PRIVACY POLICY

1.0 Introduction & Scope

The Bihar Football Association (“BFA”, “we”, “our”, or “us”), established in 1968 and duly affiliated with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Bihar Olympic Association (BOA), operates the official website biharfootballassociation.com.

This Privacy Policy sets out our solemn commitment to protecting personal, biometric, and athletic data entrusted to us by players, coaches, referees, affiliated district football associations, registered clubs, tournament participants, and the general public across Bihar.

2.0 Information We Collect

To manage official football competitions, player transfer windows, referee clinics, and grassroots talent identification programs across all 38 districts of Bihar, we collect specific categories of information:

3.0 How We Use Your Data

All personal information is utilized exclusively for legitimate sporting, administrative, and statutory governance objectives:

• Competition Administration: Processing team entries, generating match fixtures, issuing accredited player cards, and publishing authentic match results.
• AIFF CRS Integration: Syncing player registrations into the All India Football Federation Central Registration System for state and national transfers.
• District & State Team Selection: Enabling scouting panels to verify bona fide Bihar residency and age qualifications for national championships (Santosh Trophy, BC Roy Trophy, Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy).
• Referee & Coaching Licensing: Maintaining continuous licensing directories, match appointments, and professional upgrading assessments.
• Public Health & Anti-Doping: Enforcing Constitutional Article 3.3 (substance abuse deterrence) and organizing NADA anti-doping compliance tests.

4.0 Youth & Minor Safeguarding (Child Protection)

Given our foundational mandate to promote youth football across school and sub-divisional levels, safeguarding minor athletes (under 18 years of age) is of paramount importance:

• Publicly visible match reports display only player names, jersey numbers, and affiliated clubs — personal contact information, home addresses, and identity proofs of minors are strictly restricted to authorized BFA match commissioners.
• All youth camp data adheres to the FIFA Guardian Child Safeguarding Toolkit and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) framework.

5.0 Data Sharing & Third-Party Disclosures

The Bihar Football Association does not sell, rent, lease, or monetize player or official personal information to commercial advertising networks or third-party marketing companies under any circumstances.

Data is shared solely with the following authorized entities on a strict need-to-know basis:

• All India Football Federation (AIFF): For national player registration, national championship eligibility, and international clearances.
• District Football Associations (DFAs): For local district leagues, inter-district tournaments, and grassroots training camps.
• Bihar Olympic Association (BOA) & Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA): For official multi-sport state games and sports scholarship nominations.
• Statutory & Law Enforcement Authorities: When strictly mandated by Indian law, judicial court orders, or anti-fraud investigations.

6.0 Data Security & Retention

We implement industry-standard physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, accidental destruction, alteration, or disclosure:

• Encryption: All online communications, registrations, and form submissions are protected via 256-bit SSL/TLS cryptographic protocols.
• Access Controls: Server access is strictly restricted to authenticated BFA administrative personnel and registered match commissioners.
• Retention Schedule: Athletic match statistics and player honor rolls are archived permanently as official sporting records. Identification documents (e.g. birth certificate copies) are retained only for the duration of the player's active playing career or as required by AIFF record-keeping mandates.

7.0 Your Statutory Rights

Under applicable Indian data protection frameworks, including the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, you hold the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Review & Correct: You may request review and correction of inaccurate personal or registration details via your registered District Football Association.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent for promotional communications or optional portal features at any time.
• Right to File a Grievance: If you believe your privacy rights have been infringed, you may petition our designated Grievance Officer.

8.0 Cookies & Web Analytics

Our website uses strictly essential session cookies and performance telemetry to maintain user login sessions, prevent cross-site request forgery, and monitor page load speeds. We do not deploy third-party advertising tracking cookies. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though certain interactive forms may require session cookies to function properly.

9.0 Grievance Redressal Officer

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, the contact details of the designated BFA Data Grievance Officer are set forth below: