Social media for sports clubs: a practical guide

A grassroots club has several audiences at once: current players, parents of junior members, volunteers, former players, sponsors and people thinking of joining. Most of them want the same few things: when and where, who won, and how to get involved.

Pick one person to own the accounts, with a second person who has access in case they are away. Club accounts that depend on one volunteer's personal phone go quiet the week that volunteer leaves.

Sport has a natural weekly rhythm. Three to five posts a week is plenty during the season, and one or two in the off season.

• Monday: weekend results and a thank you to coaches, officials and volunteers.
• Tuesday: training times, venue changes or kit reminders.
• Thursday: fixtures and team news for the weekend.
• Match day: live score updates and a few photos.
• Monthly: a sponsor thank you, a volunteer spotlight and a how-to-join post.

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit says organisations that use images of children must have a photography and filming policy. Its guidance says parent or carer consent is needed before photos or videos are taken of under-16s, that the child should be asked too and their wishes respected, and that anyone can withdraw consent at any time. It advises removing children's names alongside images unless necessary, warns that tagging young people can put them at risk, and says to use images of children in suitable dress or kit.

For live streaming, the CPSU says to tell parents and children in advance, gather consent, use wide-angle views rather than close-ups and make sure the stream is not recorded. It suggests asking parents and spectators not to share photos or videos of sessions online, because other children may be identifiable.

The ICO says data protection law does not apply to purely personal use, so a parent's photo on a private account seen by family is likely to be personal use, but posting to a public account may go further. Your club can still set its own rules for safeguarding reasons.

This is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check with your regulator, professional body or a lawyer before you post claims, prices or photos of the people you serve.

1. Adopt a written photography and filming policy, and share it with members and parents.
2. Collect consent at registration, and keep one current list of juniors who must not appear.
3. Check every photo, including the background, against that list before posting.
4. Use first names only, or no names, and never tag junior players.
5. Use club-owned devices or a shared club account, not volunteers' personal phones, to store images.
6. Take a photo down promptly when a parent or child asks.

Sources: NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit: Photography and filming in sports and activities, checked 15 October 2026; ICO: Taking photos in schools, checked 15 October 2026

Raffles: in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission says a small society lottery must be registered with your local licensing authority, with a £40 registration fee and £20 a year to renew. You cannot sell more than £20,000 of tickets in a single lottery or £250,000 in a year, at least 20% of proceeds must go to the club's purposes and tickets can only be sold to people aged 16 and over. Tickets can be sold online. The Commission has a separate guide for raffles held at events.

Prize draws on social media: the ASA's advice says significant conditions, including the closing date, should be in the post itself, winners must be picked at random by a computer process or an independent person (a staff member or volunteer picking from comments does not count), and you must be able to track every entry. Seek legal advice before running a prize draw so it does not become an illegal lottery.

Sponsors: thank sponsors honestly and in proportion. Agree in writing what you will post for them, how often and whether their logo appears on junior content.

Sources: Gambling Commission: Licences for small society lotteries, checked 15 October 2026; ASA Advice Online: Prize draws in social media, checked 15 October 2026

Club pages can attract heated comments about referees, selection and opposition teams. Set the tone in your own posts: celebrate effort, thank officials and never criticise a child, an official or another club.

• Publish short comment rules and apply them the same way to everyone.
• Hide abuse aimed at referees, players or other clubs, and keep a note of what you removed.
• Handle selection and complaints privately, through the club's usual process.
• Report safeguarding concerns to your club welfare officer, not in comments.

Plan around the season: pre-season recruitment, the first fixtures, mid-season awards, end-of-season presentations and summer camps.

Disclosure: Zolyp, which publishes this guide, makes an AI social media manager. It plans a balanced week across your content pillars, writes the captions and designs the visuals in your brand voice, and schedules them to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You can add your own photos to any post, and you start by approving every post. Zolyp does not see your consent list or safeguarding records, so whoever approves the week should check every image against them. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: fixtures for the month and a how-to-join post.
• Week 2: collect photos centrally and check permissions.
• Week 3: one volunteer spotlight and one sponsor thank you.
• Week 4: results round-up and next month's plan.