Privacy Policy

PlayerXI ("PlayerXI", "we", "us", or "our") operates a football talent-discovery and communication platform designed to connect football players with scouts, clubs, academies, and other permitted football organisations.

PlayerXI may act as the responsible party for personal information processed through the Platform, subject to the specific circumstances of the processing.

PlayerXI is committed to processing personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable South African data-protection law, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"), where applicable. POPIA establishes conditions for lawful processing of personal information by public and private bodies.

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information processed through PlayerXI relating to:

• Players
• Minor Players
• Parents and legal guardians
• Scouts
• Football clubs
• Academies
• Organisation representatives
• Platform administrators
• People who contact PlayerXI
• People who report users or safety concerns
• Visitors to PlayerXI websites or applications, where applicable

This policy applies whether information is provided directly by you, generated through your use of PlayerXI, or received from another permitted source.

Data minimisation — We aim to collect information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.

Purpose limitation — We use information for identified and legitimate purposes and do not intentionally collect information simply because it may be useful in the future.

Child protection — Where a player is a child, additional safeguards apply to their information.

Transparency — We aim to explain what information we collect and how it is used.

Security — We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards to protect information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

User control — Where applicable, users and competent persons acting for children may exercise rights relating to their personal information.

The information PlayerXI collects depends on the type of account and the features used.

Player information. A Player may provide:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Age or age group
• Football position
• Playing level
• Competition level
• Region
• Country
• Club or academy information
• Football history
• Match statistics
• Achievements
• Physical attributes
• Photographs
• Football videos
• Profile information
• Contact information
• Account credentials
• Other information voluntarily submitted through the Platform

PlayerXI will not necessarily require every category of information from every Player. Where information is optional, the Platform may identify it as optional.

Because PlayerXI may be used by children, additional safeguards apply to Minor Players. Information relating to a Minor Player may include:

• Name
• Age or age group
• Date of birth
• Football position
• Region
• Country
• Football history
• Competition level
• Self-reported statistics
• Physical attributes
• Photographs
• Videos
• Guardian information
• Account information
• Other information necessary for legitimate Platform functions

PlayerXI does not intentionally make a Minor Player's exact residential address, personal phone number, personal email address, school information, or guardian verification documents available to Scouts, Clubs, Academies, or the public through ordinary profile visibility.

POPIA places restrictions on processing personal information of children and provides specific circumstances under which such processing may be permitted. PlayerXI will therefore implement its child-data processing together with appropriate consent, safeguards, and legal review.

Where a Minor Player requires parental or guardian involvement, PlayerXI may collect information necessary to:

• Identify the Parent/Guardian
• Confirm the relationship with the Minor Player
• Confirm that the person has authority to act for the child
• Record guardian consent
• Manage visibility permissions
• Approve or reject Scout contact
• Approve or reject Trial invitations
• Handle privacy requests
• Protect the child
• Comply with applicable law

Guardian verification information may include identity information and supporting documentation where reasonably necessary. Verification documents are treated as restricted information and are not displayed as part of a Player profile.

To protect Players and especially Minor Players, PlayerXI may collect additional information from Scouts, Clubs, Academies, and other Organisations. This may include:

• Legal name
• Date of birth
• Email address
• Organisation name
• Organisation type
• Professional role
• Organisation affiliation
• Contact information
• Verification information
• Supporting documentation
• Account activity
• Verification status
• Reports concerning the account
• Information necessary to investigate safety or fraud concerns

PlayerXI uses this information to determine whether an account should be permitted to access certain features.

When you use PlayerXI, we may automatically collect information necessary to operate and secure the Platform, such as:

• IP address
• Device information
• Browser or application information
• Operating-system information
• Login activity
• Account activity
• Session information
• Security events
• Error logs
• Authentication events
• Approximate location derived from technical information where necessary for security
• Other technical information generated through normal Platform operation

PlayerXI uses technical information primarily for: security, authentication, fraud prevention, troubleshooting, Platform operation, performance monitoring, and legal or safety investigations.

PlayerXI may process messages and related communication information transmitted through the Platform. This is necessary to provide the messaging service and to protect users.

Messages may also be reviewed or processed where reasonably necessary for:

• Reports of harassment
• Child-safety concerns
• Fraud investigations
• Abuse investigations
• Enforcement of the Terms of Service
• Security incidents
• Legal obligations
• Protection of users

PlayerXI does not treat private messaging as an unrestricted public area. Access to message content by PlayerXI personnel should be limited to authorised personnel with a legitimate reason to access it.

Players may provide statistics such as goals, assists, appearances, minutes, clean sheets, matches played, competition information, and other football performance information.

Unless PlayerXI expressly verifies the information, these statistics are treated as self-reported. PlayerXI may label them as "Self-reported" or otherwise indicate that they have not been independently verified. PlayerXI may investigate suspected fraudulent statistics where necessary to protect the integrity of the Platform.

Players may upload football videos and photographs to their profiles. PlayerXI may process these files to:

• Store them
• Encode or optimise them for streaming
• Display them according to profile visibility settings
• Apply PlayerXI branding or watermarks
• Review them for safety and policy compliance
• Prevent unauthorised use
• Investigate reports
• Operate the talent-discovery service

PlayerXI is designed to host uploaded videos on its own infrastructure or through appropriately authorised infrastructure providers rather than intentionally publishing them as unrestricted public videos on third-party social-media platforms. Where technically supported, PlayerXI may apply an automatic watermark.

PlayerXI may review uploaded videos before making them available to other users. Where automated tools are used, they may assist with identifying potentially prohibited, unsafe, fraudulent, or inappropriate material. Automated systems may not always be accurate. PlayerXI may use human review where appropriate, particularly for reports, appeals, safety issues, or potential violations involving children.

PlayerXI may receive information about you from other users or permitted sources. For example:

• A Parent/Guardian may provide information about a Minor Player
• A Scout may submit information about an Organisation
• A Club may confirm information about a Scout
• A user may report an account
• A user may submit a safety complaint
• An Organisation may confirm a Trial
• A person may provide information during an investigation

PlayerXI will use information received from others only for appropriate Platform, safety, verification, legal, or other lawful purposes.

14.1 Providing the Platform — creating accounts, creating player profiles, searching for players, displaying permitted profiles, facilitating communication, managing Trial invitations, managing account settings, storing uploaded Content, and providing Platform functionality.

14.2 Talent discovery — Player information may be processed to allow permitted Scouts, Clubs, and Academies to discover football talent according to the Player's visibility settings and applicable safeguards.

14.3 Verification — PlayerXI processes information to verify player-related guardian relationships, Scout identities, Organisation affiliations, professional roles, and other information necessary to protect the Platform.

14.4 Safety and moderation — investigating reports, detecting scams, detecting harassment, investigating child-safety concerns, preventing abuse, protecting accounts, enforcing Platform rules, and responding to emergencies or legal requests.

14.5 Security — detecting account compromise, unusual activity, fraud, spam, automated abuse, attempts to bypass Platform restrictions, and cybersecurity threats.

14.6 Account communications — password-reset emails, security notices, verification notices, important service announcements, privacy notices, safety notices, and other essential account communications.

PlayerXI does not currently intend to use Player information to serve targeted advertising on the Platform. PlayerXI does not sell personal information. PlayerXI may, however, communicate with users about important Platform matters.

If PlayerXI introduces direct marketing, promotional communications, newsletters, competitions, or similar communications, it will implement appropriate consent, opt-out, and legal requirements. South Africa's Information Regulator provides specific guidance concerning direct marketing and unsolicited electronic communications under POPIA.

PlayerXI may be funded by sponsors and commercial partners. Sponsors do not automatically receive access to PlayerXI user information simply because they sponsor PlayerXI. PlayerXI may share information with a sponsor only where there is an appropriate legal basis, permission, contractual arrangement, or other lawful reason for doing so.

PlayerXI will not intentionally provide sponsors with private Minor Player information for unrelated marketing purposes merely because the sponsor funds the Platform. Where a sponsorship programme requires personal information to be processed, PlayerXI will identify the relevant purpose and applicable information-sharing arrangements.

The information visible to other users depends on: account type, profile visibility, guardian permissions, Platform safety rules, verification status, and applicable law.

A permitted Player profile may display information such as:

• Name
• Football position
• Age group
• Region
• Country
• Competition level
• Physical attributes
• Self-reported statistics
• Approved photographs or videos

PlayerXI does not make the following information publicly available as part of ordinary player-profile visibility:

• Exact residential address
• Personal phone number
• Personal email address
• Exact date of birth
• School information
• Guardian verification documents
• Identity documents
• Private account credentials
• Passwords
• Internal moderation records
• Internal security information
• Other sensitive information that PlayerXI determines should remain restricted

For Minor Players, additional restrictions may apply even where a guardian has increased profile visibility.

Scouts, Clubs, and Academies may only access information made available to them through the applicable Platform features and visibility settings. PlayerXI may require an Organisation or Scout to complete verification before allowing access to certain Player information or communication features. Verification does not mean that PlayerXI guarantees the person's future conduct or the legitimacy of every interaction. PlayerXI may restrict access where there are safety, privacy, fraud, or compliance concerns.

Where PlayerXI provides private notes or scouting-note functionality, those notes are intended to remain accessible only to the authorised user who created them, unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or reasonably necessary for safety, investigation, or Platform administration.

Private notes are not automatically visible to: Players, Parents/Guardians, other Scouts, Clubs, or Academies.

PlayerXI may technically access such information where reasonably necessary for security, moderation, legal compliance, or Platform administration.

PlayerXI does not sell personal information. Information may nevertheless be disclosed to appropriate recipients where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. These recipients may include:

Other authorised Platform users — for example, a verified Scout may receive information that a Player has chosen or permitted to make available.

Parents/Guardians — a Parent/Guardian may receive or manage information relating to a linked Minor Player where appropriate.

Service providers — PlayerXI may use trusted service providers for services such as hosting, storage, email delivery, authentication, security, video processing, database infrastructure, monitoring, verification, backup, and other technical services. These providers should only process information according to appropriate instructions, contractual arrangements, and applicable law.

Professional advisers — PlayerXI may disclose information to lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers, consultants, or other professional advisers where reasonably necessary.

Authorities — PlayerXI may disclose information where required or permitted by law, including in response to lawful requests or where necessary to protect a person from serious harm.

Some PlayerXI infrastructure or service providers may operate outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred to or processed in another country, PlayerXI will take appropriate steps to comply with applicable legal requirements concerning international transfers and protection of personal information.

Certain categories of processing involving children's information or special personal information may trigger additional regulatory requirements, including prior-authorisation considerations depending on the circumstances. PlayerXI will assess its actual service-provider architecture before launch and obtain appropriate legal advice where required.

PlayerXI does not keep personal information indefinitely without a legitimate reason. Information may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or for another lawful purpose, including:

• Operating an account
• Maintaining a Player profile
• Guardian records
• Verification
• Safety investigations
• Fraud prevention
• Security
• Legal compliance
• Dispute resolution
• Financial or business records where applicable
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Establishing, exercising, or defending legal rights

When information is no longer reasonably required, PlayerXI will take appropriate steps to delete, destroy, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with applicable law and its retention procedures.

Users may request deletion of their account. A Parent/Guardian may request deletion of a linked Minor Player's account, subject to applicable law and verification of their authority.

Deleting an account may remove information from active Platform systems. However, deletion may not immediately remove every copy where information must temporarily remain in:

• Backups
• Security logs
• Fraud-prevention records
• Legal records
• Active investigations
• Dispute records
• Other systems where immediate deletion is technically or legally impractical

Where information is retained, PlayerXI will seek to restrict its use to the legitimate reason for which it is retained.

PlayerXI uses reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information. These may include:

• Password hashing
• Access controls
• Authentication controls
• Encryption where appropriate
• Restricted administrative access
• Security monitoring
• Audit logs
• Backup controls
• Secure storage
• Account-recovery protections
• Rate limiting
• Abuse detection
• Other security measures appropriate to the risks involved

Passwords should never be stored in plain text. Password-reset links should be designed to be single-use and expire after an appropriate period. Sensitive verification documents should not be exposed through ordinary public profile functionality.

PlayerXI limits administrative access to personal information according to role and legitimate business need. Authorised staff or service providers may access information where reasonably necessary for verification, customer support, safety, moderation, security, legal compliance, technical support, or Platform administration. PlayerXI aims to maintain appropriate access controls and auditability around sensitive information.

PlayerXI treats Minor Player information as requiring additional protection. Where applicable, PlayerXI may use additional controls including:

• Guardian verification
• Restricted visibility
• Restricted messaging
• Restricted contact requests
• Restricted Trial acceptance
• Limited display of identifying information
• Safety monitoring
• Reporting mechanisms
• Additional account restrictions

The purpose of these controls is to reduce the risk of inappropriate contact, exploitation, harassment, fraud, and unnecessary disclosure of a child's personal information.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. If PlayerXI becomes aware of a security compromise that may affect personal information, PlayerXI will assess the incident and take appropriate steps under applicable law. Depending on the nature of the incident, this may include:

• Containing the incident
• Investigating what happened
• Securing affected systems
• Assessing affected information
• Taking steps to prevent further access
• Notifying appropriate authorities where required
• Notifying affected individuals where required
• Taking corrective action

PlayerXI will maintain appropriate internal procedures for handling security incidents.

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:

• Request access to personal information held about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion where legally applicable
• Object to certain processing
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Request restriction of certain processing where applicable
• Ask questions about how your information is used
• Lodge a complaint regarding alleged unlawful processing

A competent person acting for a Minor Player may exercise applicable rights on behalf of the child. The Information Regulator is responsible for monitoring and enforcing POPIA compliance in South Africa.

Where PlayerXI processes information on the basis of consent, the person who provided that consent may withdraw it, subject to applicable law. Withdrawal of consent does not necessarily make previous processing unlawful where that processing was lawful when it occurred. Withdrawal may also affect the availability of certain Platform features.

For example, if a guardian withdraws required consent for a Minor Player's profile to be discoverable, PlayerXI may need to:

• Reduce profile visibility
• Restrict Scout contact
• Restrict Trial invitations
• Disable other affected features

Requests should be sent to privacy@playerxi.co.za. A request should provide enough information for PlayerXI to:

• Identify the relevant account
• Understand the request
• Confirm that the person making the request is authorised to do so

PlayerXI may request reasonable verification information to prevent unauthorised access to another person's personal information. For requests concerning a Minor Player, PlayerXI may require reasonable evidence of the requester's parental or legal authority. PlayerXI will handle requests within the timeframes and subject to the requirements provided by applicable law.

If you believe PlayerXI has processed your personal information unlawfully, you should first contact PlayerXI using privacy@playerxi.co.za. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator. The Information Regulator provides procedures and forms for privacy complaints and operates official channels for POPIA-related matters. PlayerXI will not penalise a person merely for raising a genuine privacy concern.

PlayerXI may use cookies, local storage, session technologies, analytics tools, security technologies, or similar mechanisms for login functionality, session management, security, preferences, performance, analytics, or other Platform functionality. PlayerXI describes its actual use of cookies and similar technologies in a separate Cookie Policy. PlayerXI will not claim to use or not use a particular tracking technology unless that technology is actually present in the Platform.

PlayerXI may collect or process approximate location information where reasonably necessary for Platform functionality, security, fraud prevention, or other legitimate purposes. PlayerXI does not need to display a user's precise residential location to provide football talent-discovery functionality. For Minor Players, PlayerXI is specifically designed not to display their exact residential address through ordinary profile visibility. Users must not attempt to infer or obtain another user's private location through the Platform.

PlayerXI may use automated systems to assist with spam detection, fraud detection, security, content moderation, account-risk assessment, video processing, or other Platform operations. Where automated tools are used, PlayerXI will seek to ensure that significant decisions affecting users are handled in accordance with applicable law. Automated systems may make errors, and PlayerXI may provide appropriate human review mechanisms where required.

A Player may choose to make certain profile information visible to other permitted users. Before making information visible, users should understand that information displayed to other users may potentially be:

• Viewed
• Recorded
• Reproduced
• Shared outside PlayerXI in violation of the Terms
• Misused by another person

PlayerXI uses reasonable safeguards but cannot guarantee that another user will never copy or misuse information that has been made available to them. Minor Players receive additional visibility restrictions.

PlayerXI may contain links to external websites or services. External services operate under their own terms and privacy policies. PlayerXI is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites that it does not control. Users should review the privacy policy of an external service before submitting personal information to it.

PlayerXI's sponsorship model is designed so that sponsors can support the Platform without automatically receiving access to private Player information. PlayerXI may use aggregated, statistical, or de-identified information for legitimate purposes such as:

• Understanding Platform usage
• Measuring sponsorship performance
• Producing general statistics
• Improving the Platform
• Demonstrating Platform reach

Where information is described as aggregated or de-identified, PlayerXI will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to reduce the risk that individuals can be identified from the information. PlayerXI will not knowingly use Minor Player information for unrelated targeted advertising without an appropriate lawful basis and safeguards.

PlayerXI may use information generated through Platform usage to improve functionality, detect bugs, improve security, improve search, improve moderation, improve user experience, understand how features are used, and develop new Platform features. Where possible, PlayerXI will use aggregated, statistical, or de-identified information for analytics and product development rather than unnecessary identifiable information.

PlayerXI will not intentionally store user passwords in plain text. Passwords should be securely hashed using appropriate password-hashing technology. Users should also:

• Use a strong password
• Avoid reusing passwords
• Keep credentials private
• Report suspected account compromise
• Avoid sharing authentication codes

PlayerXI will never intentionally request a user's password through an ordinary support message.

Where PlayerXI requires identity or guardian verification, documents may be collected only where reasonably necessary for the verification purpose. Verification documents may contain information such as full name, date of birth, identity information, photograph, address, relationship information, or other information contained in the document.

PlayerXI will seek to restrict access to such documents and retain them only for as long as reasonably necessary. PlayerXI should establish documented deletion and retention periods for verification documents before public launch.

PlayerXI will not treat a child's ability to use the Platform as permission to freely disclose the child's personal information. Where guardian involvement is required, PlayerXI will implement a process designed to verify the relevant Parent/Guardian and obtain the appropriate consent or authorisation. PlayerXI will not intentionally encourage a child to provide more personal information than is reasonably necessary for the intended purpose.

The Information Regulator's published materials describe safeguards applicable to processing children's personal information, including requirements concerning notice, review, refusal of further processing, and protection of confidentiality in authorised processing circumstances.

When a Minor Player becomes an adult, PlayerXI may update the account's permissions, notify the user, request updated information, request the user to confirm their privacy preferences, and allow the user to independently manage permissions previously controlled by their Parent/Guardian. PlayerXI will maintain appropriate records of guardian permissions where required for legal, security, or audit purposes.

PlayerXI aims to keep personal information reasonably accurate and up to date. Players, Guardians, Scouts, Clubs, and Academies should correct information that becomes inaccurate. PlayerXI may correct, restrict, or remove information where it has reasonable grounds to believe that information is fraudulent, materially inaccurate, unsafe, unlawful, misleading, or in violation of Platform rules.

PlayerXI aims to collect only information reasonably necessary for legitimate Platform purposes. The fact that information could be useful does not automatically mean PlayerXI will collect it. For example, PlayerXI does not need to make a player's home address, school, personal phone number, or exact date of birth available to Scouts merely to facilitate talent discovery.

PlayerXI may retain certain information after an account is deleted where reasonably necessary to investigate serious misconduct, protect children, prevent repeat abuse, investigate fraud, maintain evidence, respond to legal proceedings, comply with legal obligations, or protect the Platform and its users. Such information should not be used for unrelated purposes merely because it remains in PlayerXI's records.

PlayerXI will process personal information only where there is an applicable lawful basis under POPIA or another applicable law. Depending on the circumstances, processing may be necessary for:

• Providing a requested service
• Performing an agreement
• Complying with a legal obligation
• Protecting legitimate interests
• Protecting a person's rights or safety
• Obtaining consent where required
• Preventing fraud or abuse
• Responding to legal processes
• Other grounds permitted by applicable law

The appropriate lawful basis may differ depending on the category of information and purpose. For children's information, PlayerXI will apply the additional requirements applicable to children's personal information.

Certain categories of personal information receive additional protection under POPIA. PlayerXI will assess whether information collected through verification documents, photographs, videos, health-related information, biometric-related information, criminal-behaviour information, or other categories falls within additional legal protections. Where special personal information is processed, PlayerXI will implement the safeguards and legal requirements applicable to that processing.

PlayerXI will designate and appropriately register an Information Officer where required by POPIA. The Information Officer will be responsible for appropriate privacy and information-governance functions, including where applicable: promoting compliance, handling privacy requests, supporting data-subject rights, assisting with regulatory compliance, coordinating privacy-related policies, and liaising with the Information Regulator where appropriate. PlayerXI will publish the appropriate Information Officer contact details before public launch.

PlayerXI aims to incorporate privacy and child-safety considerations into the Platform's technical design rather than relying solely on this Privacy Policy. This includes, where appropriate: restricted default visibility for Minor Players, guardian approval, role-based access, limited profile information, restricted messaging, restricted access to verification documents, secure authentication, audit logging, moderation, reporting tools, and data-retention controls.

PlayerXI may update this Privacy Policy as the Platform, technology, business model, or applicable law changes. The "Last updated" date will be changed when the policy is updated. Where a change is material, PlayerXI may provide additional notice through reasonable means, including in-app notification, email, website notice, account notification, or other appropriate communication. Where legally required, PlayerXI will obtain any required consent before introducing a new processing activity.

Privacy: privacy@playerxi.co.za

General support: support@playerxi.co.za

Legal: legal@playerxi.co.za

Child Safety: safety@playerxi.co.za

These addresses must be connected to monitored inboxes before PlayerXI launches publicly.

If you believe that PlayerXI has unlawfully interfered with your personal information and the matter cannot be resolved with PlayerXI, you may have the right to complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa. The Information Regulator is the independent authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing POPIA and PAIA compliance. The Information Regulator's official channels and complaint procedures should be used for any formal complaint.

If you are a Parent or Guardian of a Minor Player, you should understand that PlayerXI is designed to help football organisations discover talent. Before approving a Minor Player's profile or enabling additional visibility, you should consider:

• What information is being displayed
• Which users can view the profile
• What videos are uploaded
• Whether the information is necessary
• Whether you are comfortable with the Player being contacted
• Whether Trial information is legitimate
• Whether additional safeguards are needed

PlayerXI encourages Parents/Guardians to remain involved in a Minor Player's football opportunities and communications. PlayerXI's safety controls are designed to reduce risk, but no online platform can eliminate every possible risk.

Players should never provide another user with their home address, password, banking details, one-time passwords, identity credentials, private photographs, unnecessary personal information, or other sensitive information simply because someone claims to be a Scout or football representative.

If someone makes you uncomfortable, asks for money, asks for inappropriate photographs, asks you to hide communication from your Parent/Guardian, or attempts to move communication somewhere unsafe, report the account to PlayerXI and tell a trusted adult.

PlayerXI's privacy approach is based on a simple principle: a player's football ability should be discoverable without making unnecessary personal information discoverable.

PlayerXI is designed to help Players gain football opportunities while limiting unnecessary exposure of their personal information, particularly where the Player is a child. The Platform will continue to develop its privacy, security, verification, and child-safety controls as PlayerXI grows. PlayerXI will not intentionally trade the privacy and safety of players for growth.