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Historic Bishop Auckland FC football ground and team celebrating local football heritage in County Durham.

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Social Media & Online Conduct Policy

1. Purpose

Bishop Auckland Football Club (“the Club”) uses social media to engage with supporters, promote club activity and represent the Club positively.

This policy sets out clear expectations for online behaviour and communication involving:

  • Players, staff, officials and volunteers
  • Supporters interacting with the Club online

Its aims are to:

  • Protect the reputation of Bishop Auckland Football Club
  • Promote respectful and responsible online behaviour
  • Support safeguarding, equality and inclusion
  • Ensure compliance with FA, League and County FA regulations

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Bishop Auckland Football Club Code of Conduct.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

  • All official Bishop Auckland Football Club social media accounts
  • All players (including youth players), coaches, staff, officials and volunteers
  • All spectators and supporters engaging with the Club on social media platforms

This includes, but is not limited to: Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and any future platforms.

3. FA Safeguarding, Equality & Conduct Principles

All online activity connected to the Club must align with:

  • The FA Safeguarding Children Policy
  • The FA Equality Policy
  • The FA Rules on Misconduct and Improper Conduct

The Club operates a zero-tolerance approach to:

  • Abuse, harassment or bullying
  • Discrimination of any form
  • Hate speech or threatening behaviour
  • Safeguarding breaches involving children or vulnerable people

4. General Behaviour Expectations

Anyone representing Bishop Auckland Football Club online must:

  • Act respectfully and responsibly at all times
  • Avoid posting content that could bring the Club into disrepute
  • Treat teammates, opponents, match officials and supporters with respect
  • Comply with UK law, including defamation, harassment and discrimination legislation

5. Official Club Social Media Accounts

  • Only authorised individuals may post on official Club accounts
  • All content must reflect the Club’s values, brand and standards
  • Passwords must be kept secure and not shared
  • Match officials, disciplinary matters and complaints must not be discussed publicly
  • Official accounts must not be used to engage in arguments or disputes

6. Personal Social Media Accounts

(Players, Staff, Officials & Volunteers)

Individuals connected with the Club must not:

  • Criticise teammates, management, match officials, leagues or governing bodies
  • Disclose confidential Club information (team selection, injuries, contracts or internal matters)
  • Post abusive, offensive, threatening or discriminatory content

Where individuals identify themselves as connected to Bishop Auckland Football Club, this policy applies.

7. Safeguarding & Young People

In line with FA safeguarding guidance:

  • Direct messaging with children or young people via social media should be avoided
  • No images or videos of children or young people will be shared without appropriate consent
  • Any safeguarding concerns raised online must be reported immediately to the Club Safeguarding Officer
  • Online grooming, inappropriate contact or concerning behaviour will be reported to the County FA and relevant authorities

Supporter Comment & Engagement Policy

(All Social Media Platforms)

Bishop Auckland Football Club welcomes supporter engagement and discussion across all social media platforms. However, all users are expected to follow these guidelines.

8. Acceptable Use by Supporters

We encourage:

  • Respectful discussion and debate
  • Positive support for the team and Club
  • Constructive feedback expressed appropriately

9. Unacceptable Comments or Behaviour

The Club will remove and/or report content that includes:

  • Abuse, harassment or threats toward players, staff, officials or supporters
  • Discriminatory language relating to race, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or age
  • Criticism or abuse of match officials
  • Hate speech or incitement of violence
  • Repeated negative posting intended to provoke or inflame
  • Defamatory or knowingly false statements
  • Inappropriate comments involving children or young people
  • Spam, promotions or unrelated content

10. Direct Messaging & Contact with Club Officials

To protect club volunteers, officials and staff, Bishop Auckland Football Club requests that:

  • Supporters must not contact club officials, players, staff or volunteers via personal social media accounts or private messaging platforms, including but not limited to:
    • Facebook Messenger
    • X (Twitter) Direct Messages
    • Instagram Direct Messages
    • WhatsApp or personal text messages
  • This includes messages relating to:
    • Team selection or playing matters
    • Match officials or disciplinary issues
    • Club decisions or complaints
    • Criticism or grievances of any kind

All official communication must be made through:

  • The Club’s official social media accounts, or
  • The Club’s official contact channels listed on the Club website

Unsolicited, persistent or inappropriate direct messages may be ignored, reported or escalated under FA, League or safeguarding procedures.

This requirement is also referenced within the Spectators section of the Bishop Auckland Football Club Code of Conduct.

11. Moderation & Enforcement

  • Comments may be removed without notice
  • Users may be blocked or reported
  • Serious incidents may be referred to the League, County FA, social media platform providers or police
  • Safeguarding concerns will be escalated immediately

12. Breaches of This Policy

(Players, Staff, Officials & Volunteers)

Breaches may result in:

  • Informal or formal disciplinary action
  • Removal of social media responsibilities
  • Referral to the County FA or League where appropriate

13. Reporting Concerns

If you encounter content that breaches this policy or raises safeguarding concerns:

  • Report the content via the relevant social media platform
  • Contact Bishop Auckland Football Club through official channels
  • Safeguarding concerns should be reported to the Club Safeguarding Officer

14. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if required by FA, League or safeguarding guidance.

Bishop Auckland Football Club
Approved by: Club Directors
Review Cycle: Annually