Privacy Policy

Lightning for Players & Parents ("we," "us," "our," or the "Platform"), operated by FS Athletics and accessible at fsathletics.site, is a youth sports recruiting platform that connects players with scouts and coaches. We are committed to protecting the privacy of all our users, especially children and minors.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform. Because our Platform serves youth athletes, including children under the age of 13, we comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and applicable state privacy laws.

By using Lightning for Players & Parents, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Registration Information

When you create an account, we collect:

Player accounts: Name, email address, date of birth, location (city/state), primary position, and sport.
Scout/Coach accounts: Name, email address, organization or team affiliation, and role.
Parent/Guardian information: For players under 18, we collect a parent or guardian email address for verification and notification purposes.

1.2 Profile Information

Players may provide additional profile information, including:

Athletic statistics (batting average, ERA, fielding percentage, OPS, ISO, and other performance metrics)
Physical attributes (height, weight, throwing arm, batting side)
Highlight videos (uploaded or linked)
Prior teams and seasons played
Achievements and awards
Coach testimonials
Academic information (GPA, graduation year) if voluntarily provided for college recruiting purposes

1.3 Communication Data

We store messages exchanged between users through our in-platform messaging system. This includes messages between players and scouts/coaches. We do not read private messages unless required for safety investigations, abuse reports, or legal compliance.

1.4 Usage and Analytics Data

We automatically collect:

Profile view counts and viewer information (for paid tier users)
Pages visited, features used, and time spent on the Platform
Device type, browser type, and operating system
IP address and approximate geographic location
Referring website or link

1.5 Payment Information

Subscription payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card number on our servers. Stripe collects and processes payment information in accordance with their own privacy policy. We retain only a reference identifier (Stripe customer ID) and subscription status.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Operate the Platform: Create and maintain user accounts, display player profiles, and facilitate communication between players and scouts/coaches.
Facilitate recruiting: Allow scouts and coaches to search for and discover player profiles based on position, location, age, and stats.
Provide analytics: Show players who has viewed their profile and provide engagement metrics (available on paid tiers).
Send notifications: Deliver messages, alerts about new scout interest, and platform updates via email.
Parent notifications: Notify parents/guardians of account activity for minor users, including new messages received and profile changes.
Process payments: Manage subscriptions, billing, and trial periods through Stripe.
Ensure safety: Monitor for policy violations, investigate reports, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect minors on the Platform.
Improve the Platform: Analyze usage patterns to fix bugs, develop new features, and improve user experience.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not sell, rent, or trade user data to third parties for marketing purposes.

We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

Public profile data: Player profile information (name, position, location, stats, videos, achievements) is displayed to scouts, coaches, and other users on the Platform as configured by the user. Date of birth is used to calculate age but the full date of birth is never displayed publicly.
Messaging: When you send a message, your name and account type are visible to the recipient.
Payment processor: We share necessary billing information with Stripe to process subscription payments.
Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the safety of a child or other user.
Safety and enforcement: We may share information with law enforcement if we believe in good faith that a user's safety is at risk, particularly in cases involving minors.

4. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Lightning for Players & Parents takes children's privacy seriously. Our Platform serves youth athletes, and we implement the following protections:

4.1 Users Under 13 Years Old

In compliance with COPPA, accounts for children under 13 may only be created by a parent or guardian. Children under 13 cannot create their own accounts.
The parent or guardian's email address is used as the account email. The parent controls the account and all information entered on behalf of the child.
By creating an account for a child under 13, the parent or guardian provides verifiable parental consent for the collection of the child's information as described in this Privacy Policy.
Parents can review, modify, or delete all information associated with their child's account at any time through the parent portal or by contacting us at [email protected].
Parents may revoke consent at any time by deleting the child's account, which will permanently remove all associated data.
We collect only information relevant to youth sports recruiting profiles: name, date of birth, location (city and state), athletic statistics, and optionally photos, videos, and academic information. We do not collect more information than is reasonably necessary for the child to participate on the Platform.

4.2 Users Under 18 Years Old

All users under 18 must have a parent or guardian email on file. Parents receive a verification notification when the account is created.
Parents/guardians have access to a parent portal where they can monitor their child's account activity, view messages received, and manage profile visibility settings.
Parents receive email notifications when scouts or coaches send messages to their child.
Parents can request full account deletion at any time.

4.3 Platform Safety Measures for Minors

Scout and coach accounts undergo a verification process.
All users can report and block other users. Reports are reviewed promptly.
Message rate limiting is enforced to prevent spam and harassment.
We prohibit the sharing of personal contact information (phone numbers, home addresses, personal email) through platform messages. Messages to players under 18 are automatically filtered for contact information.
All messaging is individual only. There is no batch or group messaging feature. Each communication must be intentional and accountable.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services.

Account deletion: You can request deletion of your account and all associated personal data at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. For minor accounts, a parent or guardian may also submit this request.
Deletion process: Upon receiving a verified deletion request, we will remove your personal information from our active systems within 30 days. Some information may be retained in backup systems for up to 90 days before permanent deletion.
Inactive accounts: Accounts that have been inactive for more than 24 months may be flagged for deletion. We will send a notification email before deleting any inactive account.
Legal retention: We may retain certain information as required by law or to resolve disputes.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

Essential cookies: Required for login sessions, security tokens, and basic Platform functionality. These cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform so we can improve features and performance. We use WordPress-compatible analytics tools.
Preference cookies: Remember your settings such as theme preferences and display options.

We do not use cookies for behavioral advertising. We do not serve third-party ads on the Platform.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers.
Secure password hashing (passwords are never stored in plain text).
Access controls limiting who within our organization can access user data.
Regular security reviews of our codebase and infrastructure.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate information.
Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements).
Data portability: Request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
Opt-out: Opt out of non-essential communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected].

9. California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with additional rights:

Right to know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources, the business purpose for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
Right to delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
No sale of personal information: We do not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months.

To submit a CCPA request, email [email protected] with the subject line "CCPA Request." We will verify your identity before processing any request.

10. Third-Party Services

Our Platform may integrate with or link to third-party services:

Stripe: Payment processing. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
YouTube/Vimeo: Video embeds for highlight videos. These services may set cookies when videos are loaded.
WordPress: Our Platform is built on WordPress. Core WordPress functionality may collect standard server logs.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
Post a notice on the Platform.
Send an email notification to registered users for significant changes, especially any changes affecting children's data practices.

Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about your child's data on our Platform, please contact us:

FS Athletics - Lightning for Players & Parents

Email: [email protected]

Website: fsathletics.site

For COPPA-related inquiries or to exercise parental rights regarding your child's account, please include "COPPA Request" in the subject line of your email.

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