Policies

Safeguarding & child protection

Gol Futsal is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child and young person in our care. We believe every player has the right to participate in football and futsal in a safe, positive environment, free from any form of abuse or harm.

All coaches and volunteers working directly with children hold an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check and complete safeguarding training appropriate to their role before working unsupervised with players. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Kevin Stanbridge, contactable on 07790 410716.

If you have a safeguarding concern about a child at Gol Futsal, please contact our DSL directly. If a child is in immediate danger, always contact the police on 999. You can also contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, or your local authority’s children’s services team.

We follow guidance from the FA and Essex FA, and review this policy annually.

Code of conduct

We expect players, parents/guardians/carers, and coaches to treat one another with respect at every session, fixture and tournament.

Players are expected to: listen to and respect coaches and match officials; play fairly and give their best effort; treat teammates and opponents with respect, win or lose; and let a coach know if something’s worrying them, on or off the court.

Parents/carers are expected to: support all players positively, not just their own child; respect the coach’s decisions during sessions and matches; avoid coaching from the sideline; and raise any concerns with a coach calmly and privately rather than in front of players.

Coaches are expected to: put player welfare and enjoyment first, ahead of results; treat every player fairly regardless of ability; hold an up-to-date DBS check and relevant coaching qualifications; and follow this club’s safeguarding policy at all times.

Breaches of this code of conduct will be addressed by the club and, in serious cases, may result in a player, parent or coach being asked to leave a session or the club.

Health & safety

We risk-assess each venue we use before sessions begin, and review these assessments regularly. At least one coach with an in-date first aid qualification is present at every session, and a first aid kit is kept on-site.

Parents/carers are asked to tell us about any medical conditions, allergies or care needs when registering, so we can plan sessions safely — see our Privacy Policy for how we handle this information.

In the event of an accident or injury, our coaches will administer first aid where appropriate, contact parents/carers, and call emergency services if needed. All incidents are logged. Gol Futsal holds public liability insurance with Sportsguard, providing cover of up to £10 million.

Photography & filming consent

We sometimes take photos or video during sessions, fixtures and tournaments to celebrate players’ progress and promote the club, including on our website and social media (Instagram, Facebook and X).

We only use images of a child if their parent/carer has given consent via our registration form. We never publish a child’s surname or other identifying contact details alongside their photo. If you’d like to withdraw consent at any time, or ask us to remove a specific photo, contact us at wearegolfutsal@gmail.com and we’ll action it promptly.

Occasionally, official tournament or venue photographers may also take images at events we attend — where this is outside our control, it will typically be covered by that organiser’s own photography policy.

Bookings, payments & cancellations

Session bookings, fees, cancellations and refunds are all handled through Class For Kids, our booking platform. The terms that apply to your booking — including notice periods and refunds — are the ones shown to you at the point of booking there.

Kit is the exception: kit orders are placed directly with us through our kit page, and are payable in advance once size and stock are confirmed. Kit is made to order and is non-refundable once ordered, except where faulty.

If we have to cancel a session (for example, due to venue closure or severe weather), we’ll let you know as early as possible and arrange a make-up session or a refund through Class For Kids.

Equality, diversity & inclusion

Gol Futsal welcomes players of all backgrounds and abilities, from U6 through to adult. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment where every player feels welcome and valued, regardless of race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic background.

We will make reasonable adjustments where we can to help a player with additional needs take part, and we encourage parents/carers to talk to us about any support their child might need — the earlier we know, the better we can plan for it. Discrimination, bullying or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated at Gol Futsal.