Reading Rugby Club Photographic Policy

Reading RFC Photographic Consent Form (click to download)

Overarching Principles

Reading Rugby Club's (the Club) photography policy derives from the Rugby Football Unions - Policy and procedures for the welfare of young people in Rugby Union - available at

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/readingrugbyclub/?primary=aboutus&secondary=clubdocuments&third=childprotection

The basic principles are:

Permission:

Every parent/guardian has the option to decline permission for the taking and publication of images/videos of a young person in their care.
Appropriate Circumstances & Attire: Photography/video must be undertaken in appropriate circumstances. All young persons must be appropriately attired at all times.

Publication and Identification:

Publication should not be done in such a way that young persons are identifiable; images should be published without accompanying sensitive personal details such as a young persons address.
Focus of the Photography: The imagery should focus on the activity rather than any particular individual.

Equity Policy:

Wherever possible, imagery should reflect the diversity of the young people making up The Clubs membership.

Third Party Photography:

Whenever professional photographers or outside media are invited or commissioned, the Club will requires identification and safeguarding measures to ensure only the proper use and dissemination of imagery.

Taking Matters Further:

If the need should arise, the Club will refer any matters of abuse or concern, in confidence to the RFU Child Protection Manager via the Rugby Club or Constituent Body Welfare Manager.

Circumstances of photography/video

Photographs/videos of junior players are usually taken in the following contexts. This list is not exhaustive.

Coaching - video may be filmed and used thereafter for coaching purposes.
Action photographs - general photographs of players during a game.

Team photographs - posed group photos of teams.

Awards and ceremonies.

Press coverage - local, national and specialist rugby media photographs/video.

Tours and festivals - at other clubs and grounds which will be subject to the host clubs policy.

Permission

All parents/guardians are asked to indicate on the Membership Form if they do not consent to the taking and use of photographs/videos featuring their children throughout the Clubs season. If consent is not withheld, a parents/guardians permission continues throughout the season, terminating at its conclusion, unless the parent/guardian notifies the squad manager, in writing, of a change of mind.

The result of withholding or withdrawing permission is that the Club reserves the right to not allow the relevant player to participate in events which may be expected to be photographed/videoed but the Club may consider inviting the player to participate provided his parent/guardian is present throughout and undertakes to supervise and monitor the event for the purpose.

Focus and content of the imagery

Images taken by parents, guardians, supporters and coaches at the Clubs grounds, and at away games, tours and festivals here the host club applies no stricter policy, should comply with the follow restrictions.

(1) The Club adopts the RFU guidelines on appropriate dress for young players. These recommend that all young people featuring in photographs/videos be appropriately dressed with outer clothing/ garments covering their torso between the bottom of the neck and the thighs i.e. a minimum of a vest/shirt and shorts.
(2) For formal photographs players should be properly dressed in Club kit.
(3) When players are otherwise dressed to play the game then inappropriate items, such as jewellery and glasses, should not be worn.
(4) Wherever possible the Club also undertakes to reflect the RFU Equity Policy. Accordingly photographs/videos should represent the diversity of young people participating in rugby at the Club.
(5) Photographs/video should focus on the activity rather than any particular young person. Where possible photography of young persons should concentrate on small groups of players. The group may comprise any combination of young players and adults.

Sensitive information

Photographs/videos should not include nor be accompanied by sensitive information which might enable a stranger to identify the players. Such information might include, but is not limited to, an image of the players parent or guardian, the players full name, age, address, email address, telephone number or such personal details of the parent/guardian or the parents/guardians personal details.

Publication by the Club of imagery

The Club must have general parental/guardian permission to use an image of a young person (see above). When such permission has been given, the Club may publish photographs/videos in its own materials or via third party media organisations such as the local press). Such publication of photographs/videos will not include any sensitive information described or identified above of the young people or of their parent/guardians.
Where the reason for publication is an individual achievement (i.e. a players selection for a representative side, triumph over adversity), particular attention will be paid to ensuring specific permission is also secured from the young person to use their image.

Use of photographic/video equipment by the media

The Club reserves the right to invite photographers from the local/national or rugby specialist press to record the Clubs events. If it does so it undertakes that it will
(1) require any such photographers to sign an Event Registration form upon arrival at a Club event; to carry with them, at all times, bona fide and appropriate identification which must be produced on request and to abide by the overarching principles set out above
(2) inform parents and participants that one or more media photographers will be present and
(3) not approve/allow unsupervised access to the players, one-to-one photography sessions with players, nor photo sessions outside the event or at any players home.

Use of photographic/video equipment by parents/guardians and adult supporters

Parents/guardians are advised that if they have concerns about inappropriate or intrusive photography/filming these should be reported to the squad manager, to an event organiser or to an official so that these may recorded and dealt with in the same manner as any other child protection concern.

If parents/guardians or adult supporters wish to take images of a game, session, or event at a Club ground, they must ascertain whether any member of the squads parent or guardian has withheld permission for photography; at any other ground they must also be prepared to comply with the policy of the host club.

In addition, wherever the Clubs young players are playing photographers may be required to identify themselves and state their purpose for photography/videoing an event and must, if advised that any visiting or host clubs young player withholds permission for photography, cease doing so immediately unless able to come to an arrangement with that players parent or guardian.

The Club reserves the right to contact local authorities in the event that any individual refuses to stop taking photographs/video or refuses to identify themselves upon challenge by the Club.