Privacy Policy

FindaRef is operated by FindaRef Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. 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 for WhatsApp authentication and notifications.

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.

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: WhatsApp 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 WhatsApp one-time codes or email and password
• Send fixture offers, confirmations, and reminders via WhatsApp
• Match referees to fixtures based on grade, location, and availability
• Process organiser subscription payments via Stripe
• 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 WhatsApp messages from FindaRef. These include verification codes, fixture offers, confirmations, and reminders. These messages are essential to how the platform works.

You can opt out of notifications at any time by replying STOP to any message or updating your notification settings. Opting out of operational messages will prevent us from sending you fixture offers.

WhatsApp messages are sent via the Meta WhatsApp Business API. Meta processes message metadata in accordance with their own privacy policy.

FindaRef does not process payments between referees and organisers. Match fees are agreed directly between the parties. We do not collect, store, or have access to any payment information related to match fees.

Organiser subscription billing is handled entirely 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 — it will not be used 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 — subscription payment processing (organiser accounts only)
• Meta — WhatsApp Business API for messaging
• 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 WhatsApp 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)
• 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 only — required for authentication and session management. We do not use advertising or tracking 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 EEA — for example, by Stripe or Meta — 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 via WhatsApp or 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.