Safeguarding policy

Last updated 14 October 2026. Padel League Network Ltd, company number 16717189, registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 31 Cornish Park Road, Spennymoor, DL16 7WE.

Who and what this covers

This policy applies to our leagues, our events such as the Masters Series Finals, the venues where our leagues are played, and our online spaces: the Padel League UK app, WhatsApp groups and social media.

It applies to our team, organisers and volunteers, players, parents and guardians, spectators, and venue staff working with our leagues.

Who can take part

Our leagues are mainly for adults. From the age of 16, young players can take part with a parent or guardian. In safeguarding, anyone under 18 is a child, so everything below applies to players aged 16 and 17.

Rules for players aged 16 and 17

A parent or guardian must agree to the player taking part.
A responsible adult, meaning a parent or guardian, must come with the player during matches and league events.
The parent or guardian handles all communication about fixtures, disputes and league administration on the player's behalf. This includes messages to other teams and players, the app's match chat and WhatsApp.
Match captains and other players must contact the parent or guardian, not the young player. Adults must not message a player under 18 privately.
Players under 18 are not added to adult-only WhatsApp communities unless a parent or guardian is also in the group.
Parents and guardians should know who their child is partnering with. A player under 18 should use the Find a Partner button only together with their parent or guardian.
Fixtures involving a player under 18 should be played at a venue with staff on site, not at a private address.
Nobody may buy or give alcohol to a person under 18 at our events.

Code of behaviour for players

Treat opponents, partners, officials, venue staff and spectators with respect.
Do not use abusive, discriminatory, sexual or threatening language, in person or online.
No time-wasting, and no racket-smashing or other dangerous behaviour.
Do not bully, harass or pressure anyone.
Report anything that worries you, using the steps below.
If a complaint is made against you, the first complaint leads to a verbal warning and the second to a written warning. After a third complaint, you can be removed from the league. We may also refuse an entry.

Code of behaviour for our team, organisers and volunteers

Put the welfare of children first, and never put yourself in a position where your behaviour could be misunderstood.
Do not have private contact with a player under 18. Speak to their parent or guardian.
Never start or allow a romantic or sexual relationship with a player under 18.
Do not use your role to get personal favours or to pressure anyone.
Report any concern at once, even if you are not sure.

Code of behaviour for spectators and parents

Be respectful to everyone, including officials and opponents.
Do not shout abuse, and do not approach or photograph other people's children.
Follow the venue's rules and the instructions of our team and venue staff.
Parents and guardians should step in early if their child is upset or unsafe.

Recognising a concern

Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual, or it can be neglect. It can happen in person or online. Bullying and grooming are also concerns. Signs can include:

unexplained injuries, or fear of a person or place
sudden changes in mood or behaviour
an adult giving a young person special attention, gifts or money
private messaging with a young person, or asking them to keep it secret
a young person telling you, directly or indirectly, that something is wrong

How to report a concern

If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 999 first.

For anything else, tell our safeguarding lead as soon as you can. You do not need to be sure, and you should not investigate yourself.

Safeguarding lead: the Padel League UK safeguarding lead. All reports reach them by the routes below.
Email info@ukpadelleague.co.uk with Safeguarding in the subject line, or tap the Player Support button in the app.
NSPCC helpline for adults worried about a child: 0808 800 5000.
Childline for children and young people: 0800 1111.
If it happened at a venue, also tell the venue's own safeguarding contact.

If a young person tells you something

Stay calm and listen. Take it seriously.
Do not promise to keep it secret. Explain that you may need to tell someone to keep them safe.
Do not ask leading questions or try to find out more than they choose to tell you.
Write down what they said, in their own words, with the date and time, as soon as you can.
Report it to our safeguarding lead on the same day.

What we do when we hear a concern

We write down what was reported and decide what to do, putting the child's safety first. We may contact the local authority children's services, the police or the venue. We may also take action in the league, such as warning, suspending or removing someone.

We tell only the people who need to know. We will not punish anyone for raising a concern in good faith.

Venues

Venues have their own safeguarding policies and rules. When our leagues are played at a venue, you must follow the venue's rules as well as ours. If the two differ, follow the stricter one. Players book and pay for their own courts, so venue staff are responsible for the venue itself.

Photography and filming

We take photos and video at events and may stream live on Instagram, including at the Masters Series Finals. Photos may appear on this website and on social media.

We ask permission before we name or show identifiable players in our promotion. For players under 18 we need a parent or guardian's permission. We never publish a young person's full name with their photo. If you do not want to be photographed, tell our team and we will respect that. You can ask us to remove an image at any time. Nobody may take photos or film in toilets or changing areas.

Online, WhatsApp and social media

Fixtures are arranged by match captains using the app's match chat and the division WhatsApp group. Each division has its own group, and we keep Approve new participants switched on so that an admin approves everyone who joins.

Keep messages about padel, and keep them respectful.
Do not share abusive, sexual or discriminatory content, or other people's phone numbers or photos without permission.
Do not use WhatsApp groups for commercial activity. To promote a business, email sponsor@ukpadelleague.co.uk.
Do not tag or name a young person in a post without their parent or guardian's permission.
Group admins can remove anyone who breaks these rules. Report concerns through the Player Support button in the app.

Our team and volunteers

We take care over who runs our leagues and events. Everyone who runs them must read this policy and follow its codes of behaviour. Players under 18 always have a parent or guardian with them, so our team does not work alone with a young person.

Records and confidentiality

We keep safeguarding records securely and share them only with people who need them to keep someone safe. Data protection law does not stop us sharing information to protect a child. We keep them for as long as the law and sports guidance say we should. See our privacy policy for how we handle your information.

Reviewing this policy

We review this policy at least once a year, and after any serious incident or change in the law. It was last updated on 14 October 2026. If you have a question about this policy, or suggestions to improve it, email info@ukpadelleague.co.uk.