Privacy Policy

Who we are and how to contact us

Padel Federation of Ireland Company Limited By Guarantee, CRO No. 504604, is the data controller for personal information handled through PFI website and portal services. The registered address is Bushy Park Tennis & Padel Club, Rathdown Avenue, Terenure, Dublin, Ireland, D6W TX24.

This policy applies when you use the website, submit forms, use registration and licence services, appear in approved directories or rankings, take part in events, use the PFI Padel Portal, or contact the federation.

PFI has not appointed a Data Protection Officer. Privacy and data protection questions can be sent to PFI at dataprotection@padelfederation.ie.

Personal information PFI may collect

PFI may collect contact details, registration and licence information, club or county information, coaching or tournament details, enquiry content, newsletter preferences, profile content, ranking information, event information, consent records, and verification material submitted through federation processes.

This may include information submitted by players, junior players and guardians, coaches, referees, club contacts, event organisers, volunteers, administrators, and people who contact PFI.

Some information is provided directly by you or by an authorised contact. Some is created as part of federation administration, such as approval records, ranking entries, event records, form submission logs, registration records, licence records, payment status records, account records, or public-profile review records.

PFI does not normally ask you to provide special-category personal data. If information relating to health, disability, accessibility, safeguarding, disciplinary matters, or other sensitive circumstances is provided to PFI, it will be handled with additional care and only used where there is a lawful reason to do so.

How and why PFI uses information

PFI uses information to respond to enquiries, operate registration and licence services, review player, coach, referee, club, and event submissions, administer rankings, publish approved directory/profile information, send federation communications, support safeguarding and compliance processes, process payments, operate the PFI Padel Portal, keep website services secure, and understand aggregate website usage through privacy-friendly analytics.

Newsletter communications are sent where a person has subscribed or otherwise given consent, and recipients can unsubscribe using the link included in newsletter emails.

Lawful basis for processing

PFI may rely on different lawful bases depending on the service or context. These may include consent, steps needed before entering into a registration or licence arrangement, performance of a registration, licence, affiliation, event, or portal service, compliance with legal obligations, and PFI legitimate interests in administering and developing padel in Ireland.

PFI may also process information where necessary for governance, safety, safeguarding, complaint handling, dispute resolution, record keeping, fraud prevention, website security, or the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

Where processing depends on consent, such as certain newsletter communications, optional public profile material, or junior photo/profile use, consent can be withdrawn. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that happened before consent was withdrawn or processing that PFI must continue for another lawful reason.

Public and private information

Some information is intended for publication, such as approved club listings, coach profiles, tournament details, ranking-player information, public player profile details, news, national team information, and federation documents.

Public-facing player, coach, referee, club, ranking, and event information may be reviewed before publication. Information submitted for a profile or listing does not automatically become public.

Private administrative information, payment records, verification uploads, submitted documents, safeguarding information, sanctions notes, and contact-form details are not intended for public display unless there is a clear approved reason and appropriate lawful basis.

Photos, videos, profile images, and AI image tools

PFI may collect and use photos, videos, profile images, and media supplied for website pages, public profiles, news, rankings, event coverage, or federation activity.

Profile images you upload through the PFI Padel Portal or provide for a public profile may be edited, cropped, resized, optimised, or prepared for website display. Where PFI uses remove.bg or another approved AI or automated image-processing tool, for example to remove or tidy a photo background, the image may be sent to that service for the limited purpose of preparing the profile image for display.

PFI does not use profile image background removal to identify people, verify identity biometrically, or make automated decisions about licence, ranking, selection, or eligibility status. Original and edited images may be retained where needed for profile review, audit, correction, or display purposes.

Where photos or profile material relate to a junior, parent or guardian consent is required before the material is used publicly anywhere in the PFI website ecosystem, including any future junior ranking or junior profile area.

Junior licence and participation information may include parent or guardian name and contact details so PFI can manage consent, communication, and safeguarding-related responsibilities.

Sharing and service providers

PFI may share your information with service providers that help operate the website, portal, forms, hosting, email, newsletter, payment, security, registration, event, image-processing, analytics, or administration systems. This may include WordPress and portal providers, Hostinger or other hosting providers, Stripe, Brevo or another approved email/newsletter provider, Cloudflare Turnstile, Plausible Analytics, remove.bg or another approved image-processing provider, website support providers, and other approved technical service providers.

Where required, PFI may also share information with PFI administrators or reviewers, clubs, coaches, referees, event organisers, governing bodies, statutory bodies, sport bodies, regulators, professional advisers, or other parties where necessary for federation, legal, safeguarding, or governance purposes.

Payment services are handled through approved payment providers. PFI does not need to collect payment card details directly through the public website.

International transfers and public visibility

Approved public profile, directory, ranking, event, news, and federation information may be visible worldwide once published on the website or portal.

Some service providers may process information outside the EU/EEA. Where this happens, PFI will rely on appropriate safeguards where required, such as adequacy arrangements, standard contractual clauses, provider data-processing terms, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

External websites, payment services, newsletter providers, video platforms, maps, and social media services may apply their own privacy notices and cookie practices when you choose to interact with them.

Retention and your rights

PFI keeps personal information for as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, federation administration, registration and licence records, legal obligations, safeguarding or compliance responsibilities, dispute handling, and archive needs connected with sport governance.

Account, licence, profile, affiliation, and ranking records may be kept while the account, licence, profile, affiliation, or federation purpose remains active, and then retained only as long as needed for legal, accounting, audit, governance, safeguarding, or dispute reasons.

Payment and accounting records may be retained for at least six years where required for tax, accounting, or legal record-keeping purposes. Form submissions and enquiry records should be kept only for as long as needed to handle the relevant request, unless a longer period is required for a lawful reason.

You may ask to access your data, correct inaccurate information, request deletion where applicable, restrict or object to certain processing, withdraw consent where processing depends on consent, and request data portability where applicable.

You can make a request by emailing dataprotection@padelfederation.ie. PFI will respond within the time required by data protection law. You may also raise a concern with the Data Protection Commission.