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Image rights authorisation template for a club
Most of the authorisations circulating in clubs are worthless: they mix training and Instagram, do not say for how long, and provide no way of going back. Here is a template that holds up.
A club that films must be able to show that it has obtained a valid agreement. In practice, the document signed at the start of the season is the only proof it will have on the day a parent asks the question. It still has to say the right things.
The four mistakes that make an authorisation worthless
- Mixing analysis and communication. This is the most frequent and the most costly mistake. Filming a training session to review it as a team, and publishing a photo on the club's Facebook page, are two distinct uses. A single box for both makes the consent invalid, because it is no longer freely given: the parent who accepts one is forced to accept the other.
- Not saying for how long. "For the duration of membership" means nothing when the videos are still online four years later. A figure for the duration is the point an audit checks.
- Forgetting withdrawal. An agreement must be as easy to withdraw as it was to give. If the form has no address and no procedure, withdrawal is not possible.
- Having a single parent sign without saying so. For a minor, the authorisation is a matter for the legal representatives. Provide space for them, and for the child's view from a certain age.
The template, to copy and adapt
Replace what is in square brackets. Keep the boxes separate: that is what makes the document hold up.
Club: [club name]. Team / category: [category]
Season: [20XX–20XX]
I, the undersigned [first name, surname], acting as legal representative of [child's first name, surname], born on [date],
1. Sports recordings (internal analysis)
I authorise the club to film the training sessions and matches in which the child takes part, solely for sports and educational analysis.
Access: the team's coaching staff and the team's players, to the exclusion of any other person. The recordings are neither published nor shared outside the team.
☐ I authorise ☐ I do not authorise
2. Club communication (website, social media, press)
I authorise the club to publish photographs or videos in which the child is recognisable, on its communication channels.
☐ I authorise ☐ I do not authorise
3. Retention period
Sports recordings are kept for [duration, for example: until the end of the following season], then deleted. Communication content is removed on request.
4. Withdrawal of the agreement
This agreement can be withdrawn at any time, without justification and without any consequence for the child's sports participation, by simple request to [club e-mail address]. The club replies within [X] days and states what action has been taken.
5. The child's view
The child has been informed of the above in terms suited to their age and has not expressed any objection. ☐
Data controller: [club name], [address], [e-mail].
Hosting of the recordings: [provider and country].
Done at [place], on [date]
Signature of the legal representative: ____________________
Signature of the second legal representative (if applicable): ____________________
What to write in place of the brackets
- The duration. One season, or the current season plus the next, are clear and defensible durations. Avoid "indefinite period", which is exactly what an audit picks up on.
- The reply deadline. Thirty days is a common benchmark. What matters is that a deadline exists and that the club sticks to it, whatever the number.
- The hosting. Name the provider and the country. If you do not know where your videos are, that is the first question to put to your supplier, and its inability to answer is information in itself.
What the form cannot do on its own
A signed document only protects if practice follows. Three points are written elsewhere, in the internal regulations:
- Who really has access. If the videos go into a messaging group, the commitment "access limited to the team" is false on the same day. See sharing videos without WhatsApp.
- What happens when a player leaves. A question to settle before the first departure, not when it arrives.
- Who decides in case of a withdrawal request when several players are in the same sequence. The detail of these three cases is in what the club must put in place.
And for adult players
The same document works, without the legal representative part: the player signs for themselves. Do not presume an adult's agreement because they are registered with the club, as a sports licence does not imply consent to being filmed and shared.
Frequently asked questions
Does the authorisation have to be in writing?
The law does not systematically require writing, but it is up to the club to prove that it obtained a valid agreement. Without a signed document, that proof does not exist: writing is therefore the only tenable practice.
Do you need both parents' signatures?
The authorisation is a matter for the legal representatives. A single signature is generally enough, but provide space for the second: in case of separation or a known disagreement, the double signature avoids a dispute.
Can you turn away a child whose parents refuse the video?
No. Consent is only valid if it is freely given: it cannot be a condition of sports participation. This is precisely why refusal must appear as a box to tick, on an equal footing with agreement.
How long should you keep the videos?
The law does not set a duration for training videos: it is up to the club to define one and stick to it. One season, or the current season plus the next, is a defensible benchmark, as long as it is written in the authorisation and applied.
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Access limited to the team, deletion on request, hosting in Switzerland and a public list of subcontractors: what you promise the parents, the tool must do.