Legal Information

Terms of Service

1. Provider & Scope

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the RI Scouts platform ("Platform"), operated by RI Scouts ("we", "us", "our"), accessible at riscouts.com. By creating an account or using any part of the Platform, you enter into a binding agreement with us under these Terms.

These Terms constitute a contract within the meaning of §§ 145 ff. BGB (German Civil Code). The language of the contract is English.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 13 years old to register. Users under 18 require verifiable guardian consent per our Guardian Verification flow.
• Users registering as scouts or club representatives must hold a valid professional or organisational role and may not misrepresent their identity or affiliation.
• By registering, you confirm that the information you provide is truthful, accurate, and complete.

3. Account Registration

You must provide a valid email address and create a secure password. You are responsible for maintaining confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at security@riscouts.com if you suspect unauthorised access.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, are inactive for more than 24 months, or are found to contain fraudulent or misleading information.

4. Services Provided

RI Scouts provides a digital platform that enables:

• Football players (men and women) to create verified profiles and be discovered by scouts
• Scouts and club representatives to search, filter, and contact players
• Direct in-platform messaging between verified parties
• Profile management, statistics display, and highlight video linking

RI Scouts does not act as a recruitment agency, agent, or employment intermediary. We make no guarantee that use of the Platform will result in a trial, contract, or employment offer.

5. User Obligations

You agree not to:

• Post false, misleading, or unverified information about yourself or others
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
• Use the Platform for commercial solicitation outside its intended purpose
• Scrape, crawl, or copy content from the Platform without prior written consent
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or compromise the Platform's security
• Create multiple accounts or impersonate other individuals or organisations
• Upload content that infringes third-party intellectual property rights

6. User Content

You retain ownership of content you upload (photos, videos, statistics, descriptions). By uploading content, you grant RI Scouts a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to store, display, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating the Platform.

We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or applicable law, without prior notice.

7. Intellectual Property

All Platform design, code, branding, logos, and non-user content are the intellectual property of RI Scouts and may not be reproduced, modified, or distributed without written permission.

8. Liability Limitation

To the maximum extent permitted by German law, RI Scouts is not liable for:

• Indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from use of the Platform
• Accuracy of user-submitted content
• Outcomes of contact or negotiations between players and scouts
• Technical downtime, data loss due to force majeure, or third-party service failure

Our liability for direct damages is limited to the amount paid by you, if any, in the 12 months preceding the claim. Mandatory liability under §§ 823 ff. BGB for gross negligence or intent remains unaffected.

9. Termination

You may delete your account at any time via the account settings page. Upon deletion, your profile and personal data will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and GDPR rights. We may retain anonymised aggregated data for analytics purposes.

10. Amendments

We may update these Terms with 30 days' notice delivered by email or in-platform notification. Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance. If you do not accept amended Terms, you may delete your account before the effective date.

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. Exclusive jurisdiction for disputes is the competent court in Germany, unless mandatory consumer protection law provides otherwise.

Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data under Art. 4(7) GDPR is:

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Account Data

• Full name, email address, date of birth, nationality
• Password (stored in bcrypt-hashed form — never plaintext)
• Account type (player / scout), registration date

2.2 Profile Data (Players)

• Position, preferred foot, club, league tier
• Body measurements voluntarily entered by the player: height (cm), weight (kg)
• Physical performance metrics voluntarily entered by the player: sprint times (5 m, 10 m, 20 m, 30 m), vertical jump height, top speed
• Profile photo and highlight video URLs
• Guardian information (for users under 18)

2.3 Scout / Club Data

• Club or organisation name, role, professional affiliation
• Search history and shortlist activity (non-identifiable to players)

2.4 Usage Data

• IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Pages visited, time spent, clicks, and session duration
• Error logs and performance data

2.5 Communication Data

• Messages sent between users via the in-platform messenger
• Contact form submissions and support tickets

3. Legal Basis for Processing

• Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): Account data, profile data, and messaging — necessary to deliver the service
• Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): Usage analytics, security monitoring, fraud prevention
• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): Marketing communications, non-essential cookies
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR): Retention of financial records, regulatory compliance

4. How We Use Your Data

• To create and manage your account
• To display your profile to authorised scouts (players only)
• To facilitate in-platform messaging
• To improve platform functionality and user experience
• To send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset)
• To prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• To comply with legal obligations

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only with:

• Hosting providers: For server infrastructure (processors under DPA)
• Email delivery services: For transactional email (processors under DPA)
• Analytics providers: Anonymised/aggregated data only
• Law enforcement: Only when legally required by German or EU authority

6. Data Retention

• Active account data: retained for the duration of your account
• Deleted accounts: personal data purged within 30 days of deletion
• Anonymised analytics: retained indefinitely
• Legal/financial records: retained for 10 years per §§ 147 AO, 257 HGB
• Support communications: retained for 3 years

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR and BDSG you have the right to:

• Access (Art. 15 GDPR): Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): Correct inaccurate data
• Erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): Request deletion ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction (Art. 18 GDPR): Limit how we process your data
• Portability (Art. 20 GDPR): Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection (Art. 21 GDPR): Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: At any time for consent-based processing

To exercise any right, email privacy@riscouts.com. We respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in Germany.

8. International Transfers

Where data is processed outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place per Chapter V GDPR, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or adequacy decisions.

9. Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures including TLS encryption in transit, bcrypt password hashing, access control, and regular security audits. No system is 100% secure; we will notify you of any breach affecting your data within 72 hours as required by Art. 33–34 GDPR.

GDPR & Data Rights

1. Our GDPR Commitment

RI Scouts is fully committed to compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG 2018). Data protection is built into our platform architecture — not bolted on after the fact.

2. Data Protection Officer (DPO)

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer as required under Art. 37 GDPR. You may contact the DPO directly for any data protection matter:

3. Processing Register (Art. 30 GDPR)

We maintain a Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) as required. Key processing activities include:

• Player profile management — Legal basis: contract; Retention: account lifetime + 30 days
• Scout database access — Legal basis: contract; Retention: account lifetime
• Guardian consent records — Legal basis: legal obligation; Retention: until user turns 18 + 3 years
• Platform analytics — Legal basis: legitimate interest; Data: anonymised only
• Email communications — Legal basis: consent / contract; Retention: 3 years

4. Physical Performance Data & Special Category Data

Physical performance metrics (height, weight, sprint times, vertical jump, top speed) are collected voluntarily by players for the sole purpose of creating a scouting profile. These metrics are entered by the player and are not derived from biological samples or automated measurement — they do not constitute biometric data for identification purposes under Art. 9 GDPR. The legal basis for processing is contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR), as they form the core of the player profile service.

Players may omit any or all physical metrics when creating their profile. Entered values can be updated or deleted at any time via the player dashboard or by submitting a data deletion request to privacy@riscouts.com.

We do not collect or process other special category data under Art. 9 GDPR (genetic data, health records, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, etc.). If such data is inadvertently submitted, we will delete it upon discovery or request.

5. Data Subject Rights — How to Submit a Request

To exercise any GDPR right, send an email to privacy@riscouts.com with subject line "GDPR Rights Request" including:

• Your full name and email address associated with your account
• The specific right you wish to exercise
• Any supporting information relevant to your request

We will verify your identity before processing and respond within 30 calendar days. Complex requests may be extended by a further 60 days with notice.

6. Minor Data Protection

For users under the age of 18, we require verifiable guardian consent prior to profile activation, going beyond the Art. 8 GDPR and § 45 BDSG minimum in order to provide stronger protection for minors on the Platform. Guardian data is processed solely for consent verification and is not shared with scouts or displayed on the Platform. Guardians may request deletion of minor data at any time.

7. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe we have mishandled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority. The lead authority for Germany is:

You may also contact your local state supervisory authority (Landesbehörde) if relevant.

8. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours (Art. 33 GDPR) and affected individuals without undue delay where required (Art. 34 GDPR).

9. Privacy by Design

Our platform implements privacy-by-design principles per Art. 25 GDPR:

• Player photos are blurred on public-facing pages — full images visible only to registered scouts
• Player surnames are anonymised on discovery pages
• Scout search activity is not visible to players
• Passwords are never stored in plaintext
• Data minimisation: we collect only what is necessary

Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to remember information about your visit — such as your login state or preferences — and are governed in Germany by the Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG, formerly TTDSG) and the EU ePrivacy Directive.

2. Cookies We Use

2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the Platform to function. They cannot be disabled. No consent is required under § 25(2) TDDDG.

• session_id — Maintains your login session · Expires: session end
• csrf_token — Prevents cross-site request forgery attacks · Expires: session end
• cookie_consent — Stores your cookie preference · Expires: 12 months
• user_role — Remembers whether you are a player or scout · Expires: session end

2.2 Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)

We use anonymised analytics to understand how users interact with the Platform and improve our service. These cookies are only set with your explicit consent.

• _analytics_id — Anonymised session tracking · Expires: 13 months
• _page_views — Records pages visited within a session · Expires: session end

2.3 Functional Cookies (Optional)

• ui_preferences — Remembers UI settings such as language · Expires: 6 months

2.4 Cookies We Do Not Use

We do not use:

• Third-party advertising or behavioural targeting cookies
• Social media tracking pixels
• Cross-site tracking technologies
• Fingerprinting techniques

3. Managing Cookies

You can manage or withdraw consent for non-essential cookies at any time:

• In-platform: Via the Cookie Preferences link in the footer
• Browser settings: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Note that disabling essential cookies will affect Platform functionality.

Instructions for major browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

4. Third-Party Cookies

Where we embed third-party services (e.g. video players for highlight reels), those providers may set their own cookies subject to their privacy policies. We recommend reviewing the policies of any third-party services accessed via the Platform.

5. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in technology, law, or our services. We will notify you via in-platform banner or email for material changes.

For Parents & Guardians

If your child has asked you to approve their RI Scouts profile, this page explains exactly what the platform is, what data is shown publicly, and what rights you and your child have at all times.

What is RI Scouts?

RI Scouts is a football scouting platform that helps young players get discovered by professional scouts and clubs. Players create a sporting profile — similar to an online CV for football — and scouts from clubs and academies can browse and shortlist them.

The platform does not facilitate transfers or payments. It is a discovery tool only.

What will be visible on my child's profile?

Only sporting information is ever shown publicly:

• First name and last name
• Age (calculated from date of birth — the actual date of birth is never shown)
• Nationality and secondary passport (if added)
• Playing position, height, weight, and preferred foot
• Athletic metrics (sprint times, speed) if the player adds them
• Current club and league tier (if added)
• A short personal pitch written by the player
• Highlight video links (YouTube/Vimeo — hosted externally, never uploaded to us)
• A profile photo (optional)

What is never shown publicly?

• Your child's email address
• Their phone number (we do not collect it)
• Their home address (we do not collect it)
• Their exact date of birth
• Any messages sent through the platform — these are private between the two parties

Who can contact my child?

Only registered users can send messages. All users go through email verification on registration. Scouts can be verified by the RI Scouts team, and verified badges are shown on profiles. Your child controls whether they reply to any message.

If a message is inappropriate, your child can report it directly from their inbox and the RI Scouts team will review and act on it.

GDPR rights for minors

Players under 18 require guardian consent before their profile goes live — that is exactly why you received the consent email. Under GDPR, you and your child have the following rights:

• Right to access — request a copy of all data we hold
• Right to erasure — request full deletion of the account and all associated data
• Right to rectification — request correction of any inaccurate data
• Right to withdraw consent — you can revoke your consent at any time (see below)

How to revoke consent or delete the account

Your child can delete their own account at any time from their dashboard settings. This permanently removes all profile data, messages, and media.

If you wish to request deletion on their behalf, email privacy@riscouts.com from the guardian email address used when consent was given. We will action the request within 30 days.

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's profile, please contact us: