The following are Bolton Hockey Club (BHC) WhatsApp Group Guidelines

All BHC Groups

It is expected that all members conduct themselves in accordance with the code of conduct and behaviour guidelines as set out here.

What is said in any BHC group, is for BHC members only and restricted to that group, it should not be screen grab, photo’d or otherwise shared, with members outside the group, and especially member out with BHC.

At BHC we provide safe and secure groups within the WhatsApp Bolton Hockey Community. Any group outside this, is considered unofficial and does not represent either the club nor it’s members.

Under 18 Members

Anyone under the age of 16 cannot purchase a phone contract, and therefore cannot download and activate WhatsApp without the consent of the parent/guardian. This means that ultimately the parent controls whether their young person has access to this communication platform.

Therefore, after careful consideration the club have agreed that removing people from the group because of age is unfair and will ultimately lead to youngsters feeling left out and not part of the team and with that in mind we will continue to endorse Team WhatsApp Groups.

If there are Under 16 players in the team the WhatsApp admin will add the parent of the player to the group. If the parent is happy for their young person to also be added, they just need to provide their consent and they will be added to the group, however the parent must remain on the group also. The parent can request for their young person to be removed from the group at any time.

It is important to note, as part of the safeguarding initiative, players under 18, have certain parental protections, and adult players are expected to respect that while appearing adult, players under 18 are not considered legally so, there conduct within BHC chats should reflect this.

BHC Team Groups

We understand that team WhatsApp’s are an important part of the culture of our club, however it is equally as important that we maintain the safety of our players, including those under the age of 18 (See above section).

Please keep discussions within the prevue of reasonable topics, about the groups general purpose. If required, separate groups can be created.

To safeguard these Team WhatsApp Groups and make sure they stay as relevant as possible group admins will ensure that players are removed and added each season.

The captain will act as the moderator of the team group, any concerns will be brough to the Welfare officer. In addition, both section lead and section rep must be a part of the team whats app group to ensure content is appropriate, and act accordingly. Any content that is deemed inappropriate will be dealt with accordingly.

We understand that there is nothing to stop social groups being made, but we encourage people to be aware that these are unendorsed by the club.

Committee BHC Groups

Information contained within the various committees are considered confidential, and information that is to be shared should only be done via the official channels and official personal. Be that the communications officer, Execution committee, or designated leaders (Captains).

Leaving Players
When a player leaves the club, it is the responsibility of the whats app group administrator to remove that player from their respective WhatsApp Group (Along with all other club membership access).

It is strictly against club rules to share confidential information without the prior express consent on the player first. If the player is under 18, parental consent must be sourced first, this is not only a club rule, but a legal consideration.

England Hockey Guidance

https://west.englandhockey.co.uk/news/whatsapp-guide-for-communicating-with-children