Photo Policy

The Judge Dowd Soccer League is a nonprofit all volunteer league whose mission is to provide instruction in the fundamentals and rules of the game of soccer while stressing the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork along with promoting friendly rivalry between our parishes. The objective is to enrich the lives of children and build positive character traits that will help children beyond the playing field throughout their lives. However, in the era of social media, we also need to take precautions to protect the safety of these same children.

The goal of this policy is to provide guidance on the taking and use of photographs and/or videos of our children at soccer games. To reach this goal, the following restrictions and limitations apply to taking and use of photographs and video:

1. Photographs and Video. We all want to take pictures or video of our children so that the soccer experience can be shared with family, friends, and loved-ones. However, please understand that the taking of photographs and/or video is limited as follows:
   1. Who can take photographs or video. Only immediate family members, including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, or guardians, are permitted to take photographs or video of children at any time. The taking of photographs or video is not allowed on the playing field during the game.
   2.  Geo-location. The location settings on all devices used to take photographs or video must be disabled to prevent the recording of locations and/or schedules of children’s activities.
   3. Non-family members. Those who are not immediate family members must obtain pre-approval by the Judge Dowd Soccer League prior to the taking of any photographs or video.
2. Distribution. In order to protect the safety of all children participating in the Judge Dowd Soccer League, the distribution of any photographs or video shall be limited as follows:
   1. Website. Photographs or video taken of children at Judge Dowd Soccer League games cannot be posted on any publically-accessible website without preapproval by the parents/guardians of all children depicted in the photographs or video.
   2. Open Social Media. Photographs or video taken of children at Judge Dowd Soccer League games cannot be distributed via open social media (such as nonrestricted Twitter, non-restricted Facebook, Youtube, and/or any other nonrestricted social media) without pre-approval by the parents/guardians of all children depicted in the photographs or video.
   3. Closed Social Medial. Photographs or video taken of children at Judge Dowd Soccer League games can be accessed via closed social media (such as restricted Twitter, restricted Facebook, and/or any other restricted social media) without prior approval by the parents/guardians of all children depicted in the photographs or video so long as access to the photographs or video is restricted to those who are personally known by the person posting the photographs or video.
   4. Email. Photographs or videos taken of children at Judge Dowd Soccer League games cannot be distributed via email without pre-approval by the parents/ guardian of all children depicted in the photographs or video.
   5. Tagging. When photographs or video are posted on closed social media, or distributed via email as described herein, the person posting the photographs or video (or sending via email) must not tag or give the names of any children in the photographs or video without pre-approval by the parents/guardians of all children to be tagged or named.

The Judge Dowd Soccer League reserves the right to remove any person from League activities who violates these restrictions and limitations.