From Pros to Pathways: Why Youth Players Deserve Data Rights Too

What Changed in the Professional Game

FIFA and FIFPRO have published a Charter of Player Data Rights that spells out how professional players' data should be collected, used and shared.[web:30][web:36]

It enshrines rights to:

• Be informed.
• Access one's data.
• Restrict, revoke and object to processing.
• Data portability, rectification and erasure.[web:36][web:33]

Why This Matters for Youth Sport

Youth athletes are increasingly tracked via GPS, apps and internal club systems, but their data typically lives in silos owned by organisations, not families.[file:1]

When a child changes team, school or sport, their development record usually stays behind.

The "Data Backpack" Concept

A PDP‑style passport can act as a personal data backpack that travels with the player.[file:1]

In practice, this means:

• Parents and players can see and understand what is stored about them.
• Families decide who can access which parts of the record.
• Data is shared with new coaches, physios or schools on a need‑to‑know basis.

Aligning With Emerging Standards

Legal and governance analysts argue that clubs who align early with data‑rights principles are better protected and more trusted.[web:39][web:42]

By designing PDP around transparency, consent and portability, you are effectively bringing youth sport into line with the standards now being set at the professional level.[web:36][file:1]

A Powerful Story for Parents

Framed simply: "Your child's data belongs to them. We just help you organise and use it for their benefit."

That is a story that resonates with today's digitally aware families and regulators alike.[file:1][web:36]