Privacy Policy

FindaRef is operated by FindaRef Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17238017, with its registered office at 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. We provide a platform that automatically matches FA-registered referees with football match organisers across the UK.

FindaRef Ltd is the data controller for all personal data collected through the platform. For privacy questions, contact us at hello@findaref.co.uk.

All users: name, email address, and (where provided) mobile phone number.

Referees: location or postcode (for proximity matching), FA grade and registration details, availability windows, and fixture history on the platform.

Organisers: club or organisation name, fixture details (location, date, grade required, whether minors are involved), and subscription billing information. Organiser payment card details are held by Stripe. FindaRef does not store card numbers, CVVs, or expiry dates.

Referral participants: if you participate in our referral scheme and opt in to receive commission payments, we collect your chosen payment method and associated details: either UK bank account details (account holder name, sort code, and account number) or a PayPal email address. This data is collected solely for the purpose of making referral commission payments to you.

Referees receiving match-fee payments: if you choose to receive match fees through the platform, our payment processor Stripe collects and verifies the identity and payout details it needs to pay you: your name, date of birth, address, and a bank account or debit card. Stripe processes this under its own agreement with you to meet anti-money-laundering (KYC) and payout requirements. FindaRef stores a reference to your Stripe account and its status, not your raw bank or card numbers.

Organisers using autopay: if you save a card to fund fixtures automatically, your card is held by Stripe. FindaRef stores only a reference to it (the card type and last four digits) and any per-fixture spend cap you set, never the full card number, CVV, or expiry.

Mobile app users: if you use the FindaRef app and turn on notifications, we store a device push token so we can send you push notifications. You can turn push notifications off in your device settings at any time.

Automatically: we may collect device type, browser, and usage patterns to improve the platform. See our Cookie Policy.

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

• Contract: processing your account data, fixture matching, subscription billing, and referral commission payments is necessary to perform our contract with you.
• Legitimate interests: improving the platform, preventing fraud and abuse, and sending operational communications where not covered by contract.
• Consent: email marketing messages (separate from operational messages) and any optional analytics tracking.
• Legal obligation: retaining billing records and cooperating with lawful requests from authorities.

• Authenticate you via email and password
• Send fixture offers, confirmations, and reminders by email and in-app notifications
• Match referees to fixtures based on grade, location, and availability
• Process organiser subscription payments via Stripe
• Facilitate match-fee payments from organisers, transfers to referees, and withdrawals, all processed by Stripe Connect
• Process referral commission payments to participants who have opted in
• Prevent and investigate fraud, including abuse of the referral scheme
• Resolve disputes and investigate reported breaches of our policies
• Improve the platform and matchmaking algorithm

We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your data for advertising.

By signing up, you consent to receive operational messages from FindaRef by email and through in-app notifications. These include verification codes, fixture offers, confirmations, and reminders. These messages are essential to how the platform works.

You can manage your notification preferences at any time in your account settings. Opting out of operational messages will prevent us from sending you fixture offers.

Where an organiser pays a match fee through the platform, that payment is processed by Stripe using Stripe Connect. The organiser pays in the app, the funds are held on a Stripe-operated balance, and after the match is confirmed complete the referee's share is transferred to a Stripe-operated account in the referee's name, which they can withdraw to their bank or debit card. Stripe, not FindaRef, holds and moves the money at every step.

FindaRef does not store card numbers, CVV codes, expiry dates, or referees' bank or debit card numbers. To run the service we receive transaction metadata from Stripe: amounts, our platform fee, payment and payout status, and timing. Stripe performs the identity verification (KYC) and anti-money-laundering checks required by law on referees who receive funds. See our Terms of Service for how payments, our platform fee, and refunds work.

Organisers can optionally save a card so that confirming a referee funds the fixture automatically (autopay). The card is stored by Stripe; FindaRef keeps only a reference to it (its type and last four digits) and any per-fixture spend cap you set. You can remove it at any time from your Billing page.

Organiser subscription billing is also handled by Stripe. FindaRef does not store card numbers, CVV codes, or expiry dates.

If you participate in the referral scheme and provide bank or PayPal details to receive commission, we collect and store that information under the lawful basis of contractual necessity. It is required to fulfil our obligation to pay you.

This data is:

• Stored securely in our database, access-restricted to FindaRef staff responsible for processing payments
• Used only to make commission payments to you, never for any other purpose
• Not shared with any third parties other than your bank or PayPal (as the payment recipient)
• Retained for as long as your account is active and for 7 years after your last commission payment, to comply with financial record-keeping obligations

You can update or remove your payout details at any time from your dashboard. Removing your payout details will not affect commission already earned, but unpaid commission will accrue until valid details are re-added (subject to the 12-month expiry in our Terms of Service).

To get verified, referees can upload documents that prove their credentials: a screenshot of their FA registration and a copy of their DBS certificate. A DBS certificate relates to criminal records, so we treat it as sensitive. We process it only to confirm a referee is cleared to officiate, including youth fixtures, on the basis of safeguarding children and the substantial public interest.

These documents are:

• Stored in a private store, not visible to organisers or other users
• Seen only by FindaRef staff carrying out the verification review
• Used only to confirm your credentials, never for marketing or any other purpose
• Removed when your account is deleted, subject to any safeguarding record we must keep

FindaRef does not run DBS checks and does not pass your documents to the FA, the DBS, or any other authority. We review what you send and record the outcome.

We share personal data only where necessary:

• Supabase: our database and authentication provider (data stored in EU data centres)
• Stripe: payment processing for organiser subscriptions and, where used, match-fee payments, referee payout onboarding, and withdrawals. Stripe also performs the identity verification (KYC) and anti-money-laundering checks required by law on referees who receive funds.
• Google (Analytics 4): anonymised website usage analytics, used only if you consent to analytics cookies
• Expo: delivery of push notifications to the FindaRef mobile app (push tokens and notification content), which may involve transfer to the United States
• Your bank or PayPal: solely to process referral commission payments you are owed
• Legal authorities: if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of users

When a referee is matched to a fixture, limited contact information (name and phone number) is shared with the relevant organiser and vice versa, so they can coordinate on match day.

We do not share personal data with advertisers, data brokers, or any other third parties.

We retain your account data while your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain it:

• Billing records and subscription history: up to 7 years (financial record-keeping obligations)
• Match-fee transaction and referee payout records: up to 7 years (financial record-keeping obligations, and any reporting we owe as a digital platform operator)
• Referral payout records: up to 7 years from the date of the last commission payment
• Records relating to reported incidents, disputes, or safeguarding concerns: as long as required for resolution or legal proceedings

You have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification: correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Restriction: ask us to limit how we process your data in certain circumstances
• Portability: receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@findaref.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe we have mishandled your data.

We use essential cookies for authentication and session management, and these always run. With your consent, we also use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how the platform is used, for example which pages are visited and whether sign-up flows complete. You choose whether to allow analytics when you first visit, and you can decline. We do not use advertising cookies. See our Cookie Policy for details.

Your data is primarily stored within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). Where any data is processed outside the UK and EEA, for example by Stripe, by Google (Analytics 4, where you have consented to analytics), or by Expo (push notification delivery to our mobile app), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR, including standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions where applicable.

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify active users of material changes by email with at least 14 days' notice. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version.

For privacy questions: hello@findaref.co.uk or visit our contact page.