Data Protection Commission seeks meeting with FAI over youth player registration concerns

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has asked to meet with the Football Association of Ireland amidst a data protection dispute that has seen one grassroots club in Co Wicklow suspended by the Dublin and District Schoolboys’/girls’ League (DDSL).

Ahead of the ongoing season, the DDSL asked parents to upload copies of personal documents and photographs of their children in order to register them to play in competitions organised by the league.

Ardmore Rovers, based in Ballywaltrim, Co Wicklow, says the club is not being provided fixtures by the DDSL after advising its members not to use the registration system due to data protection concerns.

After receiving a number of complaints from parents relating to the new requirements, the DPC has engaged with both the DDSL and the FAI and has said that they will meet with the sport’s governing body in order to discuss parents’ concerns.

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“I can confirm that we have been in contact with the FAI on this matter and have arranged to meet with them next week,” said Graham Doyle, deputy commissioner of the DPC.

The DDSL is an affiliate league of the FAI. Over 130 youth football clubs in Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath take part in its competitions organised for children between the ages of 11 and 18. According to the league’s website, its season began last weekend.

The DDSL uses a registration software called Sportlomo. The online system asks parents to upload the details and photo page of their child’s passport, birth certificate or Department of Justice certificate. A separate, passport-style photo, is also required. Parents and guardians must also sign a waiver which acknowledges that their child’s data will be used by their club and/or the DDSL.

In a statement, Ardmore Rovers says it is “extremely disappointed in the DDSL decision not to provide fixtures to our teams” after the club advised members “not to use the DDSL registration system until all concerns regarding data security, privacy and protection were fully resolved.”

“This matter is now with the Data Protection Commissioner and they will guide our actions going forward. We will update our members as soon as possible on this urgent matter and hope to have our teams active again and playing football again as soon as possible.

“We have not made this decision lightly. However, the welfare of our players will always remain our primary concern.”

In a letter sent to the DDSL and the FAI, seen by The Irish Times, the chairman of one club competing in the DDSL said that “there are entirely insufficient organisational and technical measures in place to properly ensure the protection of all personal data within the application”.

According to the letter, the use of Sportlomo raises “significant concerns” that other DDSL clubs can gain “unrestricted access” to member data “including photos and passports of children.” Concerns also arise for children’s data not being separated from other Sportlomo clients. The chairman asked the DDSL to suspend the use of the registration system “pending a full review of all concerns.”

A spokesperson for the FAI said that the organisation is “aware of queries relating to a registration system used by one of our affiliates,” and that the governing body is “liaising with the DPC to ensure that player registration data is handled in the appropriate and compliant manner.”

The DDSL was contacted for comment.