of play.

Coaches, club officials, volunteers and others in a position of trust in football need to act responsibly both on and off the field and this includes the use of electronic communications.

The club should:

  1. Refrain from publishing comments about other clubs, players or referees and any controversial or potentially inflammatory subjects.
  2. Avoid hostile or harassing communications in any posts or other online communications. Harassment is any offensive conduct based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, national origin, colour, disability, age sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, religion or any other status identified by The Equality Act 2010.
  3. Identify all copyrighted or borrowed material with citations and links. When publishing direct paraphrased quotes, thoughts, ideas, photos or videos, give credit to the original publisher or author.
  4. If it maintains a website, blog, chat room, video-sharing site, bulletin board or other social media that promotes their club, should remember they are responsible for reviewing responses to online posts and resolving any concerns about the propriety of the responses before they are posted.
  5. If a blogger or any other online participant posts an inaccurate, accessory or negative comment about the club or anyone associated with the club, do not respond to the post and contact The Club Marketing Officer for guidance/advice.

Club Members and Officials (whether employed or not) should NOT;

  1. Use text or emails for personal conversations, sending pictures, jokes or other items of a
    personal nature or engage in any ‘banter’ or comments with or about children at the club.
  2. Use internet or web based mobile phones or other form of communications to send personal
    messages of a non-football nature to a child or young person.
  3. Respond to emails or texts from young people other than those directly related to club
    matters.
  4. Use language that is directly (or could be misinterpreted as being) racist, sexist, derogatory,
    threatening, abusive or sexualised in tone.
  5. Accept as a friend, young players or any person volunteering at the club who is U18 on social networking sites.
  6. Share your own personal social networking sites with children or young people involved at the football club or ask them to be your ‘friend’.
  7. Make contact with children or young people known through football outside of the football context on social networking sites.
  8. Post personal comments in relation to the management or operation of the club, club officials. match officials, children, parent/guardian or opposition teams or any family members of those groups.
  9. Delete any inappropriate text or email messages sent to you as they may form part of any subsequent investigation.

Player’s Guidance
Players must not:

  1. Post, host, text or email things that are hurtful, insulting, offensive, abusive, threatening, or racist as this would go against football club’s rules and could also be against the law. Or post personal comments in relation to the management or operation of the club, club officials, match officials, players, opposition team member(s), or any family members of those above.
  2. Engage in any personal communications, ‘banter’ or comments with staff / volunteer(s), players’ opposition teams.
  3. Give out personal details online including mobile numbers, email addresses or social networking account access to people you don’t know well offline
  4. Use internet, web-based, phone or any other form of communication to send personal messages of a non-football nature to any member of staff/volunteer at the club
  5. Delete inappropriate text or email messages sent to you as they may form part of any subsequent investigation
  6. Use inappropriate language.
  7. Reveal information about training, fixtures and contractual agreements etc using social media posts.

A breach of this policy will be considered by senior management All reports of cyberbullying and other technology misuses will be investigated fully and may result in notification to the police where Mossley AFC is obliged to do so. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, suspension, or banning from Mossley AFC. Everyone must be aware that in certain circumstances where a crime has been committed, they may be subject to a criminal investigation by the police over which Mossley AFC will have no control.