Teddington Athletic FC is committed to managing its safeguarding responsibilities effectively and to ensure that players, coaches or referees are not subjected to improper online behaviour or improper allegations.

Teddington Athletic FC accepts the FA’s Guidance for Clubs and Leagues with respect to the use of social networking sites. The FA suggests that, as a general principle, coaches and managers should avoid using social networking sites as the primary way of communicating with players.

Teddington Athletic FC policy is that, unless a child is a direct relation, coaches, managers, referees and club officials should not:

• accept as a friend players or referees who are under 18 on social networking sites they are members of or share their own personal social networking sites with children or young people involved in youth football
• make contact with children known through football outside of the football context on social networking sites
• use internet or web based communication to send personal messages of a non-football nature to a child or young person.

Teddington Athletic FC advises children and young people to always tell an adult they trust about communications that make them feel uncomfortable or where they have been asked not to tell their parent about a communication.

Further details about the FA guidance for responsible use of social networking sites can be found here.