Terms & Conditions

The short version

This is a summary of our Terms, written to be easy to read. It is not the agreement itself — the full text below is what applies. If the two ever seem to disagree, the full text wins.

What you are agreeing to

What we do not do

• We do not sell your personal information.
• We do not charge athletes for the core service.
• We do not guarantee you will be found, selected, or offered anything. SportNet gives you a chance to be seen. It cannot give you the outcome.

If something goes wrong

Report content or a user with the report button. Complain about us using our Complaints Procedure. If a young person is at risk, email main@thesportingnetwork.com — or call 999 if someone is in danger right now.

3.1 Introduction and Acceptance

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("you", "your", "user") and The Sporting Network LTD, a company registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 16989082), whose registered office is at 14 Hollywell Row, London, England, EC2A 4JB ("we", "our", "us", "the Company").

By accessing, browsing, or using The Sporting Network platform at thesportingnetwork.com (the "Platform") and any associated mobile applications, APIs, or services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Community Guidelines, Safeguarding Policy, and all other policies referenced herein.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease all use of the Platform.

3.2 Platform Purpose and Nature of Our Service

The Sporting Network is a networking and talent-discovery platform for sport. It enables athletes to create sporting profiles, publish content and be discovered; enables coaches, scouts, clubs, academies and institutions to search for and contact athletes; and provides tools for creating and managing teams, including messaging and calendar features.

We provide the Platform only. We are a neutral host and technology provider. In particular, and notwithstanding the purpose described above:

(a) We do not act as an agent, intermediary or representative

We do not represent any user, negotiate on any user's behalf, broker or arrange contracts, trials, transfers, scholarships or placements, or take any commission, fee or share of any benefit arising from a connection made through the Platform. We are not:

• a football agent or intermediary registered with any national or international governing body;
• a talent or sports management agency; or
• an employment agency or employment business within the meaning of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.

(b) We do not vet, endorse or verify users

We do not verify sporting achievements, statistics, coaching qualifications, professional credentials, or any user's suitability to work with or contact others, including minors. We do not carry out criminal record or barred-list checks (including DBS checks) on any user. Where a user holds a verified badge, that badge confirms identity only, as described in clause 3.4A.

Registration on the Platform is not an endorsement by us of any user. Users must satisfy themselves as to the identity, credentials and suitability of any person they interact with or meet.

(c) We do not guarantee outcomes

Use of the Platform does not guarantee discovery, selection, trials, scholarships, recruitment, sponsorship or professional advancement, as further described in clause 3.12.

3.3 Eligibility

To create an account and use the Platform, you must:

• Be at least 13 years of age
• If you are under 18, have the consent of a parent or legal guardian to use the Platform
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement (or, if you are a minor, your parent or guardian must accept these Terms on your behalf)
• Not have been previously banned from the Platform

By registering, you represent and warrant that all information you provide — including your date of birth — is accurate, complete, and current, and that you meet all eligibility requirements. Providing a false date of birth is a breach of these Terms and grounds for account termination. If you are registering on behalf of a club, organisation, or other entity, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

3.3A Additional protections for users aged 13–17

Users aged 13–17 are subject to additional safety protections on the Platform. These are set out in full in our Safeguarding Policy and our Privacy Policy, and include the following.

Accounts are private by default

An account held by a user aged 13–17 is private from the moment it is created. It becomes visible to the wider Platform only if the young person chooses to make it public, and they can make it private again at any time. Accounts held by users aged 18 and over are public by default.

A private account cannot be seen, found or visited

Where an account is private, it is not visible to anyone the account holder has not accepted as a connection. Specifically:

• it is not visible to other users, to coaches or scouts, or to search engines;
• it does not appear in search of any kind, including scout search, so there is no way to browse or filter your way to it;
• it cannot be reached by following a link — no link will open a private profile for someone who is not a connection, and a private account's profile link cannot be shared; and
• no account type can bypass it. Identity verification does not confer the ability to see past a privacy setting: a verified coach or scout sees exactly what any other non-connection sees, which is nothing.

Under-18 profiles cannot be shared outside the Platform

An account held by a user aged 13–17 cannot generate or share a profile link at all, whether that account is private or public, and there is no setting that enables it. An under-18 profile therefore exists only inside SportNet: it can be seen by people using the Platform, and it cannot be sent, posted, embedded or circulated anywhere else. Adult accounts can share a profile link; under-18 accounts cannot.

Field-level privacy, available to every user

Every user, of any age, can set individual parts of their profile to private without making their whole account private — physical metrics, posts, achievements, academic grades and other elements can each be restricted on their own while the rest of the profile stays visible. These controls apply on public and private accounts alike and cannot be bypassed by any account type.

Other protections

• Request inbox. A message from a user a young person is not connected with goes to a request inbox and does not become a conversation unless the young person accepts it.
• Verification gates. A coach or scout must complete identity verification before using scout search or starting any conversation, as described in clause 3.4A.
• No advertising identifiers and no analytics. We do not collect advertising identifiers from accounts held by users under 18, and in-app analytics are switched off entirely for those accounts.
• Date of birth is never displayed publicly, and location is optional and coarse.

We may apply further age-appropriate restrictions to features available to younger users.

3.4 Account Registration and Security

You are responsible for:

• Providing accurate and truthful registration information
• Maintaining the security and confidentiality of your login credentials
• All activity that occurs under your account, whether or not authorised by you
• Notifying us immediately at main@thesportingnetwork.com if you suspect unauthorised access

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been compromised or are being used in violation of these Terms. You must not share your login credentials with any other person.

3.4A Identity Verification and Verified Badges

The Platform offers identity verification, performed by our third-party provider, Persona, as described in our Privacy Policy. By starting verification you agree to Persona's processing of your identity document and selfie for this purpose.

Verification is not required to create an account or build a profile. It is required before:

• a coach, scout, club, academy or team account can start a new conversation with any user on the Platform;
• a coach or scout can use scout search — the filtered search of athletes, including searching by location; and
• any user can display a verified badge.

What declining verification means for you

A verified badge confirms only that the account holder's identity matched a government-issued document at the time of verification. It is not an endorsement, and does not verify any user's sporting achievements, coaching qualifications, professional status, or suitability to work with others, including minors. You must not represent a verified badge as implying any such endorsement.

We may remove a verified badge, decline verification, or require re-verification at our reasonable discretion, including where we suspect fraud or misuse.

3.5 User Content and Licence

(a) Ownership

You retain all intellectual property rights in the content you create and upload to the Platform ("User Content"), including profile information, photographs, videos, sporting statistics, comments, posts, and messages.

(b) Licence Grant

By posting or uploading User Content, you grant The Sporting Network LTD a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable licence to host, store, cache, reproduce, display, distribute, modify (for formatting and technical purposes only), and make available your User Content solely for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Platform.

This licence continues until you delete your User Content or your account, except where your content has been shared by other users, cached in backups, or is required for legal or compliance purposes.

(c) Representations

By uploading User Content, you represent and warrant that you own or have all necessary rights, the content does not infringe any third party's rights, and the content complies with these Terms, our Community Guidelines, and all applicable laws.

3.6 Acceptable Use

You agree that you will not use the Platform to:

• Post content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or obscene
• Harass, bully, intimidate, or threaten other users
• Impersonate any person, entity, or organisation
• Upload explicit, sexually suggestive, or violent material
• Upload false or fabricated sporting statistics, achievements, or credentials
• Send spam, unsolicited messages, or commercial advertising without authorisation
• Transmit malware, viruses, or other malicious code
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Platform or other users' accounts
• Scrape, harvest, or collect data using automated tools without prior written consent
• Misuse information exported or downloaded from the Platform (including athlete profile exports), including using it for purposes unrelated to legitimate sporting opportunities, sharing it with third parties without consent, or retaining it after the relevant user has deleted their account
• Contact or attempt to contact younger users in breach of our Community Guidelines, our Safeguarding Policy or our Adult-to-Minor Contact Policy
• Use the Platform for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms
• Circumvent any security features, access controls, privacy settings or usage limits
• Deliberately evade, or attempt to evade, the automated message checks described in clause 3.7, including by altering spelling or spacing to defeat them

Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, permanent ban, and/or referral to law enforcement.

3.7 Messaging

The Platform provides messaging features to enable communication between users. Users must comply with our Community Guidelines when using messaging features.

(a) Automated checks

All messages sent on the Platform pass through automated checks before delivery. These checks run on our servers rather than in the app, so they apply to every message and cannot be avoided by modifying or replacing the software you use to access the Platform. They:

• screen the content of messages against a list of prohibited terms; and
• screen the introductory message attached to a contact request for links, social media handles and telephone numbers.

Where a message is caught by these checks, it may be blocked or flagged for review. These checks are automated — a computer applying a rule to text. No person reads your messages as part of this process.

(b) Human review

We do not routinely read private messages. A member of our team will read the content of a message only where:

• the message, or the conversation it belongs to, has been reported to us;
• the message has been flagged by the automated checks in clause 3.7(a) and a human decision is needed;
• we have reason to believe a young person is at risk of harm; or
• we are required to by law, or in order to respond to a lawful request from the police, a safeguarding body or a regulator.

Our Privacy Policy sets out the lawful basis for this processing and how long the resulting records are kept.

(c) If a message of yours is blocked

If you believe a message has been blocked or flagged in error, contact us at main@thesportingnetwork.com and we will look again. Our Content Reporting and Removal Policy sets out how to appeal a moderation decision.

3.8 Content Moderation and Enforcement

We reserve the right, but except as described in clause 3.7(a) are not obligated, to monitor, review, and moderate User Content and user activity on the Platform. We may, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, remove content, issue warnings, suspend or terminate user accounts, or report illegal activity to relevant authorities.

We will endeavour to act reasonably and proportionately. Our Content Reporting and Removal Policy sets out how content and behaviour can be reported, the timescales we work to, the outcomes available to us, and how to appeal a decision. Users may appeal moderation decisions in accordance with that Policy.

3.9 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform (excluding User Content), including source code, software, database rights, trademarks, logos, designs, graphics, text, and user interface, are owned by or licensed to The Sporting Network LTD. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, or exploit any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

"The Sporting Network" and our logo are trademarks of The Sporting Network LTD. Unauthorised use is prohibited.

3.10 Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services not owned or controlled by us. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party website or service. Access to any third-party content is at your own risk.

3.11 User Disputes

The Sporting Network LTD is not responsible for disputes between users. While we may assist in the resolution of issues at our discretion, we are under no obligation to do so and accept no liability for user-to-user interactions.

3.12 No Professional Guarantees

The Platform does not guarantee any recruitment opportunities, scouting, sponsorships, endorsements, or professional advancement. Any opportunities that arise from user interactions on the Platform are independent of and not endorsed by The Sporting Network LTD.

The Company makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or reliability of any information, statistics, or claims made by users on the Platform.

3.13 Disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, nor that it will be free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant that the automated checks described in clause 3.7(a) will identify every prohibited message.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be lawfully excluded or limited under the laws of England and Wales.

3.14 Limitation of Liability

Subject to clause 3.13, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, The Sporting Network LTD shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunity.

Our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of (i) the fees paid by you to The Sporting Network LTD in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (ii) £100.

3.15 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Sporting Network LTD, its directors, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with your use of the Platform, your User Content, your breach of these Terms, your violation of the rights of any third party, or any dispute between you and another user.

3.16 Suspension and Termination

By You: You may deactivate or delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us at main@thesportingnetwork.com.

By Us: We may suspend or terminate your account where you have breached these Terms, our Community Guidelines or applicable law; where we are required to do so by law or by a regulator; or where continued access presents a risk to the safety of other users. Where a breach is serious, in particular any conduct that puts a young person at risk, we may act immediately and without prior notice. Otherwise we will tell you what we have done and why, and you may appeal in accordance with our Content Reporting and Removal Policy.

Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including intellectual property, indemnification, limitation of liability, disclaimers, and governing law.

3.17–3.21 General Provisions

• Changes: We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified via email, in-app notification, or a prominent notice on the Platform.
• Severability: If any provision is found invalid, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Community Guidelines, Safeguarding Policy, and all other policies referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Sporting Network LTD.
• No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision shall not constitute a waiver.
• Assignment: You may not assign your rights without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

3.22 Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Nothing in this clause affects your statutory rights as a consumer under mandatory applicable law.

3.23 Contact Information

• The Sporting Network LTD
• 14 Hollywell Row, London, England, EC2A 4JB, United Kingdom
• Email: main@thesportingnetwork.com

Version history

The Sporting Network Ltd · Company number 16989082 · Registered office: 14 Hollywell Row, London, EC2A 4JB · ICO registration ZC110454. Terms & Conditions v3.1 · Effective 26 August 2026 · Published at thesportingnetwork.com/terms.